How to collect objective data in mystery shopping for your business

Mystery shopping is a powerful market research tool that you can use to evaluate the service quality and overall customer experience. However, the success of this research depends upon collecting objective data that reflects the customer experience across your stores. The collected data can be analyzed to draw insights into store performance, including strengths, weaknesses, and issues to use in ongoing improvements. Thus, this research helps to get enriched data that matters to your business.  

But, how to collect objective and quality data remains an important question to answer. The answer lies in designing the mystery shopping program based on your needs. First of all, you need to hire a professional mystery shopping company that has trained mystery shoppers who are experts in analyzing different aspects of your stores. Let us look at the steps that help to collect data important to your business:  

1. Develop a clear evaluation framework

The first step necessary to collect objective data through this research is to develop a clear evaluation framework. It should clearly outline the areas of focus, criteria, and rating scales that will be used in the evaluation. For instance, you can evaluate employees’ training needs and points affecting customer experience in your stores. But, make sure to design a clear, concise, and easily understood evaluation framework to be easy for test shoppers conducting the research.

2. Use multiple trained mystery shoppers

The data collection from mystery shopping research is effective when you use multiple trained covert shoppers. In this way, you can gather perspectives on the customer experience. So, make sure to employ trained test shoppers to ensure that they are evaluating your establishment consistently and objectively. 

3. Provide detailed instructions

Gaining objective data becomes a reality when you provide detailed instructions to mystery shoppers. The instructions should include detailed information on what to evaluate, how to evaluate it, and how to record the data. The instructions should also include a clear timeline for completing the evaluation and submitting the data. 

4. Use technology to collect data

The mystery shopping solution becomes more effective when you use technology in this program. Use mystery shopping software to ensure the data is accurate and consistent. The software can digitize this program to record data in real time, reducing the likelihood of errors and ensuring that data is collected promptly at multiple locations.  

5. Analyze the Data Objectively

Analyzing the collected data is a crucial step to identify areas of improvement, recurring issues, and employee performance. As a result, you will insightful data that help you to make targeted changes to improve customer service quality and overall business performance. 

Collecting objective data in mystery shopping research is an essential and ongoing process. To make this research successful, you need to develop a framework aligning with your business goal and employ reliable mystery shoppers to get the desired outcome. Lastly, you need to hire a trusted mystery shopping provider to conduct internal and external research. It brings unbiased third-party feedback reflecting the pure customer experience in your stores.