Be dependable. If you accept an assignment, do it. About 25% of the time, secret shoppers who accept jobs don’t complete them. Imagine having to do your job twice 25% of the time. You wouldn’t like it, and schedulers don’t appreciate it either.

If an emergency comes up and you have to cancel, do it right away. Don’t wait until the day the mystery shopper job is due (or worse yet, the day after) and then cancel. Give the scheduler time to find someone to replace you.

When you have an emergency, suggest someone else to do the shop, if you can. Do you have a friend who could do the shop for you? Don’t have them do the shop without talking to the scheduler first, but suggesting someone may make it easier for the scheduler to reassign the shop.

Pick up hard-to-schedule shops. Do you notice that certain shops seem to be posted again and again? Chances are, those jobs are hard to schedule every month. Even if it is a little out of your way, picking up a mystery shopper job like that will be a big help to the scheduler, and they remember those who make their jobs easier.

Recommend other shoppers. Can you suggest other secret shoppers who can help with those hard-to-fill jobs? Schedulers will appreciate the referral. Of course, you should only suggest shoppers who are reliable and will do a great job.

Email when you have questions. Most schedulers prefer email to phone calls, so email with questions about the shop or other issues. Don’t wait until the last minute to contact them with questions. Make sure the scheduler will have time to get back to you.

Don’t forward chain letters, jokes, video files, virus warnings and other stuff that comes through your email box. Schedulers get lots of email without getting the same lame joke from 2,000 shoppers.

Keep your emails professional. Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Make both the tone and content professional. Fully identify yourself: name, address, phone number(s), email address, and where you shop. Many shoppers use a signature file with all of that information, as well as any certifications they hold. If you are writing about a specific assignment, include details about the mystery shopper job such as job number, location, due date, etc.

Schedulers remember the shoppers who are a joy to work with, and they will want to work with you often. Be the shopper they love, and you will get all the work you can handle!

When you register with a mystery shopping company, they will explain how mystery shops are awarded. Companies that use self-assigning may offer only some of their shops this way, or may use self-assigning for almost all of their assignments.

Here is how self-assigning works, and what you need to know about getting assignments this way.

Assignments are posted to the company’s web site. They may post the majority of assignments at one time, or put shops for the upcoming month up over a week or so. Shops may also be posted at almost random times as new shops are added, or secret shoppers “flake” on shops they claimed.

Companies may tell you what dates the site will list new shops, or they may send e-mail to let you know that new shops have been added.

When you view the available shop assignments, you will learn the specifics of the shop, such as the deadline, the client or type of shop, the fee and any reimbursement to be paid. You may also be able to review all guidelines and forms associated with the shop before you choose to accept it. You will want to know the specifics before you claim a shop, but keep in mind that while you are reviewing the shop details someone else may claim the shop.

Self-assignments are usually first-come, first- served, so you if you get an email about shops being released you should check the site right away to claim shops. However, self-assigning is not as random as it may appear. Experienced or Certified shoppers may receive notice of new shops before others, or notices may be sent first to shoppers nearest the client location.

Most companies that use self-assigning have a screening mechanism in place. When you log in to the web site you will see only the shops for which you are eligible. If there are special requirements, such as demographic requirements or experience level, you will only see the shop as available if you meet those requirements. For example, many shops have rotation requirements. This might mean that the same shopper can only visit that location once every 90 days. If you were assigned that location last month, you would not be eligible and the shop would not appear on your available shop list.

The trend in the mystery shopping industry is toward more automation, and you will see more companies using self-assignment in the future. As technology becomes more advanced it is possible to select shoppers with greater precision using such automated systems. Some companies may allow experienced and/or certified shoppers to self-assign certain mystery shopping assignments, while other shoppers must apply and be assigned by a scheduler.

Self-assignment can help secret shopping companies operate more efficiently, and it offers several advantages to shoppers, too. When you claim a self-assigned shop you know instantly if you got it or not. There is no waiting for a scheduler to review applications and make the assignment. It also makes it easier to create a route of shops, or to schedule shops outside of your usual area, such as when you are looking for assignments to do while traveling.

Of course, some shoppers might find they enjoy scheduling as much as or more than mystery shopping. If you think you want to be a scheduler, here are some things you should know about mystery shopping scheduling and how you can get hired for one of these jobs.

Some schedulers are hired as employees of the mystery shopping company. They may work in the company’s office, mostly during regular business hours, although they may work late or on weekends when necessary. Others are contractors who work out of their homes for mystery shopping companies or mystery shopper scheduling companies. Contractors may have more flexibility in setting their own hours, but they are still required to get all of their assigned shops scheduled and completed. That may mean working late into the night, after putting the kids to bed. (Have you ever noticed the time stamps on some of those emails you get from schedulers?)

But how hard can it be? All schedulers do is enter the shop information into the system, press a few keys and send out emails, right? Well, not exactly. Although scheduling some shops can be almost that simple, schedulers are responsible for getting all of their shops assigned and completed. That means that not only do they schedule the popular, fun and high-paying shops that everyone wants, schedulers also have to get the out-of-way, not-so-glamorous, fast food and other shops done, too. That can mean sending repeated emails, begging and pleading with shoppers to take the job. Or getting on the phone and begging and pleading that way.

Although schedulers may have bonus money to help with those hard to schedule shops, it is not always available. Sometimes all they have to work with is their charm.

And when shoppers “flake” on shops, canceling at the last minute or just not doing the job, the scheduler has to find someone else to complete the shop at the last minute. Because the industry averages about a 25% flake rate, that is a lot of extra work for schedulers.

If after reading this you still think you want to be a mystery shopper scheduler, here are some tips to help you get the job.

Most companies like to hire people with mystery shopping experience. If you have a good history as a mystery shopper (i.e., you have been shopping for at least a year with good scores and feedback) you may be approached by a company when they have an opening. You can also contact some of the mystery shopping or scheduling companies for which you have worked and ask how they hire schedulers. Many will accept a resume and consider you when they have an opening.

There is an expectation that schedulers will have good computer skills, along with solid writing ability. Being a “people person” is also important, as is being a self-starter. Although contractors work a flexible schedule, it flexes both ways. That means that when there is a big project or end of the month crunch, you need to be available.

Being a scheduler is different in many ways from being a mystery shopper. Some people who are very good at one are not necessarily even interested in doing the other. However, the skills that make you a good secret shopper can also make you a successful scheduler.

What is a scheduling company, and how is it different from a mystery shopping company?

Scheduling companies, as the name implies, perform scheduling services for mystery shopping companies. That means that they assign shoppers on behalf of mystery shopping companies.

Why would a mystery shopping company use a scheduling service?

There are several reasons a company may choose to outsource scheduling. They may not have a staff of schedulers, the scheduling company may have a more extensive shopper data base, or their regular schedulers may not be able to handle a large special project.

A mystery shopping company may outsource all of their scheduling, or may use an outside scheduling service only for certain client accounts or certain geographic regions.

When a scheduling company assigns me, am I working for them or for the mystery shopping company?

Usually, you are actually working for the mystery shopping company. However, the scheduling company is responsible for assigning the shop and making sure it is completed so most or all of your interaction will be with the scheduler. (In some cases they may also edit the report, but that is not typical.)

You will probably enter the report on the mystery shopping company’s web site, and payment will almost always come from the mystery shopping company, not the scheduling company.

Should I apply directly to scheduling companies?

YES! Scheduling companies may recruit and schedule for many different mystery shopping companies, so being in their shopper data bases will make you eligible for many assignments. On more than one occasion, my first assignment for a company was obtained through a scheduling service, although I later did many jobs that were scheduled directly by the mystery shopping provider. Two of my favorite scheduling companies are:

Kern Scheduling Services/KSS International
http://www.kernscheduling.com/

Coast to Coast Scheduling Services
http://www.ctcss.com/

Cathy Stucker is the author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual.