If you fail a mystery shop, disciplinary action will be taken to ensure that the same mistake is not repeated. There is nothing illegal about the program, and you may be fired if you do not improve your attitude and performance. It is important to take this seriously and make the necessary changes. When Mystery Shopping initiatives fail to reach their desired outcomes, it is often because those responsible for the results – frontline employees, supervisors, store managers, and regional managers – have not been properly informed about the program. This can lead to internal resistance, which can be a major distraction from achieving the company's service improvement goals.
If an incentive is associated with the program, this situation is further exacerbated. To ensure success, everyone in the organization must be aware of and participate in the mystery shopping program before it launches. Before launching the program, training should be provided on how to interpret mystery shopping reports, how to use the information effectively, and how to set improvement goals. The typical Request for Proposal (RFP) process can create an environment in which mystery shopping providers promise too much in order to make it through the first round of selection, setting themselves up for failure if they win the bid. Additionally, a popular guild of mystery shoppers has been developing on the internet, creating standards and practices that the industry has yet to provide.
