Ever wondered what you can do to improve your customers’ experience with your brand? Now is the time to create a customer experience (CX) strategy.
Tag Archive for: Mystery Shopping
Congratulations to BARE International for earning Elite Company status from Mystery Shopping Professionals Association Americas. This will be the fifth consecutive year BARE has earned this prestigious title. Read more
‘BARE was founded in 1987 by Dale Bare and Michael Bare. At the time, Dale had her own public relations and marketing business and Mike was a regional director for a chain of Mexican restaurants.
As a President and Co-Founder Mike Bare said the business in our last interview, ”We’re only as good as our people”, meaning the contribution from the work our evaluators (perhaps such as your) means more than just a Read more
About a year and a half ago Villő Horvath joined EU Office as the head of one of our departments, and very recently she also took over a similar role within another department. It was time we had a little chat with her, not only about Read more
I’m pretty sure everybody played shopping in their childhood. I myself certainly enjoyed it: I had a cash register, some toy money, I drew price labels, even had my shop’s name; my family and my dolls were the customers and I sold as many things as I could. When my little brother became older, he joined me and I finally could play the part of the customer (until then, nobody had been allowed to play the part
Curiosity makes you grow, it makes you smarter – we hear that a lot. Actually it is one of the strongest driving forces of humanity. We are curious from the day we are born; we want to understand the things around us. Read more
As you know, mystery shopping is always a bit of an adventure. You are required to play the role of a customer with a specific scenario, pretend to be interested in something you might never want to buy in your real life, and you have to invent an entire background story for your request… It’s a challenge, no doubt.
[spacer height=”10px”]Everybody loves mystery shopping, so why wouldn’t the world’s most famous “Consulting Detective” like to indulge in the occasional mystery visit once in a while? Lately a team of Oxford scholars have done research into the private life of Sherlock Holmes and discovered that he’s one of the most avid evaluators we work with. And, unsurprisingly, also one of the very best. What would Sherlock’s comments look like after visiting an apparel store in Baker Street, for instance?
[spacer height=”10px”]“When Watson and I entered the store we weren’t immediately greeted, even though there were at least three salespersons present. Two of them were sorting clothes and I noticed at once how they had been having words earlier today, as they were never really looking each other straight in the eye, avoiding as much contact as would professionally be allowed. They couldn’t have fallen out on the work floor, as the third salesperson, a redhead, seemed to be in a sincerely good mood. So either they are carpooling or they live together, but not as a couple. As for the former I could see that even at his still rather young age he was already disappointed in what life had had in store for him, resigned to the downward trajectory in both career and private life. I also sensed that his uncle, who was a stockbroker’s clerk, had died from an unsurprising coronary attack recently.
[spacer height=”10px”]The client who was helped out by the third salesperson would have rather been helped by a different salesperson, as she was manipulating the shopping bag of a different store in mild frustration. I think it must be a cocktail of the exaggerated cheerfulness of the salesperson combined with his, admittedly, rather annoying high-pitched voice.
As soon as she had left, the red-headed salesperson expediently approached and greeted us in an extremely happy and friendly manner. He was wearing a very clean uniform despite the fact that his unkempt fingernails betrayed a below average standard of personal hygiene. I noticed, on the upper surface of the tip of each finger, very small pieces of clay had collected, which lead me to deduce that he was a sculptor of sorts in his free time. It is without a doubt his preferred hobby as it was exactly the type of expensive quality clay that is used by sculptors, rather than the common putty of children’s playthings. I can remember the distinct texture of the clay now.
[spacer height=”10px”]He asked us what kind of apparel we were looking for and I congratulated him with his birthday and asked him if last night’s party had been nice. He seemed to be slightly taken aback by the fact that I knew about this but he tried not to let on that there was anything unusual, which was the correct attitude, because there really wasn’t anything surprising about it. Anyone could see that the silver blazer he was wearing was brand new and smelled of a newly received perfume, which also explains the faint stain I could clearly distinguish. It was simplicity itself. The second stain was left by a type of chocolate cake that people only sell on the occasion of a birthday. I do believe they call them birthday cakes.
[spacer height=”10px”]The salesperson began offering me some types of jeans, and I was a bit astonished that he hadn’t immediately noticed that I was in want of a dark pair of jeans, of a speckled brand. Nonetheless, he found the perfect pair of trousers for me, which I immediately tried on in the fitting room. There was no one else present at that time, but there must have been, undoubtedly, a 43 year old recently divorced woman right before me, about 16 and a half minutes earlier. Come to think of it, we must have crossed her on the way to the store. I clearly remember her now. She had a twisted lip and she didn’t look very pleased either. Earlier, when I quickly observed her when passing by, I thought she was annoyed by something someone had said a few minutes earlier, but now it was by then obvious that she most dissatisfied with her purchase and was seriously considering going back to the store and making use of the return policy – a conclusion which was most elementary.
[spacer height=”10px”]I was readily assisted by the salesperson and both Watson and I quite convincingly felt like illustrious clients. I would gladly return to this store, and so would Watson, who seemed to be really interested in a dark blue sweater he had found in the store.”
Author: Gert
Gert’ specialties are any coffee-related projects as well as reports in Dutch, French and English. In his free time he writes novels, plays and poems, and performs spoken word all over Flanders and the Netherlands. He also loves travelling, listening to music and going to concerts. He has a Master in Applied Linguistics and one in Modern Literature.
Interested in becoming an Evaluator with BARE International?
[maxbutton id=”20″]
Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Mystery Evaluator’s Community?
Apply to: akocsis@bareinternational.com
[spacer height=”10px”]
Now of course, we at BARE International -and everyone else who doesn’t work here – do not condone lying as a reliable (no pun intended) or virtuous way of living; indeed, you can get into very serious trouble, should you knowingly tell untruths (you can go to jail for lying in a court of law, for example). So lying is not okay… typically, but we’re all so good at it! Moreover, we begin doing it very early on, some researchers say as early as 6 months old.
[spacer height=”5px”]
The title itself might be somewhat misleading, if not an outright porky pie. But much in the same way this piece will illustrate, it is in no way harmful, and can be in fact beneficial to both parties (the writer and the reader). The kind of slight-of-hand I’m talking about is utilized by Mystery Shopping, an intriguing, interesting and ultimately fib-fueled world, in which lying helps everybody concerned.
[spacer height=”5px”]
As children we are all taught – and rightly so – that lying is unequivocally a ‘Bad Thing’, discouraged at all levels by any parent/teacher worth their salt. But here’s the kicker: sometimes it can actually be used for good, and I’m not talking about the little white lies that occur from day to day (”that was delicious!”), nor the big-time (”the moon landing was faked”) kind of lie, but rather a type of lying that can help improve the situations for all involved.
[spacer height=”5px”]
Don’t believe me? Then I’d say fair enough, considering the above paragraph’s content (and that it’s healthy to have a good dose of cynicism when it comes to reading things on the internet).
[spacer height=”5px”]
But please, allow me to convince you…
[spacer height=”10px”]
1 – NO ONE GETS HURT
[spacer height=”5px”]
To the uninitiated, Mystery Shopping might seem like some clandestine, covert black market; a situation where unsuspecting staff are duped by officious, clip board-wielding telltales clad in beige trenchcoats while wearing sunglasses. 
That’s only partly true (they don’t really wield a clipboard, though the “I Spy” attire is optional); certainly, the employees of our clients are never mislead or tricked into something untoward, and aren’t in any danger of immediate negative repercussions. The closest it can come to, for example, is a project in which our Evaluators (a fancy word for Mystery Shopper) will appear overtly suspicious during a shop, asking odd questions and generally trying to set off alarm bells in the employee they’re auditing; such signaling might be picked up and acted upon, though even if it is missed, that’s important and useful data too.
[spacer height=”5px”]
But the key thing to remember is that it’s a completely safe situation – there’s never been an instance of someone losing their job due to a Mystery Shop, and there never will be. Our Evaluators pose as regular shoppers to aid the actual regular shoppers, and help sharpen the staff of whichever business they have chosen to evaluate.
[spacer height=”10px”]
2 – ALL-INCLUSIVE IMPROVEMENT
[spacer height=”5px”]
Of course, humans aren’t the only animals that lie: a few years ago Koko the Gorilla (celebrated for her 1,000+ sign language vocabulary) asked for a kitten to have as a pet, such is her affinity toward felines. Like many, Koko likes to take the credit for her good behavior and blames the bad on someone else. After ripping out a sink from the wall of her habitat, her humans asked what happened.
Koko signed, “The cat did it.”
[spacer height=”5px”]
Setting aside any ethical concerns, the truth is that when you do a spot of Mystery Shopping, therefore inherently not telling the whole truth, it is good for everybody: good for us (the company on whose behalf you’re Mystery Shopping ); good for the market (as it keeps the ecosystem strong); good for the store (provides useful analytics with which they can improve themselves and their staff); good for the customer (better quality staff & store means better quality shopping & service); and of course, good for you (you stand to make that bit extra at the end of an otherwise predictable month)!
[spacer height=”5px”]
Customer Experience Research is the name of the game – there’s a formula we use that is as follows: ECX = OE + EC + CS, which stands for Excellent Customer Experience = Operational Excellence + Employee Commitment + Customer Satisfaction. Instead of seeing lies in a single category of selfish and wrongheaded behavior, it’s possible to think critically of lying and to consider instances where it can be productive and healthy. As a first step, you can allow yourself to not feel guilty about what you’re talking about during your Mystery Shop: in fact, a great many of our Evaluators thoroughly enjoy the role-playing aspect of the visits, performing the scenarios confidently and coming up with added details to embellish their backstories. We all like to pretend to be someone else, especially if we’re permitted – and paid!
[spacer height=”5px”]
Speaking of which…
[spacer height=”10px”]
3 – YOU GET PAID FOR SERVICES RENDERED
[spacer height=”5px”]
Either in the form of a shop fee or as a reimbursement, you’ll be able to rack up considerable extra cash come the end of the month. That means you’re able to boost your income by doing a test drive for one of our automotive projects, while also picking up a pair of new shoes effectively gratis (as amount you paid can be remunerated). Fancy a stay in a hotel, on the house? Be my guest. There’s nothing quite like waltzing through the door and giving a false name at the reception; and who doesn’t like knowing they’ve got away with even the simplest bluff (most people are better at it that they’d probably like to think: in a 10 minute conversation with a stranger, we humans will tell an average of 3 lies, though the majority rarely even realize they’re doing it). In addition to the well-known bassline of Mystery Visits, there are several ways in which to make it work best suited your own routine; if you don’t feel like leaving the house there’s Mystery Calling & E-Mailing, used for checking customer service, response time and ease of use.
[spacer height=”5px”]
Okay, so the previous sentence might sound like it came off the back of one of our recruitment flyers (it didn’t), but the point I’m making is that you needn’t be Lance Armstrong to be one of our Mystery Evaluators. It’s a simple job, and can easily be done well. What’s more, you’ll never have to pay for the privilege of Mystery Shopping, and never should.
[spacer height=”10px”]
[spacer height=”20px”]
BONUS 4th REASON! – THE MORE THE MERRIER
[spacer height=”5px”]
In short: we’ll pay you a bonus for every friend you recommend, and the cherry on top is that it won’t negatively affect you in any way at all – many of our projects have a mandatory “cool down” period between shops, so even if you wanted to perform visits week-in-week-out, there’s no guarantee you’d be able to. Introducing someone you know to us is the easiest way in which to keep a healthy cycle time ticking over, meaning that even when you’re unable to do a shop, your friend will be.
[spacer height=”5px”]
So, to conclude: there are times when not telling the truth is a good thing. Lying to help another person or their business is and should be perceived as good, while lying which has no effect – or actually harms others – is of course wrong. The thing to remember is that, done properly, Mystery Shopping reveals a bevy of benefits, by enticing businesses to up their game (perhaps if a rival seems to be pulling ahead), or even to practice new policies (if their previous form isn’t up to scratch), and that is a benefit to us all as customers. If the boss is evaluating an employee, they’re bound to be on their best behavior: a Mystery Shopper ensures a realistic evaluation based on how employees interact with real customers and not just their supervisors.
[spacer height=”5px”]
Apologies for such a clickbait-y title, though I suppose you could even consider it as something of a white lie: yes, I’ve slightly exploited your curiosity, but now both of us have benefited – with you learning a little bit about something you (presumably) didn’t really know much about before, and me getting to spread the word. You can’t say we don’t practice what we preach. I mean, would I lie to you?
Author: Richard
Richard is a real community builder, involved in various activities within the office, helps charities and has a degree in filmmaking and screenwriting. He’s a ”Creative”, interested in telling stories, making connections and helping generate ideas. An avid reader, he is passionate about gaming, food (don’t feed him after midnight) and history. He has plans for the future, and you -the one reading this sentence- are part of them.
Interested in becoming an Evaluator with BARE International?
[maxbutton id=”20″]
Want to be a guest blogger for BARE’s Mystery Evaluator’s Community?
Apply to: akocsis@bareinternational.com