Set your goals and objectives

Do you want to improve customer service, verify that employees aren't stealing from you, see what your competitors are doing that you aren't, improve customer satisfaction with your Web site or something else? Consider what information you want to gather and what you will do with it.

I recommend: The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) will show you the many ways mystery shopping can improve your business. Or take an online workshop to help you plan and implement your program.

Recruit a mystery shopping provider

Reputable mystery shopping firms will help you determine how many shoppers you require for your program, the proposed number of shopping visits, the length of each visit and the frequency of repeat visits. They'll provide you with mystery shoppers who are not only savvy shoppers but also outstanding communicators who can share their observations with you.

I recommend: The MSPA offers a look at the factors to consider in choosing mystery shopping providers and lets you search for reputable firms.

Develop an assessment program

How will you assess the shopping experience? Will shoppers complete a survey, submit a summary, or answer open-ended and closed-ended questions?

I recommend: Request a password from mystery shopping firm Quality Assessment Mystery Shoppers to see a demo of how the survey process works.

Analyze your results

Analyzing the data you get from your mystery shoppers is key to getting the most out of the strategy. Determine which team members in your organization, such as managers and key employees, should have access to the results. Review your data to spot weakness and areas that need improvement.

I recommend: Many mystery shopping services, such as Secret Shopper, post your data to a protected Web site where you or your managers can access it in a variety of formats, including HTML, Excel spreadsheet, Adobe PDF and more. See sample reports at MystiqueShopper.com.

Create and implement an action plan

Simply gathering the information serves no purpose; having a plan to act on it does. Your action plan could include strategies, such as offering additional employee training, creating an employee reward program for good customer service, making changes to your Web site or altering your staff's sales techniques.

I recommend: Visit market research and mystery shopping firm IpsosLoyalty.com to download a PDF that includes information on developing measures of improvement as a result of the feedback you get from the mystery shopping experience.