A couple of times a year, I do some wireless mystery shopping. I walk into several wireless stores--a mix of carrier-owned (Verizon, AT&T), independent third party (Wireless Toys), and big box (Best Buy, RadioShack) stores--in a few different cities, and gauge how the store experience has evolved alongside the value proposition that the industry is trying to promote. My conclusion after the most recent set of site visits is that the operations side has improved significantly, but the overall customer experience still does not "delight." The objective of many customers walking into a wireless store is to get in and out of there as quickly and unscathed as possible--a mentality akin to visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles. This is a problem, because the store experience is not keeping pace with the evolution of how wireless is increasingly becoming a part of the digital life framework. Before delving into what needs to be improved, it is important to recognize how wireless is different from other touch points in consumer electronics. First, the primary objective in wireless retail is still focused on selling services , rather than things . This takes longer, is more complex, and involves a different type of training and compensation structure for store employees. Second, more than 50 percent of all transactions in stores have nothing to do with selling anything. These are people who walk in to pay a bill, have a problem with their phone, or have some question about their service. This latter point means two important things--there is a needed focus on triage and traffic flow; and a need to carefully manage store costs. A major focus over the past 2-3 years has been on improving the operational aspects of wireless stores. Customers were waiting in huge lines and were spending too much time in the store given what they were trying to accomplish. So there was a big focus on the basic blocking and tackling of the store experience. That focus centered around three key principles: Streamlining processes . This is not sexy stuff, but includes things such as reducing the number of screens a store agent needs to plow through to sign up a new customer. Automating certain functions . This automation includes such things as putting bill payment kiosks in the stores, and encouraging customers to use the Web for self-service. Managing traffic flow . This mainly involves up-front triage when a customer walks into a store, pointing them in the right direction...