What is the job of a mystery shopper, how to get a job?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In today's world where everything is bought and sold, companies use all sorts of ways to increase interest in the product and increase sales. How to make the client interested in the brand and satisfied with the service? To do this, often resort to the services of a mystery shopper. Who it is and for what purpose it appears at the point of sale will be discussed in our article.

Meaning of term

Interpretation of the term "mystery (imaginary) shopper" has two meanings:

1. A method of marketing research conducted by a company or a chain of stores in order to improve service at a trading enterprise.
2. A trained person who, under the guise of a regular customer, makes purchases and at the same time observes the workflow in the store, and then submits a report on the results of the inspection to the customer.

Research objectives

Checking outlets may havea variety of tasks:

1. Improve customer experience.
2. Improving the professional level of staff and their motivation.
3. Store audit.
4. Assessing the results of an advertising campaign.
5. Increase brand loy alty.
6. Evaluation of the results of the work of telephone operators and service requests on the site.
7. Improve workplace sanitation.
8. Improve product sales.
9. Competitor analysis.

As a rule, the customer combines several tasks during the study, therefore, the work of a mystery shopper includes a number of actions during one inspection.

In any case, the attraction of such employees is aimed at improving the standards of trade and the company's work.

Who can be a fake customer?

Surveillance, in fact, can be carried out by any adult who is ready to act according to the plan. There are no particular difficulties in performing the functions of this employee. You just need to complete the task set by the customer and then submit a report.

You need to specify personal qualities to work as a mystery shopper:

1) responsibility: the hired agent acts according to the instructions received, so he must clearly know the scope of work and complete it in full;

2) self-confidence: the opposite can lead to the fact that a person with his nervousness will simply reveal his "mission", and then the data received will be untrue;

3) diligence: as a rule, the company checks the chain of stores, andthe secret shopper is part of the team, so the work of the coordinator depends on the completed task, which means the timeliness of wages;

4) Mindfulness: This employee visits the site to observe the staff, point of sale, etc., which means that no details should escape his sight.

Note that acting skills will not be superfluous. But even if they are not there, it's okay: the performer can behave like the most ordinary buyer.

How to get a "spy" position?

Sometimes a person, for whatever reason, cannot have a full-time job. Then he spends hours studying the "work from home" classifieds section. A mystery shopper is a great opportunity to earn extra money. After all, the time that he needs for research is minimal - 20-30 minutes, he does the rest of the work at home, sitting at the computer. After a visit to the store, he needs to make a detailed report on the results of his observations.

How to get a job as a mystery shopper? It's very simple: go to the job search site, find the job you are interested in, apply for it and wait for the coordinator's response.

When can you get rejected?

The first reason for rejecting a candidate is the already recruited staff. Also, a positive result can be influenced by gender, age and acquaintance of the person who wants to work with the group of the proposed product. For a more believable visit and better resultsverification requires one or another category of people. Experience as a mystery shopper is preferred, but generally not required. If some parameters are indicated in the vacancy and the candidate does not meet them, you just need to consider other offers, and then the job search will surely succeed.

Imaginary Client Job Responsibilities

Seeing such an unusual offer, people usually wonder: what is the job of a mystery shopper?

The scheme of work of this employee is quite simple and consists of three stages:

1) receiving by mail instructions for conducting an inspection at the facility, studying it;

2) visit the store, observe what is happening and perform planned actions;

3) completing the progress report and submitting it to the coordinator.

The most typical mystery shopper items to check

As mentioned above, research at retail outlets is carried out in order to improve the sales process, so all components of the service can be checked. And this:

1. Employee compliance with etiquette.

2. Appearance of employees.

3. The level of knowledge of staff about the quality and characteristics of the goods.

4. Work discipline.

5. Compliance with work standards.

6. Compliance with the store's corporate identity.

7. Cleanliness on site.

8. The quality and correctness of customer service.

9. Carrying out an advertising campaign.

10. Sales Skillsemployees and more.

It should be understood that the work of a mystery shopper is part of the main study, within the framework of which various types of checks are also carried out: testing, questioning, observation, etc. need to improve it.

Mock customer reporting

Initially, the hired agent's report form was spreadsheets that were filled out by hand. Over time, online systems have emerged, making it much easier for both reviewers and management to meet the requirements.

Working as a mystery shopper involves filling out a form about a visit to the specified object. An employee can do this by accessing the Internet from any suitable device. The submitted information immediately goes to the coordinator, and he gets the opportunity to process it.

Online reporting systems are programmed for autonomous construction of graphs and tables, which increases the objectivity of the assessment, allows you to receive all types of reporting materials from hired observers, control their work and, accordingly, speed up the process of paying wages.

Additional reporting requirements

Sometimes, for the reliability of information, the customer asks for a control purchase. Then the agent must attach a copy of the check issued by the cashier to the submitted documentation.

In some cases, to evaluate the quality of customer service, it is necessary to record a conversation withan employee on a voice recorder. The company makes the same requirement when evaluating consumer telephone counseling by employees.

If video surveillance is installed in the store, then the customer, if necessary, asks the mystery shopper to walk in front of the cameras at a certain time in order to make sure that the check was really carried out, or to take several photos at the facility. These materials are sent electronically to the group facilitator along with the completed report form.

These are the nuances of working as a mystery shopper. Feedback from employees about it is mostly positive, except for the inconvenience experienced in collecting evidence and low payment for a one-time visit to the store. Benefits here include part-time work, support from a group facilitator, and on-time pay.

Mystery Shopper Coordinator Job Reviews

If a person does not have the opportunity to go to the object at the set time or the desire to play the role of an imaginary client, you can stop at a job that fully involves working at home. This is the secret shop coordinator. The main requirements for this position are Internet access, the ability to work 4-6 hours a day, sociability and responsibility.

The job, at first glance, is simple: find mystery shoppers or select them from the company's database, provide them with instructions for visiting the store and draw up a report on the results. At the same time, it is necessary to coordinate their work, answer questions that have arisen, giveadvice in case of unforeseen situations, and sometimes help with filling out documentation.

The main result of the coordinator's work is a report that must be sent to the employer on time. And here you need to be prepared for the fact that the work of a mystery shopper sometimes disappoints hired employees and they simply refuse to complete the task, referring to the inconvenient time of the check, remoteness from the place of residence, or they do not appear at the object at all and do not provide any explanations. And then the goal to complete the plan 100 percent on time becomes unattainable.

It should be taken into account that the curator of a group of hired agents is the link between them and the company, so all questions about wages and its delay will be asked to him. So before you apply for this job, you need to really assess the level of your stress tolerance.

After analyzing the feedback on the work of the coordinator, we can draw the following conclusions.

Positive aspects of the job:

1. This is work from home.

2. Opportunity to earn extra money.

3. Acceptable payment methods are both on a bank card and on a mobile phone.

4. Free education.

5. Timely payment.

Among the disadvantages are:

1. The need to work more than the requirements.

2. Late payment.

3. Large form to fill out.

4. Pay mismatch.

In a word, if the coordinator takes up a job in a reputable company, on timefulfills the set plan, he receives a financial reward. And if the customer or mystery shoppers are not particularly conscientious, then payments will have to be expected for a long time, and perhaps there will be none at all. Therefore, when choosing a position, you must first search the Web for reviews about the employer company and then make a decision.

So, in a world of abundance of goods and services, we want to get high quality products. And we strive with all our might to improve the standard of our lives in order to surround ourselves with comfort and attention. And in this case, the "imaginary client" is a good option to increase your income. It is great for students, moms on maternity leave and just people who are at home. And if the buyer also likes to go shopping, then this is generally a double benefit: pleasure and payment. When choosing this vacancy, remember that working as a mystery shopper is not only an additional income, but also an opportunity to improve trade standards, product quality and attitude towards a potential consumer.