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Mystery shopper definition. Marketing service: mystery shopper on exploration

Mystery shopper(from English. Mystery Shopper/Secret Shopper , Also imaginary buyer) - a research method that is used both as part of a marketing research aimed at assessing the consumer experience received by a client in the process of purchasing a product or service, and in order to solve organizational problems, for example, measuring the level of compliance with customer service standards by employees in an organization, etc.

To collect information, specially trained people (mystery shoppers) are used to carry out checks on behalf of potential / real customers and report in detail on the results of checks. Research objectives affect the level of requirements for mystery shopping. In most cases participation in mystery shopper research should not be the only source of income for these people.

There are various terms for the method mystery shopping in Russian: Mystery shopper, imaginary buyer, mystery shopping, secret client, secret shopper, hidden buyer, control client, anonymous buyer, customer service audit and others. The terms most commonly used on the Russian market are Mystery shopper And imaginary buyer.

Organization of the study

Research objectives

Unlike test purchases used in the USSR by OBHSS employees, the data obtained as a result of mystery shopping inspections are used to improve the quality of service and increase customer satisfaction in the audited organization, to improve the professionalism of employees, and also as an audit of outlets.

The "mystery shopper" study can be used to assess the system of staff training, staff motivation; as part of programs to increase loyalty to the brand or product of the company; to evaluate the use of POS materials and promotional materials; in order to analyze the quality of work of competitors; to stimulate sales of products; to assess the quality of processing applications from the site or telephone operators.

In the course of assessing the quality of service by the “mystery shopper” method, first of all, compliance with the standards of the company whose outlets are being checked is assessed. Mystery shopping should not be a method of competitive intelligence: the conduct should be carried out according to scenarios that do not cause harm commercial activities audited organizations.

Study parameters

Monitoring "mystery shopper" can be done independently or outsourced, that is, involve a professional provider organization in the work. The budget and scope of work depend on the following predetermined parameters:

the number of outlets participating in the monitoring,
object of evaluation (each employee of the outlet, any few employees, specific employees),
documentation (questionnaire or questionnaire and verbal description store visits)
monitoring the work of a mystery shopper (photo, video and audio recordings),
the content of the questionnaire, objects of study,
number of reports (several times per period or one final),
portrait of a mystery shopper (for example, social status- high or low income)
method of processing the received data (manually, programmatically).

Objects of study

Checks by a mystery shopper can be carried out not only through visits to the checked objects, but also through telephone calls, e-mail etc. depending on the maintenance procedures being checked. The objects of the study are sellers and consultants in retail outlets, telephone managers and consultants, online consultants on the site (using instant messaging, voice and video), managers who process applications via e-mail and through the order form on the site.

Criteria for evaluation

As part of the audits, as a rule, the following parameters are evaluated:

compliance with the norms of etiquette by employees (friendliness, goodwill, etc.);
speech of employees (literacy, politeness, intelligibility);
appearance of employees in terms of neatness and conformity corporate identity companies;
compliance by employees with accepted company standards;
cleanliness and order in the premises and workplaces of employees;
merchandising;
service speed;
availability of employees for the client.

Reviews may also assess product knowledge and sales skills. However, it must be understood that this method does not replace, but is additional to other procedures for evaluating personnel performance, such as appraisals, expert opinions, testing, observation, etc.

Additional options for checks

Control purchase. During the test, a test purchase may be made. In this case, an additional document that allows you to control the work of a mystery shopper is a cash receipt.

Dictaphone recording of the conversation. In some cases, when the visit of a mystery shopper is carried out in person or by phone, for the purpose of subsequent analysis, a dictaphone recording of communication with the employee being checked is used. The record is used when evaluating employees in the segment of expensive goods for the purpose of conducting subsequent individual training of the employee and correcting his skills in working with the client. In this case, the employee in respect of whom the check was made will be familiarized with the records.

The dictaphone recording cannot be a control tool for the mystery customer, as it reveals the identity of the employee and the identity of the mystery shopper.

Photo and video recordings. Some mystery shopper service providers additionally offer a video recording of a visit to an outlet, as well as photo reports, depending on the goals of the project. As a rule, this significantly increases the budget of the event.

Reporting, data collection and analysis systems

To organize the collection and processing of information in the course of such studies, companies often resort to specialized online reporting systems that allow them to improve the quality of information by reducing the human factor, automate the routine work of processing and collating a large amount of data received from field personnel. As a rule, a mystery shopper has access to such a program using the Internet and a browser - he enters the collected information and submits reports online. Managers and customers immediately see the information received and can analyze it.

Modern systems are equipped with the functionality of constructing analytical graphs and tables directly in the online reporting program, which greatly simplifies the method of data analysis and reduces time. As a rule, such systems make it possible to control mystery shoppers, receive photo reports and reporting forms, automate the routine work of collating data from different regions, improve the quality of information transmitted from the fields, relieve the burden on project managers, make the interaction between the client and the agency transparent, and increase confidence.

Initially, all reporting in projects was done manually using spreadsheets, but soon specialized software products(online systems), which have become available to any type of company, regardless of size.

Ethics

The norms, standards and ethics for conducting mystery shopping research are developed and regulated by the International Mystery Shopper Association (MSPA) and independent companies, employees of inspected facilities should be warned in advance that they will be periodically inspected by mystery shoppers for a certain period, and the results of “mystery shopper” inspections should not serve as a basis for punishing and dismissing employees.

In the Russian Federation, the activities of providers of the “mystery shopper” service are in fact not regulated by anything. MSPA does not have effective mechanisms for quality control of the services provided in the Russian Federation and the CIS, so Russian market Users of the Mystery Shopper service have to independently check the quality of services, usually based on the recommendations of colleagues, through competitions when choosing a contractor, checking whether the contractor company is a member of MSPA.

Notes

Links

Marketing and management Mystery shopping: operating errors. Marketing and Management (October 2008). Archived
Svetlana Shesterneva Kazakhstani companies are interested in Mystery shopping service. Panorama (October 29, 2010). Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.

Chulpan Gumarova And now the mystery shopper goes to the banks. Capital (June 08, 2011). Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.
Tatyana Pleshchivtseva Undercover client. 24.ua (May 13, 2008). Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.
Ksenia Meleshko Shopper case. Glavred (September 24, 2008). Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
State institutions are recognized by Russians as the worst places in terms of quality of service. rambler.ru Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.
Anton Matveev The auditor is coming to you. TourInfo (July 21, 2009). Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2009. Article on the application of the mystery guest program in the hotel industry

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Mystery Shopper" is in other dictionaries:

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Mystery shopper (mystery shopper, from the English Mystery shopper) is a type of marketing research aimed at evaluating the customer service process using specially trained people (mystery shoppers), ... ... Wikipedia

Consumer- (Customer) Contents Contents Definition The history of the development of the institution of protection of rights in Sources legal regulation V Russian Federation Basic rights of the acquirer Procedural features of consumer protection Disputes related to the Federal Law ... ... Encyclopedia of the investor

Marketing research is a form of business research and a direction of applied sociology that focuses on understanding the behavior, desires and preferences of consumers, competitors and markets in a dictated ... ... Wikipedia

When conducting marketing research, ethical issues arise quite often. Compliance ethical standards in this area is very important, since the results and consequences of research not only have no value without mutual trust of the ordering and performing parties, but can also do harm. Since this "product" is specific, it will be useful to the customer only if he is sure that the research was carried out honestly and objectively. In addition, marketing research in most cases is based on information provided by respondents voluntarily. If respondents are in doubt about anything, they will refuse to cooperate or be insincere, leading to subjective conclusions and a waste of time, effort and money - at best. At worst, the company will exacerbate the situation with hasty and wrong decisions.

When it comes to Mystery Shopper research, things are much more complicated. The very name of the method is associated with something "spy", and therefore illegal.

The norms, standards and ethics for conducting Mystery Shopper research in the West are developed and regulated by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). In Russia, the activities of companies providing the “mystery shopper” service are in fact not regulated by anything. MSPA does not have effective mechanisms for quality control of the services provided in the Russian Federation and the CIS, therefore, in the Russian market, users of the “mystery shopper” service have to independently check the quality of services, as a rule, focusing on the recommendations of colleagues and through competitions when choosing a contractor.

Mystery shopping research should not be used as a basis for dismissals and penalties;
Personnel must be notified in advance of possible systematic checks by the "mystery shopper" method;
Scenarios for mystery shoppers should be safe, exclude the performance of illegal actions by them;
In the case of video/audio filming, the names of the employees being checked cannot be disclosed unless they have been warned about this in advance;
During video/audio recording, the names of competitors’ employees cannot be revealed, as they could not have been warned about this in advance…

As for the actions of the mystery shoppers themselves, it should be noted here that during the inspections, no trade secrets they don't have to take it out. All that is required from a secret client is to objectively evaluate the quality of the service in accordance with the criteria of the questionnaire. Besides:

A mystery shopper must remember that he evaluates the quality of service, and not a specific consultant / seller. He does not act as a spy or "informer", but gives people the opportunity to look at themselves from the outside;
A mystery shopper should avoid unreasonable estimates. Any positive or negative assessment must have an objective justification. Real information about the quality of work is a tool for improving the quality of work of the staff of the company being valued. Distorted estimates (both underestimated and overestimated) will not allow employees to use their potential appropriately and draw valuable conclusions for the future;
The mystery shopper should not distribute the results of the visit to outsiders - in order to protect the confidentiality of the customer company.

The other side of the question is which organizations are being audited. The public is very ambiguous about such checks, for example, in medical institutions, arguing that patients due to such checks may be deprived of timely medical care. But after all, if all business processes in the clinic are debugged, patients should not be left without attention even in case of emergency. And if not, the gaps in the company's work must be eliminated, and this is precisely the goal of the Mystery Shopper.

In this technique, as in any business, there are pitfalls, but in the hands of a professional "Mystery Shopper" will allow you to achieve your goals and meet the expectations of the customer without affecting anyone's interests and without overstepping the boundaries of what is permitted by ethics.

The concept and essence of the Mystery Shopper method

The effectiveness of the company, sales and profits, depends on the quality of customer service. It is always interesting what consumers think about you, whether they are satisfied with the service, whether they will come for more purchases. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a study of the service system at the enterprise, the work of personnel with the clientele, in order to find out why customers leave or potential consumers do not become buyers.

In this case, the company's management undertakes a "mystery shopper" study to assess the quality of service in their outlets. The hidden nature of the study allows you to identify all the pros and cons of the work of sellers with customers, because they behave differently with an explicit controller. Mystery shoppers are completely ordinary people who go shopping and evaluate the level of service.

The mystery shopper method first appeared in the United States in the early 1940s. The object of study was precisely the sellers and cashiers in stores, as well as in restaurants, cafes, gas stations and other service organizations.

Such studies were the cheapest way to assess the work of staff with customers, as well as a quick tool to increase sales.

In Russia, this technique has been used recently, but today it is very popular among companies - customers of research and companies - service providers. Many enterprises are moving away from product and price competition, and the quality of service comes first.

Definition 1

Mystery shopper method (from the English Mystery shopper) is a method of marketing research aimed at assessing the consumer experience received by the client in the process of making a purchase of a product or service, as well as measuring the level after-sales service customers by company personnel.

There are other names for this research method used in Russian practice:

secret client;
secret shopper;
fake client;
control client;
customer service audit, etc.

The essence of the "Mystery Shopper" method is that under the guise of a buyer, an inspector enters the outlet. He looks around, consults with the seller, selects a product or service and makes a purchase. Sometimes scenarios of the behavior of such a control client are compiled (for example, an overly picky, capricious or conflict buyer).

Types of covert research

In the process of research by the "Mystery Shopper" method, the following is analyzed:

how interested employees were in customers;
what behavior of employees in different situations;
whether they were correct with clients;
Have all questions been answered?
how they consulted, etc.

In addition to the process of communication between the seller and the client, the mystery shopper evaluates the situation in the store, the availability of goods, their display and other factors. Such comprehensive study allows you to identify all the shortcomings and take timely measures to eliminate them.

Allocate different types research using the "Mystery Shopper" method:

visits to outlets for the implementation of a control purchase (also with the return of goods for various reasons), checking the level of service, compliance with standards and studying competitors' prices;
orders in online stores, in social networks or applications by e-mail;
calls to points of sale and offices to receive detailed information about a product or service;
monitoring the representation of brands in stores;
verification of various BTL promotions.

The customers of such studies are banks, trading companies, service organizations, telecommunication enterprises ( cellular operators) and others. The cost and time to complete the assessment depends on a number of factors:

number of control points of sales;
object of study (one employee, some specific employees or the entire staff);
the degree of complexity of the test scenario;
portrait of a secret client (social status, qualifications, income);
control purchase (a cash receipt must be attached);
recording a conversation with a salesperson or consultant;
photographs (if necessary);
questionnaire - a report on the work done (details of the study).

Remark 1

This research method is relevant for increasing the level of motivation of employees (salespeople, managers, etc.). Anonymous verification serves as a kind of incentive so that employees do not relax. Also, a mystery shopper is an ideal way to study the activities of competitors.

The Mystery Shopper method is used in the following areas:

employee motivation;
assessment of the employee training system;
marketing intelligence (analysis of competitors);
increasing loyalty to the product, service, brand and company;
analysis of the use of promotional materials at points of sale;
assessment of the quality of order processing on the Internet.

This method can be useful for many companies, but especially in the field of trade and services.

Stages of conducting research within the framework of the Mystery Shopper method

In each case, approaches to the study are agreed with the customer, taking into account his desires and requests. But the general scheme for conducting research using the Mystery Shopper method includes a number of steps:

formulation of the goals and objectives of the study (the concept of the project is being developed);
compiling a list of requirements for the behavior of a mystery shopper;
agreeing on the working conditions of a mystery shopper (number of visits, calls or observations);
development of a scenario for the behavior of a mystery shopper (manner of behavior, text, questions, etc.);
development of questionnaires for reporting;
selection of mystery shoppers, their briefing;
visiting a retail outlet or organization by the buyer and filling out a questionnaire;
checking the correctness of the task (analysis of reports, monitoring the behavior of mystery shoppers by technical means);
drawing up a single report based on the questionnaires of all mystery shoppers;
development of recommendations for improving the company's activities;
transfer to the customer of a general report, which consists of conclusions and recommendations, as well as all the material of mystery shoppers (filled questionnaires, audio and video materials).

The obtained results can become the basis for conducting trainings with the company's personnel.

If the object of innovation development is a high-tech service, the "mystery shopper" method cannot be dispensed with when studying the needs of the client. This method is also indispensable in the study of the behavior of the buyer in the process of selling goods and providing services for a new high-tech product.

"Mystery Shopper" (mystery shopping ) - a research method that involves assessing the quality of customer service with the help of specialists acting as dummy consumers (buyers, customers, etc.).

The essence of the method is that a specially trained agent comes to the observed organization under the guise of an ordinary buyer (visitor). They evaluate and diagnose the organization according to characteristics that are significant for the researcher according to a specially developed legend. At the same time, he watches, listens and analyzes what is happening in the organization. If it is provided by the legend, makes a purchase of a new product or service. For example, a mystery shopper buys new service in the field cellular communication. After visiting the organization (using the product, service), the agent enters his ratings into special form(most often a questionnaire).

The "mystery shopper" method is more correctly attributed to complex (synthetic) research methods. In reality, it combines elements of observation, questioning and experiment.

There are two basic varieties of the mystery shopper method. The first option assumes that the agent visits only the divisions of his own firm. The second option involves visits both to the divisions of your company and to direct competitors. In this case, the marks given by the agent to his firm are compared with similar assessments competitor company.

The method is especially suitable for networks retail high-tech products, firms providing high-tech services, including services for new products. Most often, the "mystery shopper" method is used in the following areas: banks, operators mobile communications, computer and household appliances, service centers for high-tech products, etc.

The mystery shopper technology steps will look like this:

1) program preparation:
- definition of tasks and goals of the program;
- project budgeting;
- questionnaire development;
- development of a legend (behavior pattern) of a "mystery shopper";
- compiling a list of bypass points;
- formation of requirements for "mystery buyers";
- selection of "mystery buyers" and conducting trainings with them;
- development of a control scheme for the work of "mystery shoppers";
- determination of the scheme for collecting and processing questionnaires;
2) carrying out the program;
3) evaluation of results:
- processing of questionnaires;
- analysis of results;
4) development of recommendations.

Mystery shopper research is usually carried out specialized companies, each of which has developed and is constantly improving the methodology for their implementation. Each study is a project that includes a set of goals, objectives, timelines, budgetary and other constraints.

advantage this method is the ability to analyze the quality of services through the eyes of a real consumer (to conduct an assessment that is close to the opinions of consumers). The results of such an assessment make it possible to identify the market advantages and disadvantages of the company and its competitors.

The disadvantage of the method is the impossibility of completely eliminating the subjective factor in the assessment. To reduce subjectivity, it is desirable that several agents visit one place and their ratings are averaged.

The final result of the "voice of the consumer" stage is a hierarchically structured, complete (necessary and sufficient) set of consumer needs, expressed in the language of the consumer himself and weighted on a scale of value for the consumer. Let's expand on this definition in more detail.

1. A complete set of needs: adequate methods of collecting and processing information ensure the maximum completeness of capturing needs, as well as filtering needs from product functions and solutions to problems prompted by the consumer.
2. A structured set of needs: an inherent property of the human psyche - hierarchical structuring of information; VoC methods make it possible to identify the most "natural" hierarchy of needs; all this allows you to bring the researcher's vision closer to the picture of the world of consumers, increases the accuracy of the subsequent quantification, allows you to optimize the amount of work, stopping at one or another level of the hierarchy.
3. Presentation in the language of the consumer himself: fixation in everyday, and not technical, language allows preserving the essence and specificity of needs with minimal distortion, eliminates the conjectures of the developers, and avoids straightforward solutions prompted by the wording.
4. Weighing on a scale of value to the consumer: the use of adequate methods of quantitative research allows you to establish true priorities, which the consumer himself is usually not aware of.

Over the long history of QFD, users of the methodology have managed to apply almost all available marketing research tools. It should be emphasized that QFD is the only approach that actually bridges the chronic gap between qualitative and quantitative research. Almost all information about the needs obtained in the course of processing the results of a qualitative study is quantified at the next stage.

As for the choice of a specific toolkit, in any project it is dictated by the inevitable trade-off between costs and effectiveness. The least suitable for QFD purposes are desk research and indirect collection of information about customer needs by company employees. Unfortunately, a huge number of QFD projects, even in Japan itself, have used and are using just such an approach. At the other end of the spectrum is customer testing of a product prototype or prototype. This method gives the highest performance, but even largest companies can't always afford it. The methods of in-depth interviews and group interviews (focus groups) seem to be optimal for most researchers in this field. Whenever possible, interviews should be accompanied by ethnographic research.

The result of the research carried out at this stage will be raw material (audio and video recordings, their transcripts, notes of interviewers and researchers, etc.), which needs additional processing. So many researchers, especially corporate marketers, neglect this crucial part of the work and jump straight to the conclusions. The experience of QFD shows how significant the difference is in the structured approach to the processing of qualitative research data. This processing consists of the following steps:

transcription of records;
selection of all lexical constructions that are candidates for the expression of one of the needs;
transfer of selected lexical constructions to a special table "consumer's voice";
studying the table in order to reduce duplicate entries and, if necessary, change their wording;
extraction of true needs from the number of candidates (technical solutions and product functions imposed by the consumer are discarded).

The Mystery Shopping technique, or Mystery Shopping, is quite effective of all. modern methods checking the quality of customer service, and consequently, identifying the company's development reserves.

At the same time, you should not “go in cycles” only in checking the work of sales personnel. After all, for a company carrying out this species marketing research, there is no fundamental difference from which functionality to “remove” information. There is only a difference in timing and price.

After all, no less important for various companies is the implementation, and hence the quality control of the implementation of such functional duties personnel as:

Passing speed commercial information inside the company.
Reliability of transmission of received information.
Implementation of internal service standards.
Competence of the employee responsible for his area of work.
And much more…

For example, we will describe how this is done to check sales personnel, due to the fact that this type of service is the most in demand on the market.

Market monitoring technology "mystery shopping"

Under the guise of ordinary buyers in the company or its shopping room several people, specially trained and trained "mystery shoppers" apply. Each "mystery shopper" (another name is "mystery shopper", "control shopper", "Mystery Shopping") corresponds to the characteristics of an average shopper and behaves in the usual way for this shopper, enters into a dialogue with one or more sales floor employees, makes a purchase or leaves, allegedly not having yet made a final decision on the purchase.

The "Mystery Shopper" according to the scheme individually developed for this Customer, fills out a report on the visit. The report is also created in the form of a text description of the visit, with scoring in the form of points assigned according to certain system. The sheet that the Mystery Shopper fills out as a sample is attached at the end of the section of this article.

Next, the project curator analyzes the results of all visits of "mystery shoppers" and creates a generalized report on the results of checking the quality of customer service. The report contains scoring the work of the employees of the customer company, graphs for comparing the quality of service at different retail outlets or sales offices of the company, the dynamics of the quality of service (if this is a long-term monitoring). The report may also contain specific recommendations for improving the quality of customer service, if such a task was set at the conclusion of the contract.

What benefits does the Customer gain from analysis and monitoring by the "mystery shopper" method?

First of all, an audit of the performance of functional duties is carried out.

Based on its results, the company's customer service is improved, and hence the company's competitiveness.

Increasing the effectiveness of training conducted in the company or setting an appropriate task for companies involved in staff training.

The possibility of introducing and/or adjusting a bonus system of motivation for staff based on the assessments of unbiased "mystery shoppers", whose work is also controlled by the curator of the Mystery Shopper project. This bonus system can apply both to staff working directly with clients, and to their managers and coaches.

Evaluation of various aspects of the activities of the staff, including its honesty and loyalty.

What aspects of personnel performance are usually subject to evaluation by the "mystery shopper" ("mystery shopper") method?

How is the client greeted?
How do salespeople, secretaries, other employees in contact with customers work?
Do employees meet customer service standards?
Do salespeople use sales techniques?
How is the transfer of the Client from one employee to another?
How do employees communicate with each other in the presence of the Client?
How do employees get out of stressful, critical, dangerous situations?
Are the employees of the company honest in relation to the Clients and the administration of the company?
Do they know their product?
Do they make a real effort to make the deal go through?
How is the premises and the company as a whole perceived from the point of view of the Client?

Setting a task for monitoring.

The customer can independently determine the main goal of monitoring or take advantage of the offer of the company that will carry out this work.
For example:

Assessment of the quality of customer service.
Compliance with corporate standards.
Honesty and loyalty of staff comparison with competitors.
And so on.

Market monitoring formats used by the "mystery shopper" method.

Personal visits of "mystery shoppers" to retail outlets, sales offices or any other places where your employees usually meet with customers. (For example, in the trading floor of a car dealership, or on construction sites where the apartments are being shown.)

"Test purchase" is the visits of "mystery buyers" to retail outlets or sales offices with or without a mandatory purchase, with an assessment of: appearance and discipline, work with the client, order and cleanliness, compliance with merchandising rules, corporate standards, etc.

Phone calls "mystery shoppers" to your employees.

Observation of "mystery shoppers" under the guise of waiting for his friend-shopper for everything that happens in client area Your company.

Stages of monitoring "mystery shopper"

Determination of the purpose and format of monitoring.
Obtaining requirements for "mystery shoppers".
Studying (if necessary, creating and implementing) corporate standards for the Customer's company.
Coordination and approval of the scenario of visits, calls or observations.
Development and approval of "legends" with which "mystery shoppers" come.
Development and approval of questionnaires filled out by "mystery shoppers".
Detailed briefing of "mystery buyers" selected by the Contractor (possibly together with the Customer).
Carrying out monitoring with filling out questionnaires by "mystery shoppers" after each visit or call.
Verification by the project curator of the accuracy of reflection in the reports of "mystery shoppers" of assessments and descriptions of visits in accordance with the audio recording (if necessary), correction (if necessary) of the actions of "mystery shoppers".
Analysis of the verified information received, preparation of a summary report and recommendations.
Transfer to the customer of a summary report and recommendations, as well as all primary information: questionnaires and audio recordings.

At each stage of work, the Customer has the right to request and receive all the intermediate information he needs.

Mystery Shopper Questionnaire
The author of the template is Dmitry Kolesnikov (research.rbc.ru). Templates used by MICROSOFT Corp.
Download >>>

Store Checklist and Checklist Checklist
The author of the template is Salmanov Marat ( research.rbc.ru). Templates used by MICROSOFT Corp.
Download >>>

Mystery Shopper Mistakes

The following material is intended for direct performers of the function of the company / agency that has concluded an agreement for marketing research the mystery shopper method.

It's no secret that in any work there are mistakes. How to avoid them, or at least minimize them. Here are the "three pillars" on which the reputation of a successful employee who performs the functions of a "Mystery Shopper" is based:

1. Completing the task on time- means that the "buyer" completed the purchase at the agreed time or period of time, prepared and sent the report before the end of the deadline.
2. Complete tasks accurately and accurately- means that the purchase must be completed in accordance with the task, the report is filled out correctly, the information in the report is correct and the points awarded (scoring) do not contradict one's own comments.
3. Completing the task completely- means that the "buyer" filled in all the required fields in the report form and made the necessary comments, did not forget to attach a check (if required) and other necessary materials to the report.

If you accepted the purchase task, but did not complete it, then most likely you will no longer receive new tasks, at least from this agency. The Contractor runs the risk of undermining his reputation in the eyes of not only the Customer, but also potential Customers and partners.

What to do if suddenly circumstances turned out to be higher than you and you realized that you would not be able to complete the task?

Immediately notify the employer about this, the Contractor company, if it cannot perform the work, notifies the Customer about this.

The sooner you inform the employer about this, the easier it will be for him to find a replacement for you and reschedule the purchase. What else should a “mystery shopper” pay attention to when interacting with their employer?

First of all, don't forget that you are working with people, so always be polite. Try not to be an additional burden, but on the contrary, to make their work a little easier. For example, when you receive a task, do not immediately rush to ask questions. First read and think carefully, think through your questions. When receiving instructions over the phone, always take notes so you can refresh the conversation later. Don't call your employer just to chat.

These are, as a rule, busy people and they do not have time for chatter. Keep your employer informed about changes in your personal data. If the site has the ability to send and edit profiles, then do it through the site.

Otherwise, you can send by email. No need to ask when you will receive the next task, or why you receive so few tasks.

The reason for this may be a low number of orders in your area, or high competition among "mystery shoppers".

Maintain contact with the employing agency throughout the assignment. Let him know about any facts that will delay sending the report or completing the actual purchase. Complete your tasks as soon as possible, in accordance with the instructions.
Don't ask for extra time to report over and over again. Respond as soon as possible when the agency sends you a new assignment or asks you a question.

Be flexible and go out of your way when the agency is in trouble.

For example, take a burning purchase order and the agency will certainly appreciate it.

Don't cancel the quest at the very last moment, or more importantly, don't forget about your quest.

Do not send an incomplete report, thereby forcing the agency to waste time clarifying issues with you.

Thus, your reputation as a Mystery Shopper will suffer greatly if you make the following mistakes:

Error	The nature of the error
Not reading and/or following instructions	Serious - critical
Accept purchase/inspection assignments and then disappear without completing the job	critical
Don't report problems	Serious - critical
Give conflicting answers to questions	serious
Make purchases/inspections in a hurry	serious
Do not carefully check your purchase/inspection report. Lots of reporting errors	serious
Hiding the truth	Serious - critical
Unwilling or unable to admit your mistakes	Serious - critical
Sending reports late	Serious - critical

If you try to follow these guidelines and try to avoid mistakes, you will be in good standing with agencies and will undoubtedly get more assignments than others.

This section of the article was created based on the materials of the sitewww.mystery-shopper.ru

Memo for the employee carrying out the check

1. Methodology for the verification.

1.1. Before visiting the store, you must carefully study the proposed questionnaire, try to remember its contents.
1.2. It is necessary to prepare a “legend” in advance, that is, think over the purpose of your visit to the store (what would you like to choose, purpose, for whom, color, size, etc.).
1.3. Approximate time spent in the store: 40-50 minutes.
1.4. When entering the store, pay attention to exact time visits.
1.5. For one check you need to visit three departments.
1.6. When communicating, behave naturally and naturally, as regular customer. Listen carefully and observe the actions of the seller.
1.7. Be sure to remember the name and surname of the seller on the badge (in extreme cases, only the name).
1.8. When communicating with the seller, be polite and correct, avoid conflict situations.

When conducting an audit, special attention should be paid to such parameters as:

Try to remember what you especially liked, or vice versa, did not like in the store. During your visit, pay attention to the store as a whole (showcase, signs, product information, catalogs, lighting, fitting rooms, ventilation, etc.)

2. Methodology for filling out questionnaires.

2.1. After visiting the store, you must fill out the proposed questionnaires. It is better to fill out questionnaires immediately after visiting the store, until all the information has been erased from memory, but do not do it right away in the store (even small entries).
2.2. For each store, it is necessary to fill out 3 questionnaires for different departments, each for a separate seller.
2.3. Do not forget to indicate in the questionnaire the name of the store, the date and exact time of the visit, the department, your last name and first name (in full), the last name and first name of the seller. If you rated a seller who did not have a badge, write in the column "Seller's full name" - "no badge".
2.4. If you fill out several questionnaires for the same store, then put down the same ratings for the operation of the cash register and the work of the security service in all questionnaires (do not contradict yourself).
2.5. Attention! In the block marked with a double line, mark only one indicator.
2.6. In the questionnaire, next to the selected parameter, put a mark "1".
2.7. If the indicator is not evaluated (for example, the goods were not delivered to you or there is no controller in the store), mark “0” in all cells for this item. Then this parameter will not be taken into account in calculating store ratings.

Try to take this job as seriously as possible.