Partnering with a Mystery Shopping Firm

A mystery shopping firm is your partner rather than simply a 3rd party vendor to a hospitality organization. Your concerns about guest service errors and integrity issues are intimate details not normally shared with a contracted consultant. Therefore, the relationship with a mystery shopping company is highly personal and requires immediate responsiveness to achieve your guest service objectives.

To assist hospitality executives in leveraging the partnership with a mystery shopping firm, here are some details you should know:

1) How to choose a firm
• Look for a mystery shopping firm that has experience in evaluating your specific industry
• Check with the Better Business Bureau for any complaints filed against a firm you are considering
• Look for references
• Verify that the mystery shopping firm has a Private Investigator license
• Look for a firm that offers access to your Account Manager after hours
• Look for a firm that trains evaluators in F&B, Casino, Spa, Hotel Operations, Entertainment, Retail, etc.

2) What services do you require?
• Guest Service Audit to test for discrimination – matched-pair testing
• Integrity Audit to follow the money and make sure hotel services are being charged to the guest rather than bypassed through direct tipping
• Scandalous Conduct Audit to isolate lewd conduct that could impair the Gaming Licensee
• Competitor Audit – learn what your competitor service standards are in comparison to your own
• Divisional Audit to test for the guest service standards across divisions to verify consistency in guest satisfaction
• Guest Service audit to determine level of guest service as it relates to Mobile and AAA standards
• Time audits – how long does it take for engineering to respond to a guest call?, how long is waiting on the phone before speaking to an operator?, etc.

3) Fundamentals
• Copy of Letter of Agreement
• A thorough explanation of your objectives for the undercover evaluations
• Proofing of the evaluation form that will be utilized to rate your service
• Locations that you wished to be shopped
• Who in the organization will receive the shop?
• Do you want a customized evaluation form to your company standards?
• Do you want to select which questions are weighted heavier than others to reflect the guest service priorities of your organization?
• Who should be receiving the completed evaluation form
• Do you want to capture statistical information?
• How quick of a turn around time do you want to receive the published evaluation after the on-property audit was performed?
• How often do you want an evaluation performed?
• How do you want the evaluation communicated – written or verbal
• How do you want to access the evaluation information – online login, e-mail, phone call, mail, etc?
• Billing method & billing cycle
• Specific instructions on how you want evaluation to be performed – cap on spending for a restaurant visit, hours & shifts you would like evaluated, Weekdays versus weekend evaluations, gender and ethnic background of evaluator, etc.
• Fee for services rendered