Mystery Shopping Gathers Intelligence

Mystery shopping has evolved over time from its most rudimentary form of secret monitoring to a more sophisticated methodology of collecting business intelligence today. Hoteliers can now improve operations and profit margins by utilizing mystery shopping to gather data and then convert it into actionable intelligence.

No matter how much effort goes into refining the process of mystery shopping, the acid test of any such program is how effectively the data is used. As UniFocus' industry expert, Susan Perrin explained, "As a mystery shopper myself, it is disappointing to learn that often times evaluation data is not put to full use by the hotel owner or manager, but instead just looked at as a numerical rating." Perrin knows this from experience; she has evaluated hundreds of hotels and performed numerous operational audits around the world.

In addition to concerns about the utilization of data collected by today's mystery shoppers, there is also typically an inherent limitation in the scope of the evaluation itself, which is that it is a simple snapshot in time. However, if we put this kind of data into the context of guest satisfaction scores, for example, then we can track high incident data over time to create a working model that can be most revealing about positioning and perceptions.

To illustrate the narrow focus of a "status quo" mystery shopper program, imagine looking at a standard assessment. The hotelier must either act to make sure standards are met, or do nothing when standards are being met. Compare that to a real-world scenario where you have unhappy guests even when service standards are being met (or vice versa).

Now visualize adding a multi-dimensional layer of information to that random assessment. When we place mystery shopping data into the broader canvas of the real world, the decision process becomes more meaningful. We're now looking at not just evaluating the data, but service standards and guest perceptions (for starters). For example, if the standards were not met yet the guest is happy, then the standards may need to be revised. Conversely, if the standards have been met yet the guest is unhappy, then standards must be evaluated from a different perspective.

Some important questions to ask are: Are your standards in sync with today's changing perceptions? If guest satisfaction scores are improving, what is this attributable to, especially in light of increases in AOR? If there is no substantive change in the scores, is your mystery shopping program accomplishing its intended purpose, when related specifically to guest perceptions? Are you meeting guest expectations, and are there any discernable dissatisfiers?

All of the above can be more easily answered if hoteliers have access to timely online information in an easy to understand and actionable format, consistent with other evaluation components that include guest, employee and meeting planner perceptions. This will help you meet one of the most important key business objectives: to improve your guest return rate and intent to recommend.

Based on integrating guest and employee feedback with evaluations, managers should be able to quickly look through the data and compare properties to see who is really performing well and who is not, and then determine appropriate courses of action. It can be a real awakening for someone who simply assumes that their service levels are up to par or better.

Today's sophisticated evaluation technologies have put the mystery shopper into a new light. Many organizations in the service industry understand that it is time to upgrade their mystery shopping program to one that is multi-dimensional and provides greater value, specifically with the more highly discerning customer.