How to Spot a Secret Shopper
The secret shopper--more commonly known as a mystery shopper--is a concept that dates back to the 1940s and exists to this day. It is a way for companies to evaluate their employees. Companies hire individuals to enter their stores and pose as customers. In the process, the mystery shoppers gauge employee knowledge and customer care skills. In the end, they report their findings to the companies. Employees able to identify a mystery shopper will enjoy an advantage and ensure themselves good evaluations.
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Instructions
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Observe the shopper upon entering. Mystery shoppers are required to take notes, so look for pen, pencil, piece of paper or tape recorder.
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Analyze whether the shopper fits the store demographic. Is the person's age, race or gender similar to the other customers? Would this person wear the clothing style your store is selling?
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Observe whether the person begins shopping or lingers. A customer desiring a particular item will briskly begin shopping. A mystery shopper will likely take his time, hoping for a salesperson. After all, he is there to test employees on their customer service skills.
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Pay attention to what the customer is saying. Some shoppers are talkative and may even launch into a story detailing the reason for their visit, perhaps to get a present for a son or daughter. Mystery shoppers are likely just the opposite. They may fear disclosing too much detail will give them away, because they are trying too hard to act natural.
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Gauge whether the shopper is too inquisitive. Among the reasons he is there is to test the knowledge of employees; therefore, he is likely to ask more questions and cover more topics than the average customer.
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Tips & Warnings
Treat every customer with the same polite manner and willingness to help. Thus, if you encounter a secret shopper, you are assured of a positive evaluation.
References
- Photo Credit woman in an office image by forca from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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imsc nailed this. I work as a shopper and it is very very rare that I ever will have anything with me to take notes on. Only in rare cases will I take notes during a shop and when I do it isn't on paper it's on my cell phone which looks like I'm texting, not writing notes in a phone. The key to passing an evaluation is to know your stuff and treat each customer as if they are the most important customer. Many shops I do require me to observe not only the interation between myself and the employee, but also between other customers and the employees. Even if I get "caught" as a shopper I still have true data from other interactions I witnessed to report.
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imsc
Dec 22, 2010
Tip #1 is very funny! Mystery shoppers are required to take notes...after the facts!! You will never see a good mystery shopper taking notes while on the shop. a good mystery shopper will act as any other customers. The actions described above are definitely not typical of mystery shoppers. But here is a tip to do well on every evaluation: treat each customer as if it was the shopper, and you won't have to worry about a negative report :-)
