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Secret Shoppers & Mystery Shopping
One way that companies check up on their own customer service levels is utilizing spies. They call these customer service spies secret shoppers or mystery shoppers. Some
companies hire secret shoppers as their own employees who are dedicated to the task full
time while at other companies, spying is just part of an employee's duties. A third way
that companies perform customer service spying is to farm the work out to independent
contractors and to businesses that do nothing but send secret shoppers out into the world
every day of the week. If you would like to add mystery shopping as one of your making money from home endeavors, read on to find out if becoming a mystery shopper is right for you.
Being a secret shopper is fun. I know because I’ve done it. (It’s your chance to
live out the parts you see in all those spy movies, just on a much smaller scale!
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that there will be beautiful movie stars or spectacular special
effect explosions on your shopping adventures.) Mystery shoppers who are employees of a
company shop their own company’s locations as well as their direct competitors. For
more variety, you can start your own business and approach any companies you wish as
an independent contractor offering your stealth services. If you work for a secret
shopping company, you will be given assignments to shop at all kinds of stores,
restaurants, banks, and other businesses. The best assignments are restaurants because
you ultimately get the meal free when you file your reimbursement papers.
Restaurants ask for comments on:
· The cleanliness of the establishment
· The personal grooming of the wait staff
· The speed of being seated and how long before the order was taken
· The accuracy of the order
· The taste, temperature, and quality of the food
· The accuracy of the bill
Mystery Shopping Reports
Each company has its own form and requirements it wants to see in its reports.
They are often looking to see how they measured up to improvement plans in specific
areas implemented as a result of their last customer service evaluations. Stores usually
require the secret shopper to ask for an item that is out of stock to see how the employee
reacts. Does he suggest an alternate item? Does she offer to call other stores in the chain
and see if the item is available in one of them? Other things that stores look for:
· How long before the customer was greeted upon entering the store or
department?
· Are the employees wearing their nametags?
· Is the store neat and well organized?
· Are signs and promotions visible and current?
· Are the employees busy with customers and merchandise or are they
socializing with each other or friends?
· Did the employees offer extended warranties and additional services or
explain return policies at checkout if applicable?
The secret shopper observes and interacts for a set period of time and follows his
or her mental checklist of tasks to complete. Then he or she goes home and writes up the
report that is sent to the main office, probably to someone with a title like Manager of
Customer Interaction Experience & Resulting Sales Analysis.
Secret Shopping Experience
Although it was about a dozen years ago, there is one secret shopping experience
that stands out in my mind as a good example of acting like a true corporate spy and as a
cautionary tale to employees everywhere. One company, which will remain nameless to
protect both the guilty and the innocent alike, actually required the secret shoppers to ask
the employees how they liked working for the organization.
If the employee gave a positive answer or a neutral answer, the shopper was
instructed to simply include the answer as part of the normal report. However, if the
employee said anything negative or damaging about working for the company, the
shopper was supposed to write everything down verbatim as soon as possible so as not to
forget or misconstrue any of it. Then the shopper had to immediately call a special
number to report what was said! I never had anyone say anything negative about that
company so I didn’t have to call the naughty-employee hotline. I don’t know what
happened when secret shoppers did, but I assume it wasn’t pleasant!
Mystery Shopper Jobs
I got started doing mystery shops through a referral from a friend. When I applied to the company, I pointed that my geographic location put me within a fortty-five minute drive of five different malls and several more shopping plazas. The Internet has opened up additional myhstery shopper opportunities because there are companies today that offer online mystery shopping. Now that's a great way to make money from home - by spending other people's money online!
In keeping with the spirit of my Make Money From Home Site as stated on the homepage, I only report on my experiences with the companies and money making methods that I've tried. Therefore, I'm neither recommending nor warning against the companies listed below since I got my job through a friend, I am merely letting readers know about their existence. I'm sure you can find mystery shopping companies if you are willing to put in the time and effort to research them, but it may be worth the money to use one of those listed below to shortcut the research process and you may uncover opportunities you wouldn't have found on your own.
(Please note that these are companies that advertise databases of mystery shopping companies as well as extras such as job tracking sheets, tips and tricks for success, and some even have forums so you can interact with and get help from fellow mystery shoppers. This is different than actually paying one of the mystey shopping companies for the privilege of working for them. You wouldn't want to do that. As mentioned on several other pages in this site, you are looking to be an employee or a contractor which means you are earning money, not paying it out.)
Shop Until You Drop - Paid For Shopping & Eating Out
Mystery Shopping Jobs - Paid To Shop & Eat
Secret Shopping Jobs - Shopper Network
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