Having great relationships with schedulers means you will be on their minds when they have jobs to fill. Here are some ways to be one of their favorite mystery shoppers:
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!
This is a great summarization of the perfect shopper to work with. Those of us on the scheduler side of things, just love a dependable shopper who knows how to communicate effectively and how to pay attention to detail.
Thanks!
Retired; love to eat; and free is even better; So what companies do I register with for fast food outlets; Preferably Popeyes, Burger King; Mc Donalds, Hardees, etc
Ted, mystery shoppers are not allowed to disclose what they know about which companies shop which clients. Just start applying to companies and you will find opportunities. You can start with some of the companies on my list of reputable mystery shopping companies.