Companies who use mystery shopping programs to boost productivity and revenue often incentivize employees who attain good results. After all, mystery shopping goals are met by people, and people enjoy being rewarded for a job well done. There’s nothing inherently wrong with rewarding top performers, and it can certainly go a long way towards motivating other employees as well. To be effective, however, incentives must be awarded correctly, and that begins with analyzing the data.

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Background

A woman’s apparel retailer was committed to the ideal that their associates should demonstrate an insatiable drive for anticipating and fulfilling customers’ desires. To implement this philosophy, the company wished to measure existing customer service, and the immediate impact that training has on associates’ behavior. As a sub- measurement, the company also wanted to evaluate whether implemented training held up over time.

The Question

Can one-time training be effective enough to bring about desired change, or must training be ongoing to support changes over time across stores and/or brands?

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If you walked out of your office to find your building burning down, would you grab the first extinguisher or call 911? Similarly, if your company’s revenue is decreasing exponentially, staff turnover is high, your reputation is sinking, and you’re dreaming in red ink, are you going to blame it on your mystery shopping program? Some companies do.

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