The Merits of Mystery Shopping
How do businesses like restaurants, retail stores, hotels and video
stores find out what kind of service customers really receive from their
employees? How do they know if employees follow company policies when
supervisors aren't watching as well as when they are? More and more,
businesses in the service industry rely on mystery shoppers and mystery
shopping firms to give honest, objective feedback as to how well employees
are doing at following company policies and meeting customers' needs.
A mystery shopper (sometimes called a secret shopper) is someone who is
paid to visit a business posing as a regular customer. During her shopping
visit, she observes factors such as cleanliness of the store, speed of
service, and friendliness of the staff. She then reports her findings to
the mystery shopping company issuing the assignment. The mystery shopping
company passes the shopper's report along to its client.
Mystery shopping is a kind of win-win situation for both the shopper
and the company under evaluation. If the shopper does her job well, the
company receives valuable insight into how it can improve customer
service. The mystery shopper also benefits by being rewarded for her
input. At the very least, the shopper ends up getting something free (a
restaurant meal, movie rental, tank of gas) after submitting her report
and being reimbursed for what she spent. At best, the shopper gets
something free and a nice payment for her time and trouble.
If you think mystery shopping sounds like fun, below is a list of some
of the companies that hire mystery shoppers. (This list is by no means
all-inclusive. Do a search using the keywords "mystery shopping"
to find others.) When you sign up with a mystery shopping company, your
name goes into the company's database. You will then be called or
contacted via email when an assignment is available in your area. At that
time, the company representative will discuss the requirements and rate of
pay for that assignment with you.
Keep in mind that if you're in need of a reliable source of extra
income, mystery shopping is not for you. Because of the large volume of
applications these companies receive, you may not be called for months.
The frequency and volume of assignments you receive is totally dependent
on the company's need for mystery shoppers in your area.
Although you won't get rich mystery shopping, it can be a fun way to
earn extra cash. The free meals, merchandise and services aren't bad,
either.
**For pointers on making your mystery shopping experience go smoothly
and profitably, tune in for Part II of this article, Confessions of a
Mystery Shopper.
Sights on Service/SecretShopper.com
http://www.secretshopper.com
Courtesy Counts
http://www.courtesycounts.com/
(800) 233-7751
Sinclair Service Assessments
http://www.ssanet.com/
(800) 600-3871
Mystery Shopper, USA
http://www.bmiltd.com/
(941) 379-5611
Trendsource, Inc.
http://www.mysteryshoppersinc.com/
(619) 239-2543
Second to None
http://www.second-to-none.com/
(734) 302-8400
Service Sleuths by Howard Services
http://www.howardservices.com/homess.html
(508) 520-1500
Shop'n Chek, Inc.
http://www.shopnchek.com/
Reality Check
http://www.rcmysteryshopper.com/
(800) 550-4469
Feedback Plus
http://www.gofeedback.com/
(800) 882-SHOP (7467)
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