It is very tempting for our clients to zero in on the final score on mystery shop reports – after all, numbers seem like the most straightforward measure of performance. But this is NOT the case – focusing solely on the score can lead to a narrow understanding of what is truly happening in your business.
Mystery shopping is not about hitting metrics – it is about gaining insights into a prospects experience, identifying strengths and weaknesses and uncovering areas ripe for improvement.
A perfect score may look great on paper, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story. In many cases the score is not high – but the comments and feedback the mystery shopper gives must be considered – as often there are other elements of the conversation such as the connection and rapport building, the empathy shown, the information given about the Club etc. was so well conducted that our mystery shoppers deem the call to be fantastic and are excited to accept and attend a tour.
Our reports are not a simple score card – focus instead on the why behind the numbers, you can transform mystery shopping into a powerful tool for continuous improvement and authentic prospect engagement.
Of course, at the end of the day our mystery shoppers are human and can make errors – and I am always happy to run through reports personally with all my clients to get to the bottom of any concerns.
To truly benefit from mystery shopping I continually remind my clients the need to dive deeper into the report’s narrative – and this is why all our reports contain ‘free writing space’ for comments and why at Mystery Shopping for Fitness Businesses we do not use AI to change or alter comments because their raw and natural observations are the essence of what makes mystery shopping valuable. The emotional insight from the mystery shoppers’ point of view along with their choice of words, tone and specific phrasing often provide context and depth that metrics simply cannot replace.
I often hear: “But we ALWAYS respond to EVERY lead enquiry at our Club – this mystery shop cannot possibly be correct” with absolute confidence. The reality is that even the best teams can have gaps in their processes. Staff turnover, miscommunication or even just a super busy day in the club can result in missed opportunities. I am proud to say that 9 times out of 10 in these instances our reports are correct (and backed up with call logs / email and text interactions etc.) and the feedback we provide is both credible and actionable.
Embrace the insights, look at the overall picture and don’t just focus on the scoring. I implore all my clients to make it a priority to review reports on the full context. Dive into your mystery shop evaluations and use them as a roadmap for improvement.
Experienced and results orientated Lisa delivers exceptional customer service, reflecting her commitment to her clients’ success. She combines a warm, compassionate personality with steely determination and focus. Lisa’s early experience working in Media followed by her career in the Real Estate Industry that spans over 25 years is where she has honed her Sales, Marketing and Customer Service skills. Dedicated to her clients’ success shines through in her everyday approach and she is both passionate and proactive with a genuine knowledge and belief that Mystery Shopping can make a huge difference in your business. Lisa is an avid bibliophile and works as a writer and editor in her spare time.