Every digital touchpoint—such as a website, app, chatbot, kiosk, or delivery platform—is an extension of customer service. Even without face-to-face contact, these interactions profoundly shape how customers perceive the brand. Each interaction carries the possibility of delight or frustration. 

Automation Should Empower, Not Replace

Customerexperience expert Shep Hyken, in his Forbes article “Outdated Technology Is Ruining Your Customer Experience—Here’s How AI Can Help”, emphasizes that automation should address routine tasks, freeing teams to focus on more complex and empathetic interactions that foster trust and loyalty. 

Pandemic-Driven Tech Adoption Left Gaps

In July 2020, when our President, Elaine Buxton, authored Quirk’s “Using mystery shopping to find CX/UX pain points,” the pandemic was just beginning. Many companies subsequently rushed to adopt new service and interaction methods—curbside pickup, online ordering, appointment apps, and more. When the crisis eased, numerous organizations were left with disjointed tech systems, siloed processes, multi-level operational processes and poor integration—causing customer and employee frustration.  

How Qualitative Mystery Shopping Reveals Hidden Pain Points

Buxton advocates a qualitative approach: mystery shoppers report what happened, not merely whether expected actions occurred. This method surfaces hidden CX and UX issues in omnichannel experiences like BOPIS, revealing problems that traditional checklists miss.  

Examples uncovered include: 

• Discrepancies between confirmation email wording and instore signage 

• Conflicting store hours between email and app 

• Out of sync pickup timings 

• Confusion due to identical wording for online and instore orders 

• Mismatched department names across platforms 

• Missing receipt options on kiosks 

• Service delays due to capacity differences between online and instore processing  

Real-World Scenarios Where Tech Fails or Flourishes 

• Restaurant Kiosk Glitch with Human Save
  A self-service kiosk fails; an employee steps in to assist, turning a moment of frustration into service excellence. 

• BOPIS Breakdown
  A customer arrives following detailed digital instructions, only to find conflicting signage and confusion. The breakdown occurs where technology and instore operations fail to align. 

Tech Must Be Supported by Human Preparedness

Before rolling out any digital solution, it is essential to ask: 

• Have real users tested the experience? 

• Are staff trained to support in moments of failure? 

Even polished systems falter when human support is absent. 

Third-Party Delivery Integration Is Crucial

Many businesses rely on third-party platforms for final delivery. When systems don’t integrate smoothly, errors and delays tarnish customer trust. Yet customers may attribute delivery failures to the brand, not the delivery partner. Seamless integration ensures service consistency. 

How Confero Tests the Full Customer Journey: Send mystery shoppers to find the omni-channel pain. 

Confero’s mystery shopping studies assess every phase of customer experience, including: 

• Self-service and App based ordering 

• BOPIS workflows and signage clarity 

• Third party delivery interactions 

This holistic evaluation reveals where technology performs well—and where human support is critical to uphold the experience. 

When Your Tech Is Your Customer Service Key Takeaways 

Insight	Impact
Digital interactions are customer service.	Every touchpoint shape brand perception.
Automation should enable empathy.	Human connection remains irreplaceable.
Test both systems and staff readiness.	Resilience comes from tech and people working together.
Third-party delivery integration is mission critical.	Customer experience must be seamless—even when you don’t control it.

 
Technology is a cornerstone of customer experience—but when thoughtfully aligned with empathetic human support and tightly integrated across channels, it elevates the entire experience. Confero helps brands test, uncover, and optimize that critical balance across every customer journey phase. 

 

 Another Confero Business blog post you may find helpful is “Calculate ROI on Mystery Shops.” This simple calculator tool and article demonstrates how mystery shopping can benefit your business.