The Importance of Evaluator Quality in a Mystery Shopping Program

If your organization is currently engaged in a mystery shopping program, how is the vendor you work with assuring you are collecting quality data?

Ultimately, the success of these programs relies on the integrity of the information collected, meaning that the individual evaluators could have a significant impact on the future direction of your brand. If the vendor you work with cannot guarantee the quality of each shopper that submits a report, then the overall value of the program is diminished greatly. This can be especially troubling if the vendor has experienced issues consistently filling shops they claimed to be able to handle. If you are just beginning to search for a mystery shopping vendor, or already working with one, make sure that you ask the following questions to ensure that your shops are being completed by quality individuals.

The first question you must present to the mystery shopping vendor is how many active shoppers they have in their database. Specifically, it is important that they are properly equipped to fill assignments in the regions your brand exists. Too often, vendors will sign on a client without having enough evaluators available to fulfill these locations. This results in delayed program completion, lessened data integrity and increased overall costs. Requesting per region numbers will help your team better assess whether or not the vendor has the infrastructure in place to handle a program of the scope you desire.

After numbers have been established, the next line of questioning should focus on how a vendor collects evaluators and distributes your assignments. At Second To None, we use a five-star rating system that grades the quality of reports submitted and percentage of assignment completion, among other factors. Shoppers with a five-star rating have increased opportunities to sign up for shops, pushing them to the front of the line to ensure that the best evaluators are given the most assignments. Including these shopper ratings benefits both our evaluators and your brands, by rewarding high-performance individuals so that they are ones who work for your brand.

Another important factor to consider when researching mystery shopping vendors is how they market your assignments to acquire new shoppers. Ideally, there is a constantly evolving influx of individuals completing shops, to influence the highest quality of data possible. If there is no designated approach to recruiting shoppers, then it is likely that there will be issues if your brand is located in less populated regions or cities.

The success of any mystery shopper program is reliant on the quality of the individuals that complete the actual reports. Many vendors will try and complete shops by any means necessary, regardless of what individual is completing the shop. Ensure that you are working with a vendor that values excellent evaluator quality by asking them these questions.

Mystery Shopping Program FAQs

Why is evaluator quality important in a mystery shopping program?

Evaluator quality is crucial because the success of a mystery shopping program relies on accurate and reliable data. High-quality evaluators ensure that the insights collected reflect true customer experiences, helping businesses make informed decisions.

How can a company ensure high evaluator quality in mystery shopping?

Companies can ensure high evaluator quality by using rating systems to track performance, regularly recruiting new evaluators, and matching evaluators to assignments based on their expertise and reliability.

What risks are associated with poor evaluator quality in mystery shopping?

Poor evaluator quality can lead to inaccurate data, which may result in misguided business decisions, wasted resources, and a diminished return on investment for the mystery shopping program.

The true path to customer joy begins with immersion. At Second To None, we don’t simply ask your customers about their perceptions, observations, interactions, and experiences.

We truly become your customers.

Snapshot is our mystery shopping program, which has been core to our company since our founding in 1989. Whether in-store, online, on app, or beyond, we uncover key drivers of the customer experience that are responsible for improving customer satisfaction. You’ll understand what customers are experiencing each and every day. Learn more about Snapshot.