Despite the fact that many businesses spend thousands of dollars annually on such research, an astonishing number of mystery shopping programs fail outright or limp along year after year, perennially under-performing against expectations. Here are some best practices to help you avoid some common pitfalls.

1. Kinesis CEM, LLC
When Mystery Shopping Goes Bad: Best Practices to Avoid Common
http://www.kinesis-cem.com/Insights_MS_Goes_Bad.shtml
Eric Larse is co-founder of Seattle-based Kinesis, which helps companies plan and execute their customer experience strategies.
Mr. Larse can be reached at elarse@kinesis-cem.com.
http://www.kinesis-cem.com
kinesis-cem.com 206.285.2900 info@kinesis-cem.com
When Mystery Shopping Goes Bad:
Best Practices to Avoid Common Pitfalls

2. that many
businesses spend
thousands of
dollars annually on
such mystery
shopping…
Despite the
fact…

3. ….an astonishing
number of programs
fail outright or limp
along, under-
performing against
expectations.
When
Mystery
Shopping
Goes Bad

4. Disputed
findings by
employees and
managers
Companies
recite a litany
of complaints:

5. Questioning
of mystery
shoppers’
skills and
credibility
Companies
recite a litany of
complaints:

6. More internal
administration
than planned
Companies
recite a litany of
complaints:

7. Flat trend lines
and
undifferentiated
scores
Companies
recite a litany of
complaints:

8. Little or no
correlation
between mystery
shopping results
and customer
satisfaction ratings
Companies
recite a litany of
complaints:

9. Lack of
timeliness and
responsiveness
from mystery
shopping
vendors
Companies
recite a litany of
complaints:

10. Difficulty
demonstrating
return on
investment
Companies
recite a litany of
complaints:

11. It provides
tremendous
value when
designed and
executed well.
Mystery
shopping as a
methodology
is not to
blame

12. Define Clear
ObjectivesBest Practices to
Avoid Common
Pitfalls:

13. Keep it
Simple
Best Practices to
Avoid Common
Pitfalls:

14. Obtain
Buy-in
From the
Front-line
Best Practices to
Avoid Common
Pitfalls:

15. Plan for
Change
Best Practices to
Avoid Common
Pitfalls: