This week, in the last of this series, we examine four points in the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers that address responsible behavior. All secret shoppers who achieve MSPA mystery shopper certification commit to uphold this code, and they are standards that all mystery shoppers, whether certified or not, should follow.

I will not use any MSPA media to publish complaints against vendors, clients, shoppers or mystery shopping providers.

The MSPA has a mystery shopper forum where shoppers can share information, including feedback on mystery shopping companies. The MSPA forum, and other public forums, are not the correct venue to air grievances against others. There is never a reason to “flame” any other secret shopper or company.

If it is necessary to give negative feedback about a mystery shopping company (such as if payments are consistently late) stick to the facts and present them objectively.

I will not perform any shops under the influence of illegal drugs, or prescription drugs that might impair my abilities.

An impaired shopper will not be able to make needed observations, get accurate timings and complete other requirements of the mystery shopper assignment. This is true even if the drugs are prescribed by your doctor, such as muscle relaxers or pain medications that may affect your ability to function.

I agree not to become inebriated or drink beyond the legal limits set forth in my state or perform any other activity that my cause harm to myself or others while mystery shopping.

There are shops where you are encouraged or even required to drink alcohol, such as some bar and restaurant shops. However, it is imperative that you not drink to excess, and never drive when you have had alcohol. It is not responsible to put yourself and others at risk.

I will not disrupt the normal business flow of an operation in the process of performing a shop (do not cause a scene).

Although some people believe that the mystery shopper’s job is to be a difficult customer, in truth we are to blend in, not stand out, and certainly not cause a scene. Do not be difficult or cause a problem for employees or other customers.

This week we examine five points in the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers that address confidentiality. All secret shoppers who achieve MSPA certification commit to uphold this code, and they are standards that all mystery shoppers, whether certified or not, should follow.

Confidentiality is critical–that’s why they call it “secret” shopping–however, many mystery shoppers seem not to understand the importance of keeping proprietary information secret. If you are an MSPA certified shopper and you violate confidentiality, you could lose your certification. Any shopper who violates confidentiality risks being dropped by the company they burned. Confidentiality is important to mystery shopping providers and clients. It should be important to you, too.

I agree to honor all confidentiality agreements.

When you apply to a mystery shopping company, the independent contractor agreement will include a section on confidentiality. Before agreeing to the terms of the independent contractor agreement, including any confidentiality clauses, be sure to read and understand it. The independent contractor agreement is a legal contract and you are bound by its terms.

I will not ask or encourage anyone to break confidentiality agreements with other firms for whom they conduct mystery shopping assignments.

This means that you should not ask other shoppers to provide proprietary information about mystery shopping companies and their clients. Don’t gossip about mystery shopping companies and their clients, and do not ask other secret shoppers to violate their confidentiality agreements.

I will not share information with others on which company shops which clients.

This is Confidentiality 101. Visit any online mystery shopping forum and you will see questions such as, “Does anyone know who shops ?” Disclosing this information is a violation of confidentiality. Many companies would also consider a violation to provide an answer such as, “I know who shops them, but I can’t tell you because of confidentiality.” Even stating that a client gets mystery shopped could be considered a violation of the confidentiality agreement.

Oh, and asking a question about which company shops which client is encouraging someone else to violate their confidentiality agreements, so even asking the question would be a violation of these standards.

I will not share information with others on shopping fees and reimbursements for specific clients.
I will not share the results of a shop with others in order to protect the clients confidentiality.

In general, you should not share any information about specific clients with anyone. This includes posting to a public forum or telling your friends a funny story about a mystery shop. If your friend wants to become a mystery shopper, you may share information such as the names of your favorite mystery shopping companies, but you may not say who their clients are or how much they pay, and you may not share guidelines, report forms or completed reports. All of those things are covered by the confidentiality agreement.

Watch for the final installment in this series on mystery shopper best practices next week.

This week we examine four points in the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers about mystery shopper professional conduct. All secret shoppers who achieve MSPA mystery shopper certification commit to uphold this code, and they are standards that all mystery shoppers, whether certified or not, should follow.

I will not contact a client directly without approval of the shopping company.

As mystery shoppers, our professional relationship is with the mystery shopping company, and the company has a relationship with the client. We do not have a relationship with the client, and should not insinuate ourselves into the mystery shopping provider’s client relationship.

This means that we should not contact the client with comments about a secret shop we conducted, or to offer services of our own. And a mystery shopper should never contact a client to complain about the mystery shopping company.

Will a mystery shopping provider ever ask a shopper to deal directly with a client? It is rare, but it does happen. For example, the client may want to speak directly with the shopper to get feedback or the mystery shopping company may want the client to meet some of the shoppers who work on their account.

I will not announce myself as a mystery shopper to the business being shopped unless given specific instructions by the shopping company.

If this isn’t obvious, what part of “mystery” shopper or “secret” shopper don’t you understand? Most mystery shoppers get this, but you must also make sure that if you have a companion on a mystery shopper job that they, too, know not to announce that you are mystery shopping. This includes things such as saying, “I think you will be very happy when you see your mystery shop report.”

I will not accept a mystery shopping assignment for a business that I, my family or friends work for.

It can be difficult to be objective when doing a mystery shopper job at a business where you or someone you know works. The problem is obvious when you are mystery shopping a friend of relative. However, even if you do not know anyone at the location you are shopping, there may be a tendency to be too easy on the employees and make excuses for them, or be too tough because you are aware of standards that are not included in the guidelines for the mystery shop.

How is “family” defined? Does it include your second cousin, once-removed? If you are not sure, ask the mystery shopping company before accepting an assignment.

If you enter a location to complete an assignment and discover that someone you know works there, the best thing to do is to abort the shop and inform your scheduler. It may be that when you accepted the assignment you didn’t know that the kid next door was working there; however, once you know, you should not complete the shop.

I will not list any shopping company I work for as an “employer” on any forms (especially unemployment forms) if I am hired strictly as an independent contractor for that company.

This is very important. As an independent contractor you are not an employee. It may seem like the same thing to you (“I’m working for them, doesn’t that make me an employee?”) but legally they are very different.

In most cases, mystery shoppers work as independent contractors, not employees. Do not misrepresent the relationship.

Watch for additional posts on mystery shopper best practices over the coming weeks.

This week we examine three points in the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers about communication with mystery shopping providers. All secret shoppers who achieve MSPA mystery shopper certification commit to uphold this code, and they are standards that all mystery shoppers, whether certified or not, should follow.

I agree to give immediate notice to the shopping company if I cannot perform a shop for any reason.

Of course, it would be best if you never had to cancel an assigned mystery shopper job. However, real life intrudes, emergencies happen, and sometimes it is impossible to complete the assignment.

It should go without saying that you should not cancel an assignment lightly. The mystery shopping provider is depending on you to complete the assignment. If you cancel, they have to find someone else to complete the mystery shopper job by the deadline. Canceling for frivolous reasons can mean that you do not get future assignments from that company.

When you have an emergency and can not do the shop, give the mystery shopping company as much notice as possible to allow them to reschedule the shop. You may also wish to offer alternatives, if you can, such as an alternate date when you could complete the shop or the name of a shopper who might be able to fill in for you. They may not be able to accept your suggestions, but it is a good idea to offer any assistance you can.

I agree to return follow up calls or e-mails in a timely manner.

There may be times when the mystery shopping company has to contact you with a question about your report. The editor is on a tight schedule to get reports released to the client, and if they need information from you they need it quickly.

Typically, the editor will send an email or leave a voice mail message detailing exactly what information is needed. Respond as soon as you possibly can with the answer so that the editor can make any necessary changes to your report and release it to the client. Get the answer to them the same day, or not later than the next day.

I agree to keep paperwork and notes for at least 60 days in case questions arise by the client.

Even though the report has been released by the editor, the client may have questions or require additional detail. File your notes and other paperwork so that they can be quickly retrieved in the event you need to respond to client questions.

If the client questions your report and you can not document what happened your report may be rejected and you may not be paid. But do not assume that you can discard your notes once you have been paid. Because report data may work its way through many levels of management, clients may raise questions long after the report has been received.

Watch for additional posts on mystery shopper best practices over the coming weeks.

This week we examine three points in the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers relating to maintaining professional standards in mystery shopping. All secret shoppers who achieve MSPA mystery shopper certification commit to uphold these standards, and they are standards that all mystery shoppers, whether certified or not, should follow.

I agree to perform all shops to the best of my ability.

Mystery shopping appears to be simple, so it is easy to get complacent about preparing for and performing mystery shopper jobs. However, it is important that each shop is done as thoroughly and accurately as possible. Do not rush through a shop visit or writing a mystery shopper report. Take the time to do it right.

Some shoppers justify sloppy work because they feel they are not paid enough to do a good job. If you think the pay is too low, do not accept the assignment. If you accept a mystery shopper job, do it right.

I agree to submit all reports on or before the deadline.

There are two parts to this: (1) Completing the client visit during the specified dates and (2) Submitting the report within the required time frame after the visit. Both are important.

Every mystery shopper job offer specifies the date range during which the shop must be completed. It is important that this deadline is met because the mystery shopping provider must be able to provide data from every location for the reporting period. In some cases, multiple visits are scheduled and there must be a minimum time (e.g., three days) between visits. If one mystery shopper misses a deadline, it can create a serious problem for the mystery shopping company.

Once a visit is finished, the report must be turned in promptly so that the mystery shopping company can review it and forward it to the client as soon as possible after the shop. The fresher the reports are, the more useful they are to the client.

Never accept a shop unless you can complete both the visit and the report within the required time frame.

I will not perform a shop unless I have thoroughly read each question on the survey and the guidelines provided by the shopping provider.

Preparation is a critical part of doing a professional mystery shop. If you do not read the report form and the guidelines, you will not know what information to collect.

This applies no matter how many times you have done a particular shop. Although you may spend less time reviewing the guidelines and preparing for the mystery shop on repeat visits, never do an assignment without reviewing everything first. Any experienced shopper knows that guidelines and report forms are sometimes changed by the client. There may be a different question that you are supposed to ask, or new observations to make. If you do not read everything before the shop, you will not gather the information needed to do a complete report.

Watch for additional posts on mystery shopper best practices over the coming weeks.

In this post, we look at two points in the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers relating to honesty and integrity in mystery shopping.

I will not falsify or misrepresent reports.

This is the single most important rule for mystery shoppers. The worst thing any mystery shopper can do is to falsify a report. It destroys trust between the shopper and the mystery shopping company, as well as between the mystery shopping company and the client.

Making up answers and submitting a false report is fraud. When a mystery shopping company discovers that a shopper has falsified a report, they will immediately deactivate that shopper’s account and will not use that secret shopper again.

Because falsifying a report is fraud, companies may warn other mystery shopping providers about the shopper. That means that a shopper who commits fraud may find that they can not get mystery shopper jobs from many companies, not just the one they cheated.

I have even heard of one case where a mystery shopping company sued a shopper who falsified a report. They claimed thousands of dollars in damages including the money paid to the secret shopper for the fraudulent reports, the costs of redoing the shops, and other expenses necessary to mend the relationship with the client.

Most mystery shoppers are shocked when they hear about things like this because they can not imagine falsifying a report. The thought never crosses their minds. Good! Make sure the thought never crosses your mind.

I agree to perform all shops with honesty and integrity.

Although not falsifying a report is rule one, honesty and integrity go beyond that. Clients use the information in mystery shopping reports in many ways, including (in some cases) as a factor in determining employee raises and bonuses.

It is critical that all information be as accurate as possible. That means no “fudging” to make a shop experience look better or worse than it was. No making up answers because you didn’t check something you were supposed to check.

Honesty and integrity in mystery shopping also means taking care and not rushing through completing the shop or the report. Clients are counting on you to do your best work.

Watch for additional posts on mystery shopper best practices over the coming weeks.

Mystery shoppers represent the mystery shopping industry, and the quality and professionalism of our work helps to shape the reputation of the industry. By maintaining the highest standards, we elevate the professionalism and public perception of mystery shopping.

Secret shoppers who complete the MSPA mystery shopper certification program agree to uphold a code of professional standards and ethics. These standards and ethics might be considered “best practices” for mystery shoppers, whether they are MSPA certified or not.

Certified shoppers who fail to operate according to the standards can lose their mystery shopper certification. However, any shopper who is unethical or unprofessional risks losing future mystery shopper jobs, as mystery shopping companies will not work with secret shoppers whom they can not trust.

With the permission of the MSPA, I am using the MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics For Mystery Shoppers as the basis for a series of posts exploring ethical mystery shopper behavior and best practices for professional shoppers.

The Origin of the MSPA Code

The agreement for MSPA-certified mystery shoppers is based on the ethics agreement that MSPA member companies are held to. Although the specific responsibilities vary, the principles are the same in both the member company and certified shopper agreements. It is all about being honest, ethical and professional in dealings with mystery shopping companies, mystery shoppers, clients and the public.

What Are the Basic Principles of the Code?

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association’s Shopper’s Code of Professional Standards is established to ensure that all MSPA certified shoppers conform to the following principles:

• Commit, in principle, to the purposes of the association: improving service and promoting excellence in the mystery shopping industry;
• Conduct mystery shopping services in an honest and ethical manner;
• Conduct mystery shopping services according to industry procedures and regulations set forth and agreed to by MSPA members;
• Instill confidence in mystery shopping and encourage public cooperation;
• Respect our MSPA members, clients, and the general public.

Pretty good ideas, right? Whether or not you choose to become MSPA certified, following these guidelines will ensure that you are operating ethically. In future posts, we will look at the rules of conduct spelled out in the agreement, and how we as mystery shoppers can conduct business with the highest level of ethics and professionalism.