Converting Mystery Shopping Data into Results
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Hoteliers, restaurateurs and spa operators wishing to maximize the value of their mystery shopping program often ask: Now that I have this report, what exactly do I do with it?
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The following article focuses on how to convert your mystery shopping data into action. Hoteliers, restaurateurs and spa operators will get the most value from their program by practicing the following:
1. Set actionable and achievable metrics
2. Focus on the right indicators
3. Create accountable action plans
1. Set Actionable and Achievable Metrics
When creating the standards that your shopping company measures, operators have to be sure that all of their units can possibly achieve all the standards. Too often, companies with varying concepts in the portfolio apply the same standards across all units, some of which are not universally applicable.
For more information on setting Actionable Metrics, please contact us or see our Article "Developing Actionable Quality Metrics for your Hotel".
2. Focus on the Right Indicators
Overall Score
The first thing most operators look for when they open their shopping report is Overall Score. As with any test we take, everyone is curious how they did, and Overall Score tells that story. Total score is the bottom line, isn't it?
The trouble with relying exclusively on overall score is that the perception of the viewer can be all over the place. For instance, your latest shopping score is an 85%. Is that great, good, OK, a B? If you set your standards high (which you should), the 85% is probably closer to an A or A-. If your standards are rudimentary, then the property should have achieved at least an 85% and the score is not that good at all.
What if the survey is 20 questions long and the three deductions came for poor room cleanliness, cold food and an inaccurate bill? Most operators would call that shop a failure regardless of the score (85%).
While Overall Score is useful, it is really most effective at defining a hotel's performance against its peer group.
Excepted Standards
For instance, let's say that on your most recent evaluation, the staff member at the desk did not mention the guest loyalty program to a first-time guest at check-in. Was this because a new staff member checked the guest in or is this an ongoing problem at the hotel? How often does this happen at all of your properties?
A good Excepted Standards analysis will answer all of those questions for you, especially when you can benchmark the deficiency against the rest of the properties in your group and compare it to historical performance. If the hotel misses this critical standard often and missed it a lot last year too, you know you have a recurring deficiency that warrants management action. If the problem is endemic, you will need to implement a corporate strategy.
The Excepted Standards tool is useful because it truly tracks performance. Properties that do not repeat mistakes are better performers than similar properties whose mistakes are varied and repeated. It really does tell you about the management team's tolerance and ability to modify behaviors.
If at the end of the year, Property A has 10 standards that scored less than 50% for the year, while Property B has 25, it is easily seen who is the better performer and everyone can easily see which areas need improvement.
Outlying Disciplines
Overall Score also falls short of telling you if there were outliers. If a hotel repeatedly scores between 80-85% all year long, but the Front Office Department comes in at 75%, then you could reasonably assume that Front Office is dragging your score down. That is good to know, but it is not enough to get action. It is much more useful to know that the Check-in Discipline scored below 70%. Then you can implement training and behavior correction more surgically and cost-effectively; you can grease the squeaky wheel.
What about those disciplines that always score well? Let's say that the hotel's overall score is always around 85% but the Room Cleanliness discipline continually scores above 90%. The data now shows you that you have a standout performer in Housekeeping. That Housekeeping manager should be recognized as a top performer to your entire team, if for no other reason than to show everyone else that it can be done. It succinctly identifies which department heads are creating the Best Practices for the company. This needs to be shared.
To recap: Get action by concentrating on what was missed (Excepted Standards) and the areas (Outlying Disciplines) that score outside the norm.
3. Create Accountable Action Plans
OK, you have just received your latest shopping report. How does the management team respond, and how can you track progress?
The most effective way is to have management articulate how they will address the Outlying Disciplines (good and bad) in the short-term and to report on their progress with the Excepted Standards long-term.
By narrowing the quality dialogue to the weaknesses, management can much more easily get their hands around a quantifiable set of actions and more accurately predict the outcomes.
When these weaknesses are reported systematically, it takes out all of the guesswork of where attention is needed, and most importantly, management effectiveness is quickly measured by the next report; you don't have to wait long to see if improvements are indeed made.
Finally, operators must never underestimate the value of 'catching them doing right'. Simply recognizing a star performer and sharing that with the team will provide an immense amount of fuel for your quality programs.
This article is Part 2 of a three-part series designed for the hospitality manager with responsibilities in quality assurance who want to get the most out of their mystery shopping program. The final article is:
Part 3: Best Practices for effective hotel mystery shopping programs
If you have any questions regarding this article or your current quality measurement program, contact Jim Coyle or Stephanie Perrone at (800) 891-9292. Consultations are free.
About Coyle Hospitality Group (CHG)
CHG has developed quality measurement programs for over 100 hospitality companies since 1996. Dedicated exclusively to the hospitality industry, CHG's mission is to provide clients actionable quality insights that provide a strategic and lasting market advantage.
