Various Mystery Shopping Jobs
When mystery shopping first came on the scene many years ago, you went and did the
shop, and then filled out a survey type questionnaire and sent it back in to your employer,
who then paid you for your work. You were given a long form, with questions on both
sides, and you simply checked a box as you went down, was your food hot, yes or no, did
the employees seem friendly and focused, yes or no, and so on down the line. While
some mystery shopping jobs will still use this type of form, there are many others now
available, so you should take the time to learn about all of them if you are serious about
your mystery shopping job.
Thanks to the advances that have been made in modern technology over the years, many
of your mystery shopper reports can be filled out and sent in electronically, via email or
website. This cuts down on the time it takes for your employer to receive your feedback,
and your wait for payment.
In some ways, however, this same technology has helped limit the demand for mystery
shoppers somewhat. Thanks to so many people now being able to shop online for their
needs, companies who do business in this manner don’t really have to be concerned with
what you think, as you don’t ever see the inside of their store, or have any one on one
contact with any of their employees. So, in the world of mystery shopping, technology
has been both a blessing and a curse.
Many businesses operate call centers, where customers can call in for product service,
questions, or complaints as needed. The company who provides this service has to be
certain that their employees are taking care of the needs of their customers in a polite,
friendly manner, and that wait times are at a minimum, etc. That being said, you may be
assigned a mystery shopping job that you can do right from the privacy of your own
home, calling in to one of these customer service centers, and rating your service. You
will likely be asked to report on your wait time, employee friendliness, and the support
you received, as well as many other details as the employer sees fit.
Another way that some companies are erasing the need of hiring mystery shoppers is by
installing video surveillance cameras in the workplace. These cameras are usually linked
into the corporate office, where anyone at any time can link up and see what is going on
in any given store. If a customer has a complaint about a specific day, a supervisor can
even go back to the day in question and view the scenario, visualizing the problems and
then taking action to correct them as needed. Not every store does this, as it can be quite
expensive, and some still prefer the anonymity of the mystery shopper. Employees know
that cameras are installed, and they adjust their actions accordingly, where if you, as a
mystery shopper, do a good job, they will be none the wiser that you are there.
Just remember, no matter what type of mystery shopping assignment you receive, you are
the voice of the customer. If you see something that needs to be changed or done
differently, you should speak up, that is your job, after all.
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