A Mystery Shopper Evaluation Offers Valuable Information About Your Store And Employees

If you've ever wondered how your employees act when you're not in the store, you can find out by having a mystery shopper evaluation. You can hire a company to send in an undercover shopper to buy something and ask employees questions and then provide you with a report on the experience. Here are some things to know about using a mystery shopper. 

You Can Choose The Day And Time Frame Of Visit

If you are targeting certain employees, then you'll want the mystery shopper to come to your store at a specific time and day. While the shopper might not be able to find the exact person, he or she will be able to report on conditions in the store and get the names of each employee wearing a name tag. This lets you know how well your crew takes care of the store late in the evenings or on weekends when you're not around. This is also a good way to check up on managers to make sure they have employees under control and the store is clean.

You Can Select The Areas You Want Inspected

You may want the shopper to look around for signs of neglect such as a dirty floor, wet floor, or messy bathroom. The shopper can also comment on the length of the checkout lines if you have a policy for opening a new register when lines are long. The shopper can ask about store policies such as how to return an item to see if employees are knowledgeable. Friendliness of employees, efficiency of the checkout process, and accuracy of making change can also be included in the report.

You Can Choose The Type Of Shopping Experience

Mystery shoppers conduct various types of operations. You may just want someone to do an undercover walkthrough of the store to check on employees and conditions. On the other hand, you may want a more complex shopping experience that includes buying an item and then returning it the next day. If you're not sure what is best for your store, the mystery shopping company you work with can offer plenty of ideas on shopping scenarios, questions to ask employees, and questions to be answered by the shopper at the end of the operation.

You could schedule a mystery shopping evaluation as a one-time thing, but a better idea is to have them done on a monthly or quarterly basis so the report can be used in employee training and evaluations. Plus, if your employees know a mystery shopper could come in at any time, they may strive to always offer stellar customer service.