» Quality Assurance Services
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Love The Secret Shop Work You DoBy admin on July 31, 2008 | No Comments
We all want our jobs to be fun, right? I mean, who wants to dread going in to work every day? No doubt many of us have experienced the doldrums of inflexible, mundane and even boring work. While it is obvious that we need to work in order to meet the financial needs of our ever changing life styles and family situations, there is no law that says that we must dislike what we are doing in order to make money at it. In fact, when we love the work that we do, our lives grow even richer, more meaningful and, yes, fun.
Having a secret shopper job is meaningful, helpful, rewarding and fun, to boot. How can this be? Well, companies that hire people to run these assignments have a deep desire to grow and improve the quality of their businesses, by rewarding valuable employees and re-training those who, well, need a little nudging in the right direction.
A secret shopper job is not one where you set out to have an employee fired for not performing well, although employees may sometimes fear the worst if they have had a less that wonderful review. On the contrary, the review assists business owners and managers in determining where the weaknesses lie within their employee training. After all, if the employees do not know the correct procedures, or if they have forgotten them over the months and years, then perhaps they need to be reminded.
If you are one of those upbeat, freedom loving individuals that has chosen working a secret shopper job to bring financial relief into your household, then you know all too well that it requires more than just sitting down and eating lunch. After your keen-eyed observations have been mentally recorded, step two lies in preparing the written report. Business owners want and expect much more detail than simply the food was good and the waitress was nice. This is where the effort can prove to be the most challenging, yet at the same time inspiring aspect of the work that you do. Your findings, during your visit, can literally transform the way a company relates to their employees. It is a big responsibility.
At the same time, though, a secret shopper job is fun! After all, you get to slip in undetected, get down to the nitty gritty of what the establishment and its employees have to offer you, a plain, ordinary customer, walking in on a random, unannounced day. It is almost like role playing, in many ways. It takes an open mind and a sense of playfulness to pretend to be a regular patron while at the same time observing and mentally recording every thing that you see and feel going on around you!
Best of all, a secret shopper job is rewarding. You have the opportunity to visit retail and dining establishments that you may not have noticed or thought to go into otherwise. Choosing your assignments is like unwrapping presents, because you are never quite sure what will be offered next. It is a flexible, feasible and unique way to add money to your bank account, and still feel like you have been out and about rather than cooped up behind a desk for eight hours. If you are an active consumer minded and playful individual with a strong work ethic and a desire for something different, you may have found you calling. -
Finding The Right Secret Shopping CompanyBy admin on July 30, 2008 | No Comments
What makes a good secret shopping company succeed? If you search the internet you will see that there are many different companies out there bragging to be the best shopping companies out there. They have their flashy websites and they try to hook you in with their testimonials on how people have been very successful in doing this type of business. The truth is that there are scams out there that are trying benefit off of your desire and your passion to help out another company by taking your money.
Unfortunately the sad truth is that if you can find a legitimate secret shopping company , you better stick with it, and do not tell anyone. If you spread the word that is just let shopping opportunities that you have available to you. If you look at the average cost for a shop, you are looking at only five to ten dollars. You could luck out and find the company that will pay you twenty to fifty dollars a shop, but those are far and few between.
If you are looking for a good secret shopping company , you should first know what you are looking for out of that company. This information can go for those companies that are interested in using these services as well.
The structure
What does their structure look like? How many people work for the office and how many shoppers are out there in the field for your company to use? As said before there are many companies out there trying to do this kind of service, but are they going to be available when you need them? At the same time, do not be scared to use the small companies that are either just starting out or still growing. The biggest thing to look at here is if there is an issue, what does the reporting structure look like? How fast can you expect a turn around?
The process
With any secret shopping company you research, you must find out their process on how they conduct a shop. The short version is that many companies do the same thing. There might be one or two minor differences in the process, but the overall steps are the same.
• The information for the shop is given to the shopper
• The shopper visits, calls, or emails the company
• The shopper logs their findings and sends a report to the person they report to
• The secret shopping company then checks for errors, makes the report presentable, and send the information to the company requesting the shop
Other than what you see above, there are little differences in the process that are not tied to one of these bullet points.The Follow up
How does the shopping company follow up with their clients? Do they just get a report together, make it look nice, send it off then forget about it? Is there someone in place at the shopping company that follows up with the clients to see if they need future shops, what did they think about the last shop, and what could they do better next time to serve them? That is a crucial part of the business. Repeat business or a good referral program is going to provide some extra income to the shopping company if managed correctly.
Pay
What does the pay structure look like and how long after the shop do you wait for the secret shopping company to give you what you deserve? Also another question to ask yourself and ask the shopping company, is do they have a start up fee and why? One thing that you have to watch out for is those companies that try to get some of their bottom line money from the people that are actually doing the shopping. Be careful on this and do not pay to join if you do not feel comfortable with doing so. In all actually the highest rated secret shopping company asks for a member fee.
Expectations
What do you expect from the shopping company and what do they expect from you? That is very important because you do not want to do one thing for a while and then realize that you are not performing up to the expectations of the company. That can go the other way as well. Is the company living up to what you expected? Do not get caught up in the allure of getting paid to shop. Really do your research and determine if this is right for you.
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Welcome To The Mystery ShopBy admin on July 25, 2008 | No Comments
Hello and Welcome! Come on in and make yourself at home! What brings you to the Mystery Shop today? Oh? You say that your retail sales are dropping at the soup and sandwich deli that you own, and your loyal customers have been leaving negative feedback with the managers and even phoning in with their complaints? Well, then, you have come to the right place. We can absolutely help you with that. You see, here at the Mystery Shop , we specialize in the use and application of highly skilled and properly trained observers who will sniff out the discrepancies in your employees customer service skills like a golden retriever on a pheasants scent. Our observers can work from a checklist of your specifications to make sure that we are looking at the things that you are most concerned with, whether it is food quality, time from order to table, friendliness of wait staff, or all of the above. We offer a wide range of flexible options to guarantee your satisfaction with the information that we provide.
What? You have a feeling that some of your employees are not living up to the mission statement that your company stands for, and you would like to retrain them? That is a great idea. Many businesses notice that over time their employees become complacent and their customer service skills wane. It is often just a matter of re-educating and reminding them of the high standards that you want to portray to your customers. Part of our service here at the Mystery Shop is to provide richly detailed accounts of our experiences in your establishment, perhaps on a regular basis. We all have bad days, and we would not want to prematurely jump to conclusions based on only a single observation. That is why we offer a regular visit to your establishment, to compare and contrast the service that we receive from one visit to the next. This can assist you in re-evaluating the old training methods and making the changes necessary to get your employees fired up and feeling fresh. After all, happy employees beget happy patrons, would you agree?
Here at the Mystery Shop , we can even assist you in creating new employee rewards programs. How? Well, you see, when one of our associates notices a superstar among your employees, someone who is friendly, courteous, and doing their job to the utmost of their capabilities, we will inform you of that persons excellent performance. With this kind of expert information, you can create an incentive program for your employees, and perhaps reward their positive marks with a bonus check. Employees sure do love bonus checks. And for those who deserve it by displaying superior service, they are well earned.
Oh, you are ready to get started? Super! We are sure that you will love our program. Before you know it, your customers will be leaving bigger tips for the wait staff, leaving positive feedback on the comment cards and at the door on their way out, and leaving with big smiles on their faces because of the excellent experience that they had at your establishment. We know that you will be happy with the results you receive from our Mystery Shop associates. We have trained them to be the best in their field. We will get you started right away. Thanks for coming! Have a wonderful day! -
Wild About Secret ShoppingBy admin on July 24, 2008 | No Comments
In America, there are millions of ways to make money. Many people feel trapped in their job simply because they are not open to the possibility of something better being available to them. They are not secure in their skills, or confident in their ability to take on something completely different than any thing they have previously done. This happens to a lot of us, as we find ourselves scarred by disappointment. We lose faith that this world is an amazing place, where virtually anything can happen, if we only have eyes to see and hearts to receive.
Not everyone feels so pessimistic, however. There are those adventurous souls, wild in heart and mind, longing for something better, something fun, something different. These people crave variety, and are not settling for the stability of just one job that could be taken away from them at a moments notice. No, not everyone needs that. And so they seek out multiple, interesting ways to earn a living rather than gaze away the hours, waiting till their time comes to clock out and go home.
Secret shoppers are privy to the kind of variety that others vainly wish for. Their line of work takes them to different places each and every day, asking different questions, observing human interaction on the basis of customer service. One day they may be dining at an Italian restaurant, and the next they are checking into a four star hotel, or looking at cell phones. They live on the wild side, in a way, working undercover, trying on the shoes of a new customer with each assignment that they receive.
Secret shoppers have at their disposal keen powers of observation, and they use them well. They are trained to not only spot discrepancies in quality customer/employee interactions, but they also write detailed reports of their findings. These are by no means simple blurbs or basic observations. The businesses who pay to use the services of secret shoppers want factual, coherent and comprehensive information that will assist them in improving their service, and in turn, their profits. You have to have a tough skin, a strong eye for detail and perhaps a bit of wild blood in your veins. Why?
Many employees do not take kindly to the service that these quality reporters provide. Because of this, it is important to maintain a sense of anonymity and professionalism whenever they are on assignment. If they are discovered, contrary to what one would expect, they may receive abrasive, disdainful treatment by the employee rather than even better, more conscious service. Why is that? Perhaps these employees feel that their job is threatened or that they have become a target. They do not see it as an opportunity to prove their worth to the company. Rather, their egos get in the way, and they become resentful.
Secret shoppers are a benefit to every company who utilizes their service, even though the employees who are being observed may not always agree. It is those very employees, however, that often fail to meet the individual needs of the customers whom they are meant to serve, causing the businesses to lose valuable clientele. And it is these very employees that businesses who use secret shoppers want to be made aware of. -
Variety In Mystery ShoppingBy admin on July 22, 2008 | No Comments
Mystery shopping is not just for bored housewives anymore. Thousands of men and women all across the country have discovered this exciting and rewarding way to make money and enjoy the benefits of dining out at local restaurants, visiting retail establishments such as clothing stores, malls and electronics stores, and patronizing entertainment hot spots like casinos and movie theaters. Practically any business in the customer service industry is bound to be professionally evaluated at some point.
While you may not get rich doing it, there is certainly money to be made in this ever growing field. It takes personal organization, time management skills, a strong eye for details and self discipline. With these skills, combined with a pleasant personality and a desire to achieve your goals, you may be surprised at just how well this line of work suits you.
Mystery shopping has been around for a while. Originally, it was used as a means to catch shoplifters. Later on, someone had the bright idea to monitor the service that their employees were providing to customers, which opened the door for a whole new generation of skilled, highly trained individuals to bust out in a new field that benefits all involved.
Businesses love it because it allows them to monitor the performance of their employees, and because it gives them feedback from a customers perspective, without having to receive nasty letters and complaints to acquire it. It helps them to fix problems before they become problematic. Mystery shopping helps businesses ensure the integrity of their organization, and it assists them in creating and maintaining employee training programs that will help their employees understand what valuable service means, as well as what is expected of them in the workplace.
The individuals that choose mystery shopping as a means to financial gain love it, too. They love it because they have the flexibility to accept or decline assignments depending on their time constraints and schedules. They love it because they routinely get to experience different atmospheres and locations, dining out, working out at gyms, visiting hotels, casinos, movie theaters, as well as hundreds of other businesses, all in the name of work. If someone want variety in their lives, this is a job that delivers.
In addition, the individuals become a part of a collective of professionals who take pride in their job. They understand the importance of the information that they are providing these businesses. They take their jobs seriously, even though they have fun doing it. People who work in this industry understand that it is their responsibility to anonymously report on the integrity of an establishment, they quality of service they received, as well as the quality of the product that they purchased. It does not matter how wonderful your waitress may be. if the food stinks, the managers want to know about it.
The bottom line is, businesses want their customers to be happy. Happy customers mean that their doors will open tomorrow. Mystery shopping is one of the most important tools in a retail establishments tool kit. With it, they can be proactive in their approach to customer service and employee training. It is also a fun, rewarding and professionally recognized way to earn a living, as more and more people are finding out, much to the delight of their bank account., director of operation at ( a subsidiary of ) will be interviewed by on 7/23/2008 6:00 PM. The topics of discussion will include , , , and .
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The Unspoken Values of a Secret Shopper ProgramBy admin on July 21, 2008 | No Comments
There are many organizations that are employing people with the sole purpose of spying on their businesses. They are taught how to do so using specialized secret shopper programs . Nobody can guarantee that every person who works for an organization does so truly and effectively. There are some people who try to do their personal jobs in their working hours. This is not a problem if the person concerned is free at that time. If they are not attending to any clients and if there is no pending work, there is no harm if they jot down their grocery list or even write a personal letter. No organization should have any problems with this. However, if they are going about their personal job while ignoring work in hand, it is a big issue.
To tackle employees like these, business houses employ people to keep a watch out on them. Once these people are interviewed and are found to be suitable, they are made to undergo various secret shopper programs . These courses are held in different locations like restaurants, retail stores and banks. These courses are useful diagnostic instruments for manufacturers of retails products since it provides them an opportunity to evaluate their products.
Once a new product is launched the people employed by the manufacturers mingle with the crowd at shopping malls and see how the products are faring. They make a mental note of the comments of the consumers and pass on the same to their employees. These secret shopper programs allow the manufacturer to take evasive action and fix problems before it is too late.
Apart from this, the participants attending the secret shopper programs are taught many other things. They have to learn about value, service, cleanliness etc. The trainees are taught about the problems that might arise in malls, stores and other business utilities and how to detect them. Not all of these educational seminars are the same. Each business house has their own standards and it is these standards that set the tone of the training. A small shop might not require too much surveillance whereas a big mall may have several areas that need to be covered in the course of day. Apart for this there are the budgetary constraints of the organizations too, which determine the course they will go for.
A properly trained special agent has many tasks to undertake. They have to keep an eye on the employees of the store and see if they are following the norms of the same. Are they arriving and leaving the store punctually or are they taking permission from the manager of the store before going out? The participants trained by the secret shopper programs also keep an eye out on how the clients of the shops are treated by the salespersons. There are many such employees who are out rightly rude and just do not bother about the customer. If the shopper wants to see different brands of a product, these salespersons do not show much of an interest. In most cases the end result is that the particular shopper will never visit the store again. A proper training helps these observers not only to note down the flaws, but also to find out ways of resolving the same. Though the owner generally takes decisions pertaining to fixing these problems, at times they might even ask these spies about their opinion and a well versed surveyor should be ready with the answers.
, director of operation at ( a subsidiary of ) will be interviewed by on 7/23/2008 6:00 PM. The topics of discussion will include , , , and .
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Know Mystery Shopping BetterBy admin on July 19, 2008 | No Comments
A closer look mystery shopping is an ideal way to know more about the kind of job that is required by a shopper who is hired by different companies. People usually know about the job, but remain unsure about the entire process involved in such a shopping. If you analyze the task of a shopper, you will know that it does not require much to become such a shopper in disguise. You also come to know about the different myths that are associated with the profession, which is most of the time false.
This kind of shopping existed since many years, but in the recent times the popularity of such a business has increased. In case you are interested and desire to take this up as a full time profession, it is best you do some kind of research before you take the plunge. It is always good to know more and gather much information about the trade, before you decide to be a part of it. Once you have a closer look mystery shopping , you will first of all come to know about these different companies that provide the services and pay the shoppers in disguise. It is important that you know much more about the companies with whom you desire to work.
Researchers on a closer look mystery shopping have always warned individuals to gather information about different companies and agencies, before you start working with them. Today, you shall come across several advertisements in newspapers, where companies offer their services. Reports reveal that many people are duped by these companies, and often end up paying a lot of money to these agencies. Genuine companies will never charge you any amount. The usual process is of filling up the desired form and submitting it to the different agencies. The companies usually call back and contact you when there is an opportunity for you or in your preferred location. Therefore, it becomes very important for individuals to be aware of some companies that can dupe then. Some of these are
1. Companies that shall guarantee you a job as a hired shopper.
2. Companies that usually ask for some kind of fees for availing the opportunities.
3. Companies that sell directories that consist of names of such providers.
4. Companies that sell their certification, revealing that they are certified.If you keep some of these factors in mind, you shall never be cheated by the companies. The best place to know more about these opportunities is the internet. Here you shall come across several companies that provide these services. Many people take this as a full time job, but a closer look mystery shopping , reveals that it is actually a part time employment. The companies may not provide you work always, but usually the assignments keep flowing at regular intervals of time. This is ideal for housewives and students who desire to make an addition to their family income.
Steady researches are always on to know more about the profession. To have an edge over their competitors corporate houses, involved in client service are using this as an important marketing tool to develop their business. A closer look mystery shopping reveals that this is the most important tool to know more about customer view points. Due to this fact, the importance of the service is increasing and so are the opportunities for those who want to make a career in this field.
, director of operation at ( a subsidiary of StorageMart ) will be interviewed by on 7/23/2008 6:00 PM. The topics of discussion will include , , , and .
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Searching For Secret Shopping CompaniesBy admin on July 18, 2008 | No Comments
Hardly a day passes by without people hearing about new offers for people experienced in undertaking invisible surveying jobs. These jobs pay a decent sum of money and the best part is that you can work as and when you want. There are no fixed time routines like that in an office. Apart from that the free gifts that these spies receive while working makes the job tempting. Before you want to earn money and earn free gifts at the same time, you will have to find out about the organizations that provide such work. The problem is where to start from and where you can find out more about these secret shopping companies . If this is easily understood then there is no looking back for the hired shopper.
This industry is booming like never before and more and more people are joining the same to earn their own share of money and gifts. You too are interested and want to join it? Just spend some time on the net and use the search engine to find out more about these secret shopping companies . You will be amazed at the number of hits that you will get. As mentioned earlier, this industry is booming and more and more companies are joining the same. They take orders from the organizations and send people who are registered with them to carry out these surveys. Just click on one of the links that you have found while searching the net and you will be presented with a form that you have to fill up and survey.
Generally the form asks you to input your name, age, street and email address, gender, race, languages known etc. You might also be prompted to input a password of your preference. Note down the password in a secure place. Some forms might ask for additional information like how did you find their online site. This is useful since quite a number of these sites offer cash for referrals. If you are already registered with an organization and you refer your friend to join the same, you will be rewarded with cash the moment your friend joins and inputs your referral number in the requisite field. These secret shopping companies are on the lookout for new recruits and there is no guarantee that a search will bring website on the top of the results. Once you have submitted the form, you will receive an email with a website. You have to click that website to activate your membership.
These secret shopping companies send out daily emails to their members alerting them about new jobs that are available. Certain organizations require that you log into their online site using your email and password and check out the latest jobs. Keep in mind that this email list is being sent to many people and each particular job will be given to the first person who applies for the same. Hence, if you have found an interesting job, reply back to the company immediately, before it is taken by someone else. There are many secret shopping companies and it is recommended that you register yourself with a few of them. This helps you to have more offers per day and increases the chance of getting the exact job that you were looking out for.
. announces a new partnership . Please visit to view the full .
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Joining Mystery Shopper CompaniesBy admin on July 17, 2008 | No Comments
You have heard your friends talking about it and now you want to plunge into this opportunity which pays you for marketing. Thanks to the numerous advertisements in various medias, there are just a few people who have not heard about these free purchasing opportunities and the mystery shopper companies that provide you with those jobs. After all, it makes no sense in refusing a job where you are paid for eating out, shopping, watching movies and even staying in hotels. Hence, it is not surprising to see the number of people who visit such organizations and enroll themselves for such a job.
Your first task is to find one of these mystery shopper companies . This is quite easy and a simple search on the internet will provide you with a number of addresses and phone numbers of such organizations. Quite a number of these companies have joined together and formed an association and you might as well search for that organization too. The advantage of visiting the web page of the association is that you are likely to find countless organizations listed alphabetically by name or by location. You will also find details of the contact persons along with their phone number in the website of the association. Therefore you need not browse through dozens of different sites.
Once you have selected one of these mystery shopper companies , the next task is to fill up their online application form. You might be required to give information like your age along with your marital status and income etc. You might be asked about your race and languages known too. Though these queries might sound a bit personal, they are vital for the organization and will assist them to associate you with an appropriate assignment. There might be an assignment which requires the agent to visit shops in a predominantly Spanish speaking locality. In such an assignment, it is understood that the person undertaking the task of spying has a good knowledge of the Spanish language.
While you are applying online, it makes sense to send your application to several mystery shopper companies . It is not necessary that your application will be accepted by the first organization you have applied to, and also, there are chances that a different organization might pay you a bit more for the same task. While filling up the online application form, you might have to provide your email identity and input a password of your choice. Once you have been short-listed by these organizations, you will receive an email along with link and it is required that you click the link and then enter your password on the page you are redirected to.
On that site you will find a questionnaire which will be used by the mystery shopper companies to assess your skills. Just complete the same honestly (do not use search engines for the answers, as you will be cheating yourself), and be patient for their reply. If you have the skills, and they are not too much, you can be rest assured that in a day or two, you shall receive a confirmation email that you have been selected for the task. Now go ahead and enjoy that latest blockbuster for free. If you are fortunate enough you might as well get a chance to visit the restaurant for dinner after the show.
, director of operation at ( a subsidiary of ) will be interviewed by on 7/23/2008 6:00 PM. The topics of discussion will include , , , and .
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The Life Of A Secret ShopperBy admin on July 15, 2008 | No Comments
Be careful about how you deal with the clients because someone is keeping an eye out on you. Since you are employed by the organization in the capacity of a salesperson, it is your bounden duty to help the clientele of the organization. Your responsibility is to guide the clients and see to it that they do not face any problems while they are hunting for goods in the establishment you are looking after. If you are not helping the purchasers, one day or the other you will be detected by the free secret shoppers and your misdeeds will be reported to the head of the organization.
Free secret shoppers are employed by businesses to keep an eye out on their establishments. These shrouded surveyors visit establishments as diverse as auto dealers to movie halls in the guise of customers. They are assigned by the organizations to visit certain pre determined shops and other establishments to research on the happenings taking place over there. Apart from cleanliness, they also keep an eye out for the meticulousness of the salesperson. Are they providing proper client service, are they arriving and leaving the premises on schedule etc.
However good an organization might be, they cannot survive if they do not provide proper service to their customers. Though the salespersons appointed by these organizations are provided with thorough training, there are some who just do not bother to pay attention to the clients. The end result is that the organization loses a valuable customer. In the long run these happenings might even spoil the reputation of the organization. Free secret shoppers are employed by businesses to keep out an eye on such immoral salespersons and to report them back to the organization.
There are occasions when the shop owner likes to reward honest salespersons who go out of their way to accommodate a client. Such vendors need to be identified before they can be rewarded. It is not necessary that all the salespersons of a store work beyond the normal scope of their duties, hence someone is required to identify the one who should be rewarded. Free secret shoppers do not always keep a watch out bad vendors only. They also check out for the good ones. When they prepare their submission report, they give negative or positive points for each salesperson of the organization. This helps the organization to assess each and every salesperson in their payroll.
The life of free secret shoppers is a tough one. Quite a few of them have to observe a shop before it has opened till after its closing hours. This is required, in order to know that the sales personnel are arriving and leaving on their scheduled time or not. Apart from that these spies have to visit the shop and purchase a few things with the money allotted to them for that purpose. This helps them to assess the salespersons and see if they are friendly towards the clients or not. All these activities have to be done in such a manner that there is no doubt in the minds of the salespersons that they are being observed. An experienced observer should be able to spot out the troublemaker in an establishment in a jiffy. While the stipend received by these spies is not too much, the free purchases make up for the same to an extent.