Qualities of an Excellent Mystery Shopper
Written by Anita Maria Biggins
Mystery Shopping can be a fun and flexible freelance job. The hours and times that you work depend on your schedule. Only choose to work the jobs that you know that you can do. Employers rely on you being dependable. You may work for as many companies as you would like as an independent contracted mystery shopper. This will help you get more work plus more experience. It is expected that you will not disclose any information to these other companies about their clients and areas served. You cannot work as an employee of another mystery shopping company and work part time as a contracted mystery shopper for another company.
Depending on where you live mystery shopping could be a full time job. There are a lot of companies which hire mystery shoppers. Companies have a hard time finding responsible mystery shoppers; only 10% of mystery shoppers are considered excellent. Recruiters value experience and education but the most qualities are to Employers use a writing sample to evaluate your ability to write a narrative paragraph.. Companies do not pay per hour they pay per assignment. The pay range depends upon the length of report needed and project difficulty.
Mystery shopping is a business. Your work as a mystery shopper helps companies improve their level of customer service. Plus you in turn receive a cash payment for shops performed, reimbursement for dollars spent, or a combination of the two. Employers depend greatly on their mystery shoppers to be reliable and able to follow directs. Too often, mystery shoppers don't do their shops or do a poor job. That leaves the mystery shopping company scrambling to get the assignment properly completed in very little time.
I know of two good places to find legitimate mystery shopping jobs: MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association) and Shadow Shoppers. I have used Shadow Shoppers for one month and I was sent job recommendations daily. It was well worth the money. The MSPA also provides national certification for shoppers. . There are two national certifications that you can have as a mystery shopper they are Silver and Gold awarded through the MSPA. Not many mystery shoppers have those credentials.
An application is need to obtain a job as a mystery shopper. Employers use their application process to judge whether or not you will be a good mystery shopper. Take your time and fill out the application correctly. Employers will ask for a writing sample. This will allow them to evaluate your ability to write a narrative paragraph to test your communication skills and grammar usage. After each mystery shopping visit you will be required to fill out an evaluation about your experience as a customer. If you can’t fill out your application correctly, you probably won’t be able to do a good job on your evaluation for their client company.
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About the Author
I enjoy working from home and would like to help others do the same. Please contact me if you have any questions. abiggins@mail.com
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