The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

Earlier this year, the American Medical Association took up the question of whether or not to endorse the use of medical mystery shoppers. Although they did not take a position on whether or not to endorse it, medical mystery shopping has been going on for a long time.

Jodi Manfredi, President of Examine Your Practice, recently shared information with other MSPA member companies about the ins and outs of medical mystery shopping. The information she presented about healthcare mystery shopping, and what secret shoppers need to know about it, is summarized here with her permission. …continue reading Medical Mystery Shopping

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Are there words that you can never seem to remember how to spell? Most of us struggle with at least a few words. Spell check may catch them for you, but you can not always rely on spell check. Sometimes your spelling is so far off that even spell check can not figure it out.

I keep a list of the words I can never remember how to spell (such as “occurred”–is it one ‘r’ or two?) near my computer so I can refer to it when needed. I have expanded the list here to create a reference tool with some of the most commonly misspelled words.

Keeping this list near your computer, and referring to it often, will save you time and reduce your spelling errors when writing mystery shopping reports.

Get a handy printable version (PDF) of Spelling Tips for Mystery Shop Reports here.

Note that this list is based on American spelling. There may be variations in the way some of these terms are spelled in other countries. …continue reading Spelling Tips for Mystery Shoppers

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Does it drive you crazy when a report form asks for the same information more than once? Sometimes they phrase the questions in slightly different ways, and sometimes the exact same question appears in more than one place on the form.

Or how about when they ask for comments in each section, and then want a narrative at the end of the report? Are you supposed to repeat everything you just said in the comments? Isn’t all of this a big waste of everyone’s time? …continue reading Repeating Information in Mystery Shopper Reports

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Even if you are an excellent mystery shopper and make yourself available 24 hours a day, you won’t necessarily get as many assignments as you would like from any one company. To maximize your opportunities, you should apply to as many companies as you can. Mystery shopping companies understand that, as independent contractors, secret shoppers will market their services to many different companies.

That brings us to the ethics of working for more than one company. While there is nothing wrong with accepting assignments from several companies, you must respect the confidentiality of the information you receive from each company.

As part of the application process, you will complete an Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) that describes the relationship between you and the secret shopping company. ICAs typically include a clause specifying that you will keep any information you obtain about the company and its clients confidential, and will not share it with anyone else.

This means that you should not share information about which businesses get mystery shopped, who shops which businesses, fees, guidelines, report forms, results of mystery shops and other proprietary data. Mystery shopping companies and their clients take confidentiality very seriously, and violating the confidentiality agreement could result in being removed from the shopper data base.

That does not mean that you can not share any information about mystery shopping. For example, when an application asks for what other mystery shopping companies you have worked, it does not violate your independent contractor agreements to list the names of mystery shopping companies. You should not name specific clients you’ve shopped, but it is fine to name the mystery shopping companies. You may also share information that is generally available to the public. For example, many mystery shopping companies say on their home page or other public area of their web sites the types of businesses they shop. Sharing that information (”Mystery Shoppers R Us specializes in shopping restaurants and hotels.”) without naming specific clients or giving out confidential data is fine.

Pay attention to the terms of the confidentiality agreements, or confidentiality clauses of independent contractor agreements, you signed when you applied. At a minimum, follow these guidelines:

• Don’t share information with anyone about a mystery shopping company’s clients, or shops you have done for any mystery shopping company.
• Don’t disclose the names of companies that have mystery shopping programs. Many shoppers believe that it is acceptable to post comments or questions about clients or shops to public forums, as long as they don’t disclose which mystery shopping company has that client. It is not.
• Don’t send copies of blank report forms, sample reports, or completed reports from one company to another.
• Don’t share information about compensation with other mystery shopping companies, clients or other shoppers.
• If a friend asks for advice about becoming a mystery shopper, you may refer them to mystery shopping companies you recommend, but don’t disclose information about the clients they shop, fees and reimbursements, etc.
• Don’t give educational materials or other documents you received from one company to another.
• Don’t gossip about the people or clients of any of the companies you work with.
• Don’t discuss the results of mystery shops directly with the client, unless you have been asked to do so by the mystery shopping company.
• Don’t post proprietary information about a mystery shopping company or client to an Internet message board, chat or forum.

If you are not sure whether it is ethical to divulge something you know, DON’T DO IT! It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Remember that this is a business and you are a professional. Take your responsibilities seriously.

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As mystery shoppers, we are in the business of evaluating the service provided by waiters and other service providers.

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip–Confessions of a Cynical Waiter, a new book by someone called “The Waiter,” (but since publication, identified as Steve Dublanica) tells the other side of the story: what happens behind the scenes at a restaurant and what waiters really think of the customers.

“Waiter Rant” is often wickedly funny, such as in the descriptions of the various types of tippers, or the 40 tips on how to be a good customer. Those tips include, “Do not snap your fingers to get the waiter’s attention. Remember, we have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen,” and “Never say, ‘I’m friends with the owner.’ Restaurant owners don’t have any friends.” …continue reading How Waiters See Customers

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Making and receiving personal or business calls during a mystery shop is a big no-no. Being on the phone can disrupt the flow of the mystery shop and cause you to miss important observations. However, there are ways your cell phone can help you on mystery shopper jobs.

The specific ways you may use a cell phone on a shop will depend on the shop requirements and guidelines. Never do anything that will look out of place or make it obvious that you are the shopper. Because it seems that everyone has cell phones and they use them everywhere, you can probably use your phone on many of the shops you do.

If you are not going to use your phone in one of the ways described here, it is best to turn it off completely or not take it with you.

Here are several ideas for how to use your phone on mystery shops. …continue reading Ways to Use Your Cell Phone While Mystery Shopping

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Objections may be raised at the conclusion of a secret shop, as a reason to leave without committing to a purchase. In those situations, you may raise an objection such as, “I need to talk to my spouse about this,” or “There are a few other places I want to look before making a decision.” That type of objection typically has the effect of closing off further conversation.

However, you may also be asked to raise sales objections in order to test an employee’s sales skills. The purpose of these objections is to give employees an opening to sell to you. …continue reading Raising Sales Objections on Secret Shops

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It has been a long day, but you have arrived at the final location you are to mystery shop. You head toward the doors and . . .uh, oh. Is that a “Closed” sign you see?

To avoid this problem in the future, take a minute or two to check the hours of business before heading out to do the shop.  Even if you think you know their hours. I once had to reschedule a shop because I was certain a location was open later than it actually was. Checking first would have saved the need for an embarrassing email (”I’m sorry, but I am an idiot . . .”) to the scheduler, asking if I could do the shop the following day.

Web sites often list the hours along with other location information, such as address, phone number, maps, etc. However, I would not trust the web site. Hours can change without the change making its way to the web site.

The best way is to call the location. You may be required to make a phone call prior to your visit anyway, so use that as your opportunity to verify the exact location and hours of operation.

It is also a good idea not to show up ten minutes before closing time. Many guidelines will specifically say that you are not to begin the shop within 30 to 60 minutes of closing. Even if that is not part of your instructions, showing up at closing time will not give an accurate and fair report.

So you know how to prepare for the next shop, but what should you do now, standing in front of a closed business? …continue reading Check the Hours Before Doing a Mystery Shop

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Question from a mystery shopper:

There is a mystery shopping company that sends email notices about shops they say they have just posted to their web site. I have tried several times to apply for one of these shops, but every time I get an email notifying me of the shops, by the time I go to the company’s website, all of the shops are taken.  I have actually been at my computer when the email came to me, and even if I check the website immediately, the shops are gone already.

Why do they send emails telling me about shops they have already filled? …continue reading Why Do I Get Emails for Mystery Shopper Jobs That Have Already Been Filled?

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