My heart broke this week

You know how pedantic I am about Mystery Guest Reviews and their value - I even dedicate a whole chapter to this in our Business Management Program, outlining the correct steps, choosing the right person, and ensuring they are fully prepared for what they need to evaluate.

Well, this week an evaluation left me in complete shock. In fact, my heart broke when I saw the feedback, and I started feeling like an “imposter”.  I'm all about getting feedback that can help improve the business, but I lose it when there’s negative feedback about the basics. I have had a week where my emotions have gone from shock to anger to guilt to deep disappointment. Then, one night, lying in bed watching my favorite series called New Amsterdam, the medical director told his team at a meeting, “How you feel about the disappointments is not what counts; what counts is what are you going to do about them” and right there and then I decided on an action plan and to stop overthinking the ‘why’ in this situation.

Here's the sobering feedback from our latest mystery guest evaluation at a spa we're working with:

1. The reservation process was cumbersome and inefficient.
2. The confirmation call was made at 7 PM the night before the appointment.
3. Upon arrival, there was no spa tour, leaving the guest confused about where to go.
4. The therapist did not greet the guest by name.
5. There was no attempt at conversation, much less one that was meaningful.
6. The therapist began cleaning the treatment bed while the client was still dressing.
7. There was no recommendation for any products.

I find this list nauseating—these are basics we cover from day one!

Here's how I responded:

1. I called a staff meeting and read the scores aloud.
2. I asked the team for their thoughts on the evaluation and suggestions for improvements.

This meeting turned out to be incredibly impactful. I listened more than I spoke, which made the team feel valued and involved. They committed to scheduling SOP training on client welcome, spa tours, and meaningful conversations within the week.

What did we learn from this evaluation? Always a lesson, right? We discovered that our temporary or ad-hoc therapists were not adequately trained and that the front desk staff skipped spa tours on busy days due to time constraints. With this realization, we decided against wasting time on complaints; instead, we developed a solution. Now, if the front desk is too busy, our trained therapists will provide the spa tour at the outset of the service. We've also scheduled another mystery guest visit in two weeks to ensure these improvements are effective.

My lesson learned: Embrace mystery guest evaluations. Don't skip them, and never assume the basics are being handled properly. Ensure temporary therapists receive proper training, including at least five role-plays or case studies on basic client care and engagement, before interacting with paying clients.

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Till then!

Marisa