By Shay Mayes, Customer Impact Scheduler

We talk about it all the time in our blogs – mystery shopping. But what exactly IS that? While many of you may be familiar with the term, many others are still not clear on what it means exactly. In mystery shopping, an independent contractor is sent to a place of business or a restaurant to purchase particular items, observe the service, and/or perform other tasks as requested by the client. For example, a mystery shopper may go to a fast food restaurant or a gourmet restaurant to have a meal one day, then be asked to observe the service at a cinema or bank on their next assignment. In the process of a mystery shopping assignment, you are required to make note of very specific elements of your entire experience, from the service you received to the quality of the products and the cleanliness of the establishment.

What Exactly IS Mystery Shopping

After a mystery shopper completes an assignment, they are required to fill out a questionnaire, providing answers to the questions the client has asked them to evaluate. Did the waiter approach you within 30 seconds of your seating? Did a store associate inform you about the special discount offer that month? In addition to answering the questions, some narratives may also be required to fill in more details for the client. For completing the assignment and submitting the survey, a mystery shopper is paid a fee and/or provided with a reimbursement for particular items purchased, based on the guidelines for the shop.

Mystery Shopping is conducted by companies and service professionals who wish to evaluate their services, product quality, personnel, and operations. It is a quality control measure to improve the service being provided. Mystery Shopping is a serious business, and our mystery shoppers are expected to be highly observant and attentive to detail.

If you think you have what it takes to be a Mystery Shopper with us, register now at http://l.facebook.com/l/9AQH5P64oAQGnS5XgPeKUZTHnR2m_NqIvNrP1trY6wwng0Q/www.customerimpactinfo.com.