Synergistic CX: Episode 10 (part 3/3) - Stories of Success: The Next Chapter in Bookstore Customer Experience

In the final part of our three-part Synergistic CX Podcast on bookstores, Lina Schölin mines three decades of mystery-shopping mastery for strategic wisdom. Listeners will hear how Better Business pioneered Nordic CX research, learn Lina’s hard-won advice on turning raw data into lasting improvements, and discover the reusable CX@Destinations framework that’s helping cities - and their bookstores - deliver world-class experiences.

A 30-Year Legacy of Mystery Shopping

Lina opens by tracing Better Business’s evolution from Sweden’s first mystery-shopping provider to a thought-leader in MSP Europe, creator of the “Smiling Report,” and author of the country’s annual CX index. Through economic downturns, mergers, and a 2022 stock-exchange listing, the company’s commitment to transparency, quality routines, and loyal employees has remained a constant. Lina’s pride shines brightest in the firm’s ability to sustain market leadership—balancing cost efficiency with innovation—and in the deep mentorship passed down from founder Veronica to the next generation.

Defining Problems to Pick the Right Methods

When companies scatter from one CX tool to the next, Lina warns, they risk collecting insights that never drive change. Her prescription: start every program by articulating the exact problem you’re solving, inventory any existing data, and then design a bespoke mix of subjective (surveys, interviews) and objective (mystery shopping, analytics) approaches. By aligning methodology to purpose, organizations avoid wasted effort and ensure every insight maps back to a clear business question.

Common Pitfalls in Data Interpretation

Even the best-designed studies can mislead if execution falters. Lina flags four recurring missteps: inconsistent audit profiles or timing, over-reliance on tiny samples, plucking isolated comments out of context, and fixating on today’s low scores instead of long-term trends. She emphasizes the importance of leadership self-awareness—asking whether staff truly understand their roles—and of looking past headline numbers to uncover the variables that drive performance.

From Insights to Action: Building Internal Ownership

To turn data into change, Lina urges appointing a dedicated CX owner—someone who acts as the “spider in the web,” liaising between research providers and frontline teams. This insights manager then educates regional and unit leaders on interpreting results, brings employees into data-review workshops, and co-creates targeted action plans. By democratizing analysis and giving staff a stake in improvement, organizations embed CX thinking into everyday operations.

CX@Destinations: A Holistic Framework for Cities

Branching beyond bookstores, Lina unveils CX@Destinations: an 18-touchpoint mystery-shopping methodology that tracks guest experiences from pre-visit browsing through activities, accommodation, and departure. This integrated program not only benchmarks service levels across hotels, attractions, and retailers, but also aligns diverse stakeholders behind shared goals. As a result, destinations such as Linköping, with 250 diverse units, can identify collective strengths, rally small businesses around data-driven priorities, and boost both tourist loyalty and local economic growth.

Leadership Skills for CX Agency CEOs

Lina’s advice for CX-agency leaders reads like a CEO manifesto: know your business model inside and out, stay proactively close to clients, and innovate before being asked. Set measurable long-term goals but remain agile to rapid market shifts. Prioritize diversity in recruitment, build robust retention practices, and evaluate your processes from the outside in. Above all, lead by example—because teams emulate actions far more than words.

Expert Message for Next Generation CX Leaders

Closing her interview, Lina offers one guiding principle: “Never forget that behind every data point is a human being.” As analytics and AI proliferate, she cautions against valuing quantity over quality and urges future CX leaders to balance hard metrics with emotional intelligence. Success, she says, belongs to those who can weave insights and empathy into experiences that feel both intelligent and unmistakably human.

Watch Part 3 here, and stay tuned for more expert discussions!