Once in a while, you’ll need to hire undercover shoppers to conduct secret shop audits on your behalf. As an entrepreneur, you should always be open to understanding how your employees work and meet the standards you set for your business. That’s where mystery shopping companies come to the rescue. 

Through mystery shopping, you can improve your sales performance, employee morale, or customer retention. However, since there are hundreds of mystery shopping companies to choose from in the US, finding the right company to work with can be confusing.

We have here four factors that you should include in your criteria when finding the perfect secret shopper company:

Must have the experience and knowledge

For mystery shopping to be successful, you need to find a reputable provider with valuable years of experience. Moreover, they need to have successful case studies to showcase. Do not hesitate to ask them questions about their sample works or ask them about their past clients. A good mystery shopper company can give you satisfied customer testimonials as proof of their work. 

Another way to gauge this factor is by observing how they answer the questions you ask, and if they have sound recommendations for any concerns or business objectives you raised.

Should have a process in choosing mystery shoppers

Because you should set a high standard when it comes to choosing a mystery shopping company, these companies should also have the same benchmark when hiring mystery shoppers. As a client, you can ask your mystery shopping company about how they find their shoppers. Some companies offer certification where shoppers need to answer questions before they qualify to shop in your store. 

If your stores are in a remote location, this should be one of your main concerns. You need to ensure that the secret shopper company can provide and manage its shoppers in all places you listed. The company should guarantee that each does their jobs properly and complete the tasks they need to do.  

There’s no problem with assuring that the shoppers are fit to do the job. After all, you need to get quality reports and assessments to utilize for your business.

Can give you a customized program and quality support

All clients and stores need a unique program to get the data they need. Your mystery shopping provider should give you a customized plan where you will both work on the criteria you’ll set to measure your goals. 

Some mystery shopping companies have client managers who are in charge of ensuring the following: 

  • All questions are clear
  • No redundancies are present
  • All criteria are aligned with the client’s objectives

They also monitor the entire program and recommend any fine-tuning with the process if they find something that can be improved.

A professional mystery shopper provider should also have a review team. Before giving you the results, this in-house team will review and make sure that each report is complete and accurate. That way, you will only receive a quality assessment, making the whole process faster and more efficient. 

Should have a robust feedback system

By the end of the service, the mystery shopping provider should be able to provide actionable results, high-quality data, and valuable reporting. Having a program with a dashboard that showcases the outcome can help you examine all data clearly and effectively, especially if you monitor multiple shopping locations.

If they use a program to manage all the data, it would be easier to do the following:

  • Review the report based on KPI
  • Compare performances
  • See the opportunities for improvement
  • Set new goals
  • Receive real-time data

Conclusion

Set your standards first to find the right mystery shopping company to work for you. Having a guideline can help you secure a company that would work with your business objectives and customizes a program to meet your needs. If your mystery shopping company has the qualifications above, then you’ve found the best secret shopper company to work with. 

If you’re looking for professional shopping services to help you understand your business better, we’re here to help. We’re a mystery shopper company that has been in the industry since 1924. Contact us today and get a free consultation.

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