Keeping businesses in line with the competition, a firm must satisfy their customers with their needs and be aware of their complaints and requests. Mystery shoppers play an important role in meeting client’s expectations by pretending as real customers while observing and determining various factors that requires improvement. Also referred to as “secret shoppers”, they frequently get information by asking questions to customers, jotting down notes about their opinions on a certain product or even evaluation of customer service given by the company.
Often, mystery shoppers are working for big companies, restaurants, department stores, service providers, retailers and corporate offices that have a great desire of improving and making their products/services the best in the market. Hiring them would be the best way of finding ways to figure out what would be the appropriate thing to do to progress and advance to better products and services.
Duties of Mystery Shoppers:
- Imitating as actual customers would be the first duty of a mystery shopper. Going to stores and finding specific products assigned to him/her would be on the next step.
- Asking questions on fellow customers about a specific product or staffs of a certain company
- Giving the company a copy of the receipt of the purchased items
- Creating reports to be given to companies (usually their basis for making improvements)
- Must follow instructions given by their employers in order to be paid for their service rendered
Educational/Training Requirements:
- As mystery shopper, you must have good communication skills. This would be the basic requirement for this job, for it usually deals with people.
- One must be at least 18 years old
- No past experience/ training required. As long as you can speak and can mutually exchange information and ideas, you can be a mystery shopper.
- Other companies may give orientations or trainings
Compensations Received:
- Compensations for mystery shoppers may vary depending on the employer or company one is working. At times, free meals are given as substitutes for financial payment. But some may give their financial compensations directly to the mystery shopper according to the contract agreed upon.
- Mystery shoppers employed on a corporate office may receive an average compensation of $ 30 000 annually.
- Benefits would be depending upon the company on which one is working. Others may give healthcare and stock sharing options.
- Others are given an hourly rate (applicable on part time workers) about $ 7 to $ 20, while full time workers may receive $30 000 or more.