That's Just The Way It Is

Bruce Hornsby famously sang, “That’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.” A younger generation of readers will recall those lyrics as they were sampled by 2pac some years ago, and the words are no less relevant now.

Dr. Chip Bell, an expert consultant on customer loyalty, has said that after a person is employed for about ninety days, he becomes blind to the details that his customers see. This accurately defines one primary function of mystery shoppers, but it also points out a risk that even mystery shoppers face.

When we become comfortable with our surroundings and the processes we go through, we fail to see where there is room for improvement. Businesses may miss simple ways in which they can improve the overall customer experience. That is one reason they will engage the services of a mystery shopping provider. Mystery shoppers can offer a fresh perspective and discover ways that the customer’s experience can be improved.

But be careful: many mystery shoppers take on a great number of assignments and repeat similar “shops” often. The risk with this approach is that they will simply complete assignment quickly without giving the full experience their undivided and focused attention. One way to prevent this and ensure a focused, meaningful evaluation every time is to frequently rotate mystery shoppers. IntelliShop’s Field Staff Coordinators (or Schedulers) strive to send a fresh pair of eyes almost every time a mystery shopper is sent on an assignment, especially when locations are visited frequently such as multiple times each month.