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costas1234 wrote...
This will measure the level of service given by the call centre staff along with the process of call duration, call transfering, level of automated layer options etc. The usefulness of the call centre and a random member of staff, is measured by the mystery shopping contractor.
Whether the work be actual visits which is the most common method or through a telephone call, the mystery shopping contractor contract is with the mystery shopping market research company.
The booking process of assignements is usually online based and the booking process of the assignments is done on a 'first come first served basis'. The receipts can be sent via post, faxed or sent online if the mystery shopping company has this online facility. The payment for contractors varies from once a month to twice monthly. The payment is done via BACS processing which means that the money is paid directly into the shoppers bank account directly from the mystery shopping company. The reports submitted by shoppers are also proof read by the mystery shopping organisation to check the details supplied for any inconsistencies/errors, contradictory comments. The comments that are asked to be submitted usually have to be subjective to include details of exactly what happened and what they actually saw, as opposed to a shoppers view or details of what they were expecting to happen.
Mystery shopping is not a full time or particularly well paying task, though it can be used to supplement income, save some money and enjoying the tasks carried out themselves
Posted July 21, 2008
costas1234 wrote...
Mystery shopping is an independent visit carried out by a contractor of the mystery shopping organisation. The mystery shopping company will have a contract from a client whether they be a business generally a well known group of companies.
Their are either retail visits to restaurants, shops, banks, betting shops, coffee shops, amongst the type of visits that tend to be available.
The reason this exercise is used is for the business to measure the level of quality performed on either a retail basis or through phone calls. The buying process of a retail fast food store will check for cleanliness i.e how fast are the tables cleared and cleaned, the speed of the buying process, from walking into the store to making a payment is measured. A mystery shopper is asked to take a description of the member of staff that served a mystery shopper. The store must rate the service of the staff, the product display, the cleanliness and tidyness of the store, and if required a visit to the toilet to check if the company hygiene of the area. Also the mystery shopper is asked to give a rating and recommendation as to whether they would shop at the store that has been visited. The feedback and comments detailed in the report makes the mystery shopping client aware of any areas for improvement and the details are viewed and action can be taken accordingly.
Usually the mystery shopper will have to visit an agreed store and purchase an item stated in a assignment brief. The spending limit may or may not cover the expenses incurred in the shopping visit. The mystery shopper has to adhere to all these guideline details, otherwise they will not be paid. Also the report must be submitted online within either 24 hours of the visit taking place or on the same day. Mystery shoppers visiting the wrong place or at the wrong time will not get paid for this effort. Also the brief will indicate a visit duration in minutes. This also has a warning not to spend too little time in the retail store. Also the shopper will have to obtain a receipt for their transactions, following the guidelines in the assignment brief.
Mystery shopping can also be used to identify competitors service provided. For example one supermarket can carry out the field research on a rival store. This could be used to find areas of strengths and weaknesses.
Posted July 21, 2008
