Usman Ghani (March 13, 2014)
Mystery shopping, also known as secret shopping, is the art of analyzing a company’s customer connected services discreetly. Mystery shopping has been used for several years now in order to improve the customer experience, and has helped numerous companies gather vital insight into their business. Mystery shopping is a serious business and requires certain skills to perform the job. Want to become a mystery shopper? Read these dos and don’ts of mystery shopping and make the best out of them.
- Do check the local laws before conducting mystery shopping. Some states require mystery shoppers to attain a license first.
- Do not let your mood cloud your judgment. Being impartial is essential.
- Do make sure that you follow the instructions provided by the shopping company to the dot. You will not be able to write a professional report if you fail to properly follow the instructions that were given.
- Do not add your opinion in the report, be objective. The business did not hire you to enlighten them with your words of wisdom.
- Do conduct mystery shopping during rush hours. The true picture of a company’s customer service standards can only be evaluated when the employees are overwhelmed with workload.
- Do not go in without doing complete research on the specific business. You should be well aware of what to expect once you arrive there. Make sure you do your homework and have a clear picture in your mind.
- Do act natural and behave like a normal customer while shopping otherwise it would be obvious that you are a mystery shopper. Take into consideration what you are wearing, your body language, gestures and how you are communicating.
- Do not take notes in an obvious manner, you should be very subtle and not draw attention to yourself. Managers are on the lookout for mystery shoppers and a lens peeking out of your purse or scribbling notes in front of everyone will most definitely tip them off.
- Do jot down all the observations as soon as you come back from the job. You want to write it all down while it is fresh. Delaying writing the report because you are tired will most probably cause you to forget the little details. Remember: every detail counts.
- Do not take up a mystery shopping job just because it sounds exciting. Mystery shopping requires strong observation skills. Not everyone is cut out to be a mystery shopper. Know your limits!
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