Published originally in 2020, updated 2025
Telephone Mystery Shopping Improves Compliance for an Online Education Services Provider
The Challenge
An online education services provider needed certainty about what associates were telling prospective students on calls—especially around financial aid, job outcomes, and credit transfers, where strict legal rules apply. Without checks, the risks were regulatory exposure and reputational damage.
The Objective
Partner with Confero to:
-
Design a telephone mystery shopping program that tests compliance against call standards
-
Use realistic scenarios for certificate and degree paths
-
Track long-term improvement in compliance
-
Keep the program flexible as regulations evolve
Our Approach
Confero built a customized compliance monitoring program:
-
Detailed Scenarios: Shoppers posed as prospective students with scripts tailored to different education pathways
-
Natural Dialogues: Guidance to ask common questions (aid, jobs, transfer credit) in a lifelike way
-
Compliance Evaluation: Calls scored against legal requirements and the client’s internal policies
-
Program Flexibility: New standards added promptly so results reflected current rules
The Results
-
Compliance Lift: Average scores improved from 73% (2017) to 90% (2019)
-
Adaptive Shielding: The program evolved alongside changing regulations, keeping the company protected
-
Training Impact: Managers used findings to retrain and reinforce correct behaviors
-
Confidence: Leadership gained assurance that associates were giving accurate, compliant information
The Success
Compliance monitoring became an ongoing strength. With a living program that updates as rules change, the provider sustained higher performance and lowered regulatory risk.
Key Takeaway
Confero helps education providers verify what’s said on calls, protect against compliance risk, and continuously improve through realistic scenarios, adaptable programs, and actionable reporting.
👉 Contact Confero to see how compliance mystery shopping can protect your organization and improve results.
Want to know more about Confero’s Telephone Mystery Shop Program offerings? Click here.
