5 Must-Have Features for a Mystery Shop Program - Grace Hill
Back to Blog

5 Must-Have Features for a Mystery Shop Program

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Grace Hill

Hand holding checklist clipboard and hand holding magnifying glass. Clipboard with check marks, tick icons. Analysis, review, examination, checkup, inspection concepts.

Mystery shopping can be a great way to measure and improve employee performance at your property. But if your mystery shopping program doesn’t offer you all the transparency and customization features available now, you’re not getting your money’s worth. To get the most out of the mystery shop experience, make sure you choose a program that offers all of these features:

  1. Guaranteed Shop Timeframe
    Mystery shop programs can be slow to perform the shop–and worse, they can keep you in the dark about when you can expect it. Choose a mystery shop program that clearly states and guarantees the timeframe in which the shop will occur.
  2. Status Transparency
    At any point in the mystery shop process, you should be able to quickly and easily view the status of your requested shop (“ordered,” “scheduled,” “report being compiled,” “report delivered,” etc.). A good mystery shop program allows you to order shops, track their progress, view the completed shop and see any auto-assigned courses based on the employee score—all in one centralized location.
  3. Custom Testing Capability
    Not all properties have the same expectations and priorities for employee performance. Your mystery shop should test for the specific experience you want your guests to have. You should be able to customize testing points and questions to reflect that experience. This capability has the further benefit of making it harder for employees to anticipate and “perform to” the test, leading to more accurate scoring.
  4. Score Adjustment Flexibility
    Again, because expectations and priorities for employee performance differ among properties, scoring should adjust with those differences. Choose a mystery shop program that is open to adjusting scores when an evaluation point does not align with your priorities, for instance when an employee loses points for following a guideline you specifically require.
  5. Training Integration
    For any mystery shop program to improve employee performance, it must be integrated into a training program designed to remedy the specific weaknesses identified during testing. When a mystery shop has been completed, employees should be automatically enrolled in the appropriate training and development courses, with no effort required on your part.

Grace Hill’s integrated mystery shopping program offers an honest, in-depth look at how your people and teams are performing and provides the exact training needed to improve performance – from essential compliance to enhanced professional skills. To see the program in action, contact us today.

 

Grace Hill is a trusted leader in technology-enabled performance solutions for the real estate industry, helping property owners and operators boost performance, reduce risk, and grow top talent. Backed by decades of real-world experience, Grace Hill offers a comprehensive SaaS suite that includes policy management, training, assessments, surveys, benchmarking, and data-driven insights—all supported by exceptional customer service.

What sets Grace Hill apart is its deep industry knowledge, commitment to innovation, and passion for the people it serves. With added solutions for marketing, including video tours and reputation management, Grace Hill helps properties increase visibility and engagement in an increasingly competitive market.

Today, more than 500,000 real estate professionals from over 2,800 companies rely on Grace Hill to elevate their teams and drive results. We don’t just work in this industry—we live and love it.

Learn more at gracehill.com.



Learn More About The Author