Mystery Shopper Research Articles

Facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 testing in community and clinical settings: Lessons learned from Lesotho and Zambia.

The sudden emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a devastating impact on health systems and population health globally. To combat the spread of COVID-19, countries enacted guidelines and safety measures, including testing, contact tracing, and quarantine. It was unclear the extent to which uptake of COVID-19 testing and other health initiatives would be accepted in countries with a history of dealing with widespread communicable disease transmission such as HIV or Tuberculosis. The objective of this study was to understand and compare the facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 testing at hospital sites in two rural communities in Lesotho and community spaces (referred to as hubs) in one urban community in Zambia during active phases of COVID-19 pandemic. Individual interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were held during March-October 2021 to explore facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 testing. FGDs with 105 community members and health care workers, and 16 individual interviews with key informants and four mystery shoppers were conducted across the two countries. In Zambia, four mystery shopper observations, and eight hub observations were also conducted. Individual country codebooks were developed and combined; thematic analyses were then conducted using the combined codebook. Findings were compared across the two countries, and most were consistent across the two countries. Two primary themes emerged that related to both barriers and facilitators: (1) structural conditions; (2) social implications and attitudes. The structural conditions that operated as barriers in both countries included public health isolation measures and misinformation. In Lesotho, the cost of tests was an additional barrier. The only structural facilitators were in Zambia where the community hubs were found to be accessible and convenient. The social implication barriers related to fear of isolation, stigma, and mental health implications because of quarantine, perceived pain of the test, and compromised privacy. Social facilitators that led to people testing included experiencing COVID-19 firsthand and knowing people who had died because of COVID-19. Across both countries, primary barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 related to structural conditions and social implications and attitudes. Public health measures can be at odds with social and economic realities; pandemic response should balance public health control and the socio-economic needs. Data from Zambia revealed that community-based settings have the potential to increase uptake of testing services. Community-based campaigns to normalize and reduce stigma for COVID-19 testing services are needed.

Adherence to national malaria treatment guidelines in private drug outlets: a cross-sectional survey in the malaria-endemic Kisumu County, Kenya

BackgroundMalaria prevalence in Kenya is 6%, with a three-fold higher prevalence in western Kenya. Adherence to malaria treatment guidelines improves care for suspected malaria cases and can reduce unnecessary anti-malarial use. Data on adherence to guidelines in retail drug outlets (DOs) is limited, yet approximately 50% of people with fever access treatment first in these outlets. This study assessed adherence to the national malaria treatment guidelines among DOs in a high transmission area of Western Kenya.MethodsIn a cross-sectional survey of DOs in Kisumu Central and Seme sub-counties in 2021, DO staff were interviewed using structured questionnaires to assess outlet characteristics (location, testing services), staff demographics (age, sex, training), and health system context (supervision, inspection). Mystery shoppers (research assistants disguised as clients) observed malaria management practices and recorded observations on a standardized tool. Adherence was defined as dispensing artemether-lumefantrine (AL) to patients with a confirmed positive test, accompanied by appropriate medication counseling. Logistic regression was used to test for association between adherence to guidelines and DO-related factors.ResultsNone of the 70 DOs assessed had a copy of the guidelines, and 60 (85.7%) were in an urban setting. Staff adhered to the guidelines in 14 (20%) outlets. The odds of adherence were higher among staff who had a bachelor’s degree {odds ratio (OR) 6.0, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.66–21.74}, those trained on malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) {OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.29–15.04}, and those who asked about patient’s symptoms {OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.08–12.25}. DOs that had higher odds of adherence included those with functional thermometers {OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.46–19.14}, those recently inspected (within three months) by Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) {OR 9.4, 95% CI 2.55–34.67}, and those with all basic infrastructure {OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.01–15.00}. On logistic regression analysis, recent PPB inspection {adjusted OR (AOR) 4.6, 95% CI 1.03–20.77} and malaria RDT-trained staff (aOR 4.5, 95% CI 1.02–19.84) were independently associated with adherence.ConclusionMost outlets didn’t adhere to malaria guidelines. Regular interaction with regulatory bodies could improve adherence. Ministry of Health should enhance private sector engagement and train DOs on RDT use.

Increasing green leafy vegetable consumption through street food dishes in Lagos, Nigeria

PurposeDespite its health benefits, vegetable consumption is low in urban Nigeria. Interventions have been successful in increasing urban Nigerians' vegetable intake in the home environment, but interventions doing so for popular out-of-home consumption are lacking. This study aimed to design, implement and assess an intervention to increase the vegetable intake of urban Nigerians through street foods.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental design was applied in Lagos, Nigeria. During the intervention, 12 trained street food vendors (SFVs) actively promoted the health benefits of vegetables to their customers (using marketing statements and posters) and provided the option to buy an additional green leafy vegetables (GLVs) side dish to their meal. Purchases were observed, and a survey was conducted before and during the intervention to measure perceived meal quality and satisfaction. Six to eight weeks after the intervention, a mystery shopper visited the vendor to assess if they were still selling additional GLVs.FindingsAlmost half (46%) of the 1,506 observed customers bought additional GLVs during the intervention. Both at baseline (N = 452) and during intervention (N = 564), meal satisfaction was high. Users were on average more educated and older than non-users. Most vendors did not perceive the sale of additional GLVs as additional work. Six to eight weeks after the intervention, nine vendors (75%) were still selling additional GLVs.Originality/valueThis study showed that SFVs informing consumers on the potential health benefits of vegetables and offering these vegetables in street food dishes at a commercially viable price is an interesting option to increase vegetable intake.

189 Does Medicaid Cover Out-of-State Abortion? A Mystery Shopper Survey of State Medicaid Agencies

189 Does Medicaid Cover Out-of-State Abortion? A Mystery Shopper Survey of State Medicaid Agencies

Analysis of the Assessment Results of Institutional Excellence in Jordan

Objectives: This research aimed to analyze the results of the assessment of excellence in Jordan, including the assessment of institutional excellence conducted by the assessors of excellence, customer satisfaction, and mystery shopping. Methods: Through statistical analysis, the 104 participating institutions were classified into three groups: "above average," "average," and "below average." An institution is labeled "above average" if its assessment result exceeds the average by more than one standard deviation. If the result is within one standard deviation of the average, the institution is deemed "average." Conversely, if the result is lower than the average by more than one standard deviation, the institution is categorized as "below average." Results: The results of institutional excellence are significantly lower than those of customer satisfaction and mystery shopping. Around 70% of institutions rated “average” in the three tools of excellence assessment. The findings support that there are statistically significant differences between the assessment results of institutional excellence, customer satisfaction and mystery shopping. Results of correlation analysis indicate there is no correlation between the results of institutional excellence and customer satisfaction, and between the results of customer satisfaction and mystery shopping. Whereas, there is a statistically significant correlation between the results of institutional excellence and mystery shopping. Conclusions: The study recommended that excellence assessment approaches and processes should focus on reliable metrics and indicators to distinguish between different levels of performance. In addition, an understanding of the key business factors of institutions by excellence assessors is essential to the quality of assessment.

Linking assessment to real life practice – comparing work based assessments and objective structured clinical examinations using mystery shopping

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and Work Based Assessments (WBAs) are the mainstays of assessing clinical competency in health professions’ education. Underpinned by the extrapolation inference in Kane’s Validity Framework, the purpose of this study is to determine whether OSCEs translate to real life performance by comparing students’ OSCE performance to their performance in real-life (as a WBA) using the same clinical scenario, and to understand factors that affect students’ performance. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach where a grade comparison between students’ performance in their OSCE and WBA was performed. Students were third year pharmacy undergraduates on placement at a community pharmacy in 2022. The WBA was conducted by a simulated patient, unbeknownst to students and indistinguishable from a genuine patient, visiting the pharmacy asking for health advice. The simulated patient was referred to as a ‘mystery shopper’ and the process to ‘mystery shopping’ in this manuscript. Community pharmacy is an ideal setting for real-time observation and mystery shopping as staff can be accessed without appointment. The students’ provision of care and clinical knowledge was assessed by the mystery shopper using the same clinical checklist the student was assessed from in the OSCE. Students who had the WBA conducted were then invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences in both settings. Overall, 92 mystery shopper (WBA) visits with students were conducted and 36 follow-up interviews were completed. The median WBA score was 41.7% [IQR 28.3] and significantly lower compared to the OSCE score 80.9% [IQR 19.0] in all participants (p < 0.001). Interviews revealed students knew they did not perform as well in the WBA compared to their OSCE, but reflected that they still need OSCEs to prepare them to manage real-life patients. Many students related their performance to how they perceived their role in OSCEs versus WBAs, and that OSCEs allowed them more autonomy to manage the patient as opposed to an unfamiliar workplace. As suggested by the activity theory, the performance of the student can be driven by their motivation which differed in the two contexts.

The Fidelity of a Pharmacy-Based Oral HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery Model in Kenya.

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery at private pharmacies is a promising new differentiated service delivery model that may address barriers to PrEP delivery at public health care facilities. We measured the fidelity of this model (ie, delivery as intended) in a pilot study in Kenya. Five private, retail pharmacies in Kisumu and Thika Counties. Trained pharmacy providers delivered PrEP services, including identifying eligible clients, counseling on HIV risk, assessing PrEP safety, testing for HIV, and dispensing PrEP. Pharmacy clients completed surveys that assessed the fidelity of the services received after each visit. Standardized client actors (ie, mystery shoppers) were trained on 4 different case scripts, then made unannounced pharmacy visits, and then completed a 40-item checklist that assessed the fidelity and quality of service delivery components. From November 2020 to December 2021, 287 clients initiated and 159 (55%) refilled PrEP. At initiation, most clients were counseled on PrEP adherence (99%, 284 of 287) and potential side effects (97%, 279 of 287) and all received provider-assisted HIV self-testing before PrEP dispensing (findings consistent across refill visits). Nine standardized client actors completed 15 pharmacy visits. At each visit, most actors were asked about their behaviors associated with HIV risk (80%, 12/15) and all were counseled on PrEP safety and side effects. All actors reported that pharmacy providers treated them with respect. In this first pilot study of pharmacy-delivered PrEP services in Africa, the fidelity of service delivery was high, suggesting that trained providers at private pharmacies can deliver quality PrEP services.

Using Simulated Patients to Understand Non-Prescription Antibiotic Dispensing in Indonesia: A Systematic Review

Background: Dispensing antibiotics without a prescription at community pharmacies is a significant contributor to the ongoing global public health issue of antibiotic resistance. Objectives: To estimate the proportion of antibiotics that are dispensed without a prescription in community pharmacies in various Indonesian cities. Methods: A literature review was conducted via PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Garuda, and Neliti for articles published between January 2007 and December 2022 combined with Boolean operators. The literature search keywords were (simulated patientsOR mystery shopper OR sample patients OR dummy patients) AND ("antibiotics without prescription OR non-prescription antibiotics OR self-medication of antibiotics). The keywords are also used in Indonesian language (Bahasa), including “simulasi pasien” OR “sampel pasien” AND “antibiotik tanpa resep” OR “swamedikasi antibiotik”. Results: Seven studies from various cities have complied with the inclusion criteria and were considered when reviewing 199 articles. The findings of our studies were consistent with the extensive use of non-prescription antibiotics throughout the review. A simulation patient study design was used in all seven studies in this review. Amoxicillin recorded the highest percentage of dispensing without a prescription, while other drugs often purchased include chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and cefadroxil. Among the studies reviewed, one study utilized the pre-test and post-test methods, while the others did not. Conclusion: The lack of prescriptions for antibiotics dispensing has often occurred in community pharmacies throughout Indonesia. The community pharmacist's role is needed as the final gate of pharmaceutical services in providing rational treatment and controlling the dispense of antibiotics without a prescription.

Mystery Shopping as a Strategic Management Practice in Multi-Site Service Firms

Mystery Shopping as a Strategic Management Practice in Multi-Site Service Firms

Analysis of the Assessment Results of Institutional Excellence in Jordan

Objectives: This research aims to analyze the results of the assessment of excellence in Jordan, including the assessment of institutional excellence conducted by the assessors of excellence, customer satisfaction, and mystery shopping. Methods: Through statistical analysis of assessment results, the 104 participating institutions were grouped into three categories: "above average," "average," and "below average." An institution is labeled "above average" if its assessment result surpasses the overall average by more than one standard deviation; it's considered "average" if its assessment result deviates from the overall average by up to one standard deviation; and it's deemed "below average" if its assessment result falls short of the overall average by more than one standard deviation. Results: The results of institutional excellence are significantly lower than those of customer satisfaction and mystery shopping. Around 70% of institutions rated “average” in the three tools of excellence assessment. It was found that there are statistically significant differences between the assessment results of institutional excellence, customer satisfaction and mystery shopping. Results of correlation analysis indicate there is no correlation between the results of institutional excellence and customer satisfaction, and between the results of customer satisfaction and mystery shopping. Whereas, there is a statistically significant correlation between the results of institutional excellence and mystery shopping. Conclusions: The study recommended that assessment approaches and processes should focus on reliable metrics and indicators to distinguish between different levels of performance. An understanding of the key business factors of institutions by excellence assessors is essential to the quality of assessment.

Quality of veterinary anthelmintic drugs marketed in Gondar Zones, North West Ethiopia; presence of poor-quality medicines

The presence of poor-quality veterinary drugs hampers the effectiveness of animal health care systems. It may produce danger to human safety through animal-derived food products that are consumed by the people. Thus, this study assessed the quality of veterinary albendazole, fenbendazole and ivermectin boluses/tablets marketed in Gondar Zones, North West Ethiopia. A total of 42 samples were collected from all government veterinary clinics and private veterinary pharmacies in Gondar zones by mystery shoppers from October, 2020 to January, 2021. All samples were visually and physically inspected for proper labeling and packaging. Samples were evaluated based on Pharmacopoeias and manufacturers' methods for identification, assay, dosage uniformity, dissolution, disintegration, hardness, and friability tests. All samples passed the visual inspection criteria outlined in the joint WHO/FIP/USP checklist. In general, 80.95% (34/42) of the products examined were substandard failing one or more quality test parameters, including all albendazole (30/30) and fenbendazole (4/4) samples. However, all of the ivermectin samples (8/8) passed the quality test parameters investigated in this work. The study had indicated that low quality veterinary albendazole and fenbendazole products are incredibly common in the study sites. The most crucial quality features investigated as failure were friability and disintegration. Thus, regulations and enforcements that guarantee quality of veterinary anthelminthic medications should be strictly in place in the study area and in the country.

Cost of peer mystery shopping to increase cultural competency in community clinics offering HIV/STI testing to young men who have sex with men: results from the get connected trial

IntroductionCultural competency has been identified as a barrier to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations seeking care. Mystery shopping has been widely employed in the formal health care sector as a quality improvement (QI) tool to address specific client needs. The approach has had limited use in community-based organizations due in part to lack of knowledge and resource requirement concerns. Several mystery shopping initiatives are now being implemented which focus on the LGBT population with the goal of reducing barriers to accessing care. One subset targets men who have sex with men (MSM) to increase uptake of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing. No study investigates the costs of these initiatives. Get Connected was a randomized control trial with the objective of increasing uptake of HIV-prevention services among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) through use of a resource-locator application (App). The initial phase of the trial employed peer-led mystery shopping to identify culturally competent HIV testing sites for inclusion in the App. The second phase of the trial randomized YMSM to test the efficacy of the App. Our objective was to determine the resource inputs and costs of peer-led mystery shopping to identify clinics for inclusion in the App as costs would be critical in informing possible adoption by organizations and sustainability of this model.MethodsThrough consultation with study staff, we created a resource inventory for undertaking the community-based, peer-led mystery shopping program. We used activity-based costing to price each of the inputs. We classified inputs as start-up and those for on-going implementation. We calculated costs for each category, total costs and cost per mystery shopper visit for the four-month trial and annually to reflect standard budgeting periods for data collected from September of 2019 through September of 2020.ResultsRecruitment and training of peer mystery shoppers were the most expensive tasks. Average start-up costs were $10,001 (SD $39.8). Four-month average implementation costs per visit were $228 (SD $1.97). Average annual implementation costs per visit were 33% lower at $151 (SD $5.60).ConclusionsPeer-led, mystery shopping of HIV-testing sites is feasible, and is likely affordable for medium to large public health departments.

Low availability, long wait times, and high geographic disparity of psychiatric outpatient care in the US

ObjectiveTo identify potential barriers to care, this study examined the general psychiatry outpatient new appointment availability in the US, including in-person and telepsychiatry appointments, comparing results between insurance types (Medicaid vs. private insurance), states, and urbanization levels. MethodThis mystery shopper study investigated 5 US states selected according to Mental Health America Adult Ranking and geography to represent the US mental health care system. Clinics across five selected states were stratified sampled by county urbanization levels. Calls were made during 05/2022–07/2022. Collected data included contact information accuracy, appointment availability, wait time (days), and related information. ResultsAltogether, 948 psychiatrists were sampled in New York, California, North Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming. Overall contact information accuracy averaged 85.3%. Altogether, 18.5% of psychiatrists were available to see new patients with a significantly longer wait time for in-person than telepsychiatry appointments (median = 67.0 days vs median = 43.0 days, p < 0.01). The most frequent reason for unavailability was provider not taking new patients (53.9%). Mental health resources were unevenly distributed, favoring urban areas. ConclusionPsychiatric care has been severely restricted in the US with low accessibility and long wait times. Transitioning to telepsychiatry represents a potential solution for rural disparities in access.

Which price is right? A comparison of three standard approaches to measuring prices

Prices are fundamental to economists, but there is little guidance on how to collect accurate data on prices in developing countries. I compare antimalarial drug prices collected using three different approaches at outlets in Uganda: vendor inventory listings, prices reported by real customers, and standardized patient (“mystery shopper”, or SP) purchases. I find that prices collected from SPs and real customers are the same after accounting for the composition of drugs purchased, but prices reported by vendors are $0.29-$0.34 (17 percent) lower than the other two approaches. Price disagreement is correlated with vendors reporting fewer drugs on the inventory. The analysis suggests vendors adjust list prices based upon transaction-specific characteristics, but much price disagreement is unexplained. I conclude SP purchases are a preferred approach to price measurement: they accurately capture mean prices paid by customers, and other important transaction characteristics.

Institutional barriers to clinical trial exploration experienced by the Latinx community

This study evaluated two types of barriers that the authors deemed important to resolve during the early stage of cancer clinical trial exploration by Latinx community members. One was the accessibility of information provided on cancer centers’ websites. The other was the telephone responders’ clinical trial knowledge and their conveyance of a warm welcome to Latinx callers inquiring about the centers’ clinical trials. Simulated clinical trial inquiry calls were made to 17 National Cancer Institute-designated centers in this study. The centers were located in cities where the Latinx community accounted for at least 25% of the population, thereby justifying center-wide efforts to encourage the Latinx community to explore clinical trial participation. A rubric was developed to determine and quantify a Total Score that was partially composed of the accessibility of clinical trial information displayed on each cancer center’s website. A research assistant gathered information by posing as a person calling the cancer center to inquire about clinical trials on behalf of a family member with limited English proficiency and evaluated their response using a “mystery shopper” method of data collection. The warmth and sense of welcome conveyed by the telephone responder was also quantified and included in the rubric’s Total Score. A perfect Total Score reflected the likely existence of an environment that would encourage Latinx community members to continue exploring clinical trials, i.e., removed or diminished possible barriers. Welcoming characteristics, such as those elements included in the scoring rubric, can be monitored regularly to assure that centers are consistently conveying an optimal sense of welcome to the Latinx community, while also providing accessible clinical trial information. Among the 17 cancer centers, no correlation was found between the size of the Latinx population served and each center’s Total Score.

Assessment of the quality of services of a tourist enterprise

Improving the quality and content of tourism services is still the main priority for the development of the tourism industry. The issues of assessing and improving the quality of the tourist product are devoted to the works of modern and foreign scientists and practitioners. The methodological base for assessing the quality of services is being improved and developed. This allows tourism industry enterprises to make their services more in demand and attractive, more competitive and viable compared to the services of other industry enterprises. This article is devoted to the issues of assessing and improving the quality of services of the oldest and unique museum in Kirov — the House-Museum of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. The assessment of the quality of the museum’s services was carried out by three methods: a mystery shopper, analysis of reviews and a book of complaints and suggestions, and the NPS method, shortcomings in the quality of the museum’s services were identified and recommendations were proposed.

“My implant is expiring”: A national US mystery shopper study regarding extended use of the contraceptive implant

ObjectivesTo assess if patients can access extended use of the contraceptive implant when they call to schedule a removal or replacement. Study designWe conducted a national secret-shopper study of reproductive clinics with a standardized script. Purposeful sampling provided geographic and practice type diversity. ResultsOf 59 clinics sampled, the majority (n=40, 67.8%) recommended replacement at three years or could not provide information regarding extended use by phone, and 19 (32.2%) offered extended use. Offering extended use varied by clinic type. ConclusionsPatients calling to schedule a removal or replacement of the implant often do not receive information regarding extended use beyond three years.

Diffusion of Renewable Microgeneration on the Side of End-User: Multiple Case Study

The development of microgeneration plays an important part in the strategy of the decarbonization of the world economy. However, its diffusion faces different barriers, including the information and technical barriers on the side of the end-user. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a comparative cross-country analysis of the role of the corporate sector in providing the installation and technical servicing of PV solar panels and small wind turbines in the Republic of Armenia, India, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. Business proposals from the microgeneration equipment market were analyzed by studying the official websites of companies offering autonomous and backup power supply solutions, followed by interviews with company representatives using the “mystery shopper” method. The study reveals that, of the four surveyed countries, the Republic of Armenia has the highest level of representation of service companies on the Internet (4.71 companies per million population). It is followed by the United Arab Emirates (1.9 companies per million population) and the Russian Federation (0.29 companies per million population). India ranks last in this indicator (0.02 companies per million population). The Republic of Armenia has the highest level of corporate sector development, with such essential features as cooperation with commercial banks for providing potential consumers with financial support and involvement in educational activities for the population. The main feature of the Indian corporate sector is orientation on the B2B format in building customer relationships. In Russia and the United Arab Emirates, the effect of implementing large projects with state support is still limited and does not extend to the general population.

Self-identity and adventure tourism: Cross-country comparisons of youth consumers

This study advances the adventure tourism literature by exploring the role self-identity plays in motivating participation in adventure tourism. It compares the views of Australian, Chinese, Singaporean, and German youth consumers towards a learn-to-surf lesson. Mystery shopper experience testing research was conducted, followed by an online survey of youth consumers. The survey results (N = 1065) found that having a novelty-seeker self-identity, surfer self-identity, and social self-identity positively influenced attitude and intention to participate in this adventure tourism activity. In contrast, considering oneself sporty (sporty self-identity) or a master of the activity (self-mastery) has no significant influence on the attitude to participate. Cross-country comparisons indicate few differences between youth consumers, suggesting market homogeneity and globalisation may be resulting in the congruency of youth consumer identity-based motivations towards adventure tourism. This study has implications for tourism operators and marketers seeking to sell adventure tourism experiences to youth markets.

An Innovative Tool to Measure Employee Performance through Customer Satisfaction: Pilot Research Using eWOM, VR, and AR Technologies

Recent research reflects the assessment of customer satisfaction from different perspectives, an important aspect in all sectors that must be expressed in measurable parameters of organization performance. By reviewing the literature, we noticed the lack of a specific indicator to quantify the tripartite relation: customer satisfaction—employee performance—company performance. Therefore, based on Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma methods, the paper introduces an innovative measurement tool named the Spc indicator (The Assessment System of Employee Performance according to Customer Satisfaction) and the related implementation methodology (named ITA). The aim of the paper is to implement an innovative tool to improve the efficiency of employee performance assessment systems in relation to company performance in services and industry sectors through customer satisfaction assessment. By using AR and VR as implementation technologies, our present results extend and compare the results from other pilot research made by authors in the e-commerce sector. The results point out that mystery shoppers and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) applied in e-commerce are more efficient than AR and VR technologies applied in services and industry, as reflected in the company’s performance. Furthermore, customer–employee interactions and communications with eWOM in e-commerce are more efficient than WOM used in services and industry. This paper contains both theoretical and practical contributions by offering a new, short-time innovative tool for the continuous improvement of the company with applications in different fields.