A structured mystery shopping methodology for actionable results
Each mission begins with understanding your objectives: measuring the welcome experience, verifying standards compliance, comparing multiple sites, analysing a digital journey or identifying the causes of declining customer satisfaction.
— PROCESS
6 structured steps, from scoping to action plan.
1
NEEDS SCOPING
- Audit objectives
- Standards to be verified
- Expected level of reporting
- Sites, channels or teams involved
- Timeline constraints
2
CREATION OF THE ASSESSMENT GRID
- Closed questions for scoring
- Criteria weighted according to business priorities
- Open questions for qualitative analysis
- Validation with the client
3
AUDIT SCENARIO
- Mystery shopper profile
- Questions to ask
- Journey to follow
- Simulated situation
- Behaviours to observe
4
SELECTION & BRIEFING OF MYSTERY SHOPPERS
- Profile aligned with the target customers
- Clear instructions
- Confidential briefing
- Objectivity and discretion
5
AUDIT EXECUTION
- Mystery visits
- Emails & forms
- Mystery delivery
- Mystery calls
- Web journey
- Social media
6
ANALYSIS & REPORTING
- Data consolidation
- Identification of gaps
- Recommendations & debriefing
- Scores by criterion
- Qualitative analysis
— DELIVERABLE
What the report includes
A structured, clear and actionable document for your operational teams — designed to help monitor, decide and correct.
23-point gap between North and South locations during the advisory phase — Q2 training priority.
AUDIT REPORT · TYPICAL OUTLINE
1
Executive summary
2
Overall score
3
Score by channel or point of sale
4
Strengths
5
Weaknesses
6
Useful verbatims
7
Photos or screenshots if authorised
8
Priority recommendations
9
Action plan
Confidentiality, objectivity and collective improvement.
The purpose of a mystery shopping audit is not to sanction an individual, but to identify gaps in the customer journey and provide teams with concrete levers for improvement.
Let’s build your audit grid together
We adapt the methodology to your standards, your channels and your level of requirement.