Does Mystery Shopper Certification Matter?

Guest post by Cathy Stucker, author of The Mystery Shoppers Manual

You may have heard that mystery shoppers may be certified, but what does that mean to you as a mystery shopping client? Does a mystery shopping provider using certified shoppers have an edge over others in terms of the quality of the data they provide to clients?

The effect of certification depends on the quality of the certification program. The most widely recognized certifications are offered by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), the leading industry association. They offer two levels of mystery shopper certification: Silver and Gold.

To become Silver certified, a mystery shopper must complete a series of online lessons and pass a test on each lesson. Gold certification requires that the shopper attend a one-day workshop, or view the workshop on DVD. The test for Gold certification has three parts, including sections on observation skills and narrative writing. Silver certification is required as a prerequisite to obtaining the Gold certification.

Certification course materials cover the basics of the mystery shopping industry through more advanced skills and techniques that secret shoppers can use to provide better, more useful information to clients. Shoppers also get insight into how clients use the information obtained through secret shopping.

Perhaps as important as the skills and techniques gained through certification is the emphasis on confidentiality and shopper ethics. Certified shoppers agree to uphold a strict code of ethics, following principles of honesty, professionalism, fairness and confidentiality to guard the interests of clients. Violating the code of ethics can result in the certification being revoked.

A shopper who becomes certified not only receives valuable training and demonstrates competence in mystery shopping, secret shoppers who pursue certification are often among the most dedicated and professional shoppers. They understand the importance of providing accurate, timely information to clients, and take their work seriously.

MSPA launched the shopper certification program in 2002, and MSPA-member companies have found that most certified shoppers are more reliable and provide reports with better quality than most non-certified shoppers. Most MSPA companies prefer to use certified shoppers whenever possible.

So should you insist that your mystery shopping provider use only MSPA certified shoppers? That would be ideal; however, although the number of Silver certified mystery shoppers is approaching 100,000, certified shoppers are not available in all parts of the country or for all shops. Gold certified shoppers are even rarer.

Certification is one of the ways that mystery shopping companies screen for shoppers who will produce quality reports. For those mystery shopping assignments where certified shoppers are not available, mystery shopping companies typically rely on a group of experienced, reliable shoppers with whom they have relationships. How a mystery shopping provider selects qualified shoppers is one of the questions you should ask during the selection process.

Cathy Stucker developed the Gold Certification program with the MSPA, and presented more than 100 certification workshops across the United States and Canada. She is the author of The Mystery Shoppers Manual and blogs about mystery shopping at http://www.MysteryShoppersManual.com/