If you’re using surveys to measure employee behaviors, are you asking the right kinds of questions? Are your questions objective or subjective? When it comes to mystery shopping surveys, how you ask is almost more important than what you ask. Mystery shoppers provide objective observation, as opposed to subjective opinion (customer satisfaction surveys). Asking objective questions will deliver more consistent, measurable results. This approach also provides clear, actionable training indications, helping associates to understand which behaviors need to be modified to improve scores, and ultimately, business results.

Let’s look at a few examples of sentences that, with just a bit of tweaking, can give you the targeted data you need:

1) Did the associate seem to be enjoying their job?

This question can only be answered subjectively. Two people may have very different views about whether the employee looked liked she was enjoying her job.

A better question would be:

2) Throughout the store, if associates were completing tasks, and/or helping other customers, did they make time to acknowledge and assist you?

This question captures the concept of prioritizing the customer over and above any other store related tasks or activities, an answer that can be determined objectively by observing the employee.

Here’s another one:

3) Were the associates dressed fashionably?
Who determines what style of clothing is ‘fashionable’? This question is clearly subjective.

A better way to ask this question is:

Were associates dressed appropriately, and in keeping with the store’s image?
This sentence provides a “point of reference” for the field rep, and allowing for a more objective response.

It’s not hard to see how changing survey questions slightly to be more objective can lead to better data that more accurately reflects true behaviors and adherence to store policies so you can move forward with the necessary improvements and commendations for a job well done.

Tags: mystery shopping, objective, survey

This entry was posted on Monday, March 9th, 2009 at and is filed under Before Your Start...Things to Know, Improving/Managing Your Mystery Shopping Program. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.