Getting started with paid online surveys and secret shopper jobs is a simple process when you get the right information and the right tools. Then it works like a charm and you grow a profitable stream of income from all these opportunities
Mystery Shoppers in the News
Mystery shopping is a prospering business and more and more companies are relying on the shoppers’ anonymous feedback to determine how they can improve customer service.
In an article titled “Spies like us; Mystery shoppers keep eye on customer service” (The Washington Times, July 2004) we can learn that mystery shopping has become a “critical marketing tool” used by companies to develop customer loyalty:
“Consumers have more choices than ever before. The smart companies realize they can compete by creating an optimized customer experience.
More companies are relying on the shoppers’ anonymous feedback to determine how they can improve customer service, which plays an important role in business transactions.
‘If the customer has had a bad experience, they’re going to go somewhere else,’ said Jeff Marr, vice president of Walker Information, which provides research on customer loyalty.
‘When it comes to retailing, you’re only as good as your last interaction.’
The mystery shopping industry has grown over the past decade as more companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies – have tried to focus more heavily on customer service, officials say. Companies such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, Home Depot, Kinko’s and Giant Food are just a handful of the companies that use mystery shoppers.
The industry has expanded from typical service-oriented clients – such as restaurants, retailers and hotels – to industries like banks, insurance companies, car dealerships, funeral homes and apartment buildings.
“This is a critical marketing tool,” said Jeff Hall, who is chief executive of a mystery shopping company in Michigan. “Companies need to connect with their customers – not just with a fake smile.”
“Mystery shopping is nothing more than receiving feedback from anonymous customers,” said Paige Hall, president and chief executive officer of a mystery shopping company in Atlanta.
It is estimated that between 600,000 to 700,000 active mystery shoppers – also known as secret shoppers – are in the United States.
~~ Would you take part in this growing trend? ~~
In this same article we read the story of Max Jakeman, a secret shopper working at it in his spare time. His story can be yours:
“Max Jakeman is an undercover agent – for a pizza chain. He also has spied on fast-food chains, upscale restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys and golf courses.
The Alexandria resident is one of the thousands of mystery shoppers who get paid to give feedback on their overall customer experience…
Mr. Jakeman, who is in the Army, mystery shops between three and four times a week, usually on weekends and evenings. He calls his answering machine at home and leaves notes about his experience so he doesn’t forget details before he has to write the report.
Mr. Jakeman thinks his job helps make a difference.
“I’m a consumer and I’ve been places where I’ve been treated badly,” Mr. Jakeman said. “With mystery shopping you feel like you’re making an impact.”
The shoppers get paid different amounts for their work, depending on the industry and degree of difficulty. For instance, grocery stores pay $10 to $25, movie theaters pay $10 to $50 and florists pay $45 to $100 per assignment.
Mr. Jakeman brings home $300 to $400 a month in cash, in addition to about $1,000 in perks including free movies, free oil changes, free pizza and free rounds of golf.”
Industry experts say “a full-time mystery shopper who works 40 hours a week can make about $40,000 a year.”
Wow… This is for real and you can be part of it if you want.
The Washington Times, the Wall Street Journal (see the former issue of the Get Paid Coach) and other newspapers publish articles on mystery shopping because it’s a growing business and hundred of thousands of people make top dollars to shop and have fun.
Would you like to bring home $300 to $400 a month in cash, in addition to about $1,000 in perks just for shopping between three to four times a week like Max Jakeman?
Would you prefer to work at it full time and make $40,000 a year?
Mystery shoppers are needed all the time and there are jobs all over the US and Canada but also in Australia and UK.
The best way to go is to subscribe to a professional resource for secret shopper jobs. You will get a step-by-step guide on how to get started successfully (a must for new shoppers) AND you’ll have access to an extensive database of shopping jobs in your country and in your state.
Sam Parker
http://www.articlesbase.com/shopping-articles/mystery-shopping-learn-how-it-can-work-for-you-752118.html
I am really thinking of applying for this mystery shopper job i wanna know if its legit?
Thank you for your interest in the Mystery Shopper position.
Our company conducts surveys and evaluates other companies in order to help them achieve their performance goals.
We offer an integrated suite of business solutions that enables corporations to achieve tangible results in the marketplace.
We get hired by other companies and act like customers to find out how they are handling their services in relation to their customers.
Mystery Shopping is the most accurate and reliable tool a business can use to gather information regarding their actual customer service performance at the moment of truth. This moment of truth is not when the staff is on their best behavior because the boss is around – it is when they interact with customers during their normal daily routines.
This is where you, the Mystery Shopper, come in. You pose as an ordinary customer and provide feedback of both factual observations (ex…the floor was free of debris) and your own opinions (ex…I felt that the temperature in the establishment was too cold).
Mystery Shoppers must remain anonymous. You must act as a regular customer and be careful not to do anything that would reveal you as a shopper. An inexperienced shopper could tip off the staff to his/her identity by asking for the manager’s name for no clear or appropriate reason. If you are going to be bringing someone with you on the shop, make sure you educate them about the process as well. Beware that even whispers can be overheard by employees. If anyone notices you are a shopper, you can bet that word will quickly spread around the establishment and you will get some of the best customer service in town.
No company can afford to have a gap between the promise of quality and its actual delivery, that’s why leading corporations look to us, the nation’s premiere mystery shopping and customer experience measurement company.
In order for a business to effectively compete in today’s economy, they must be prepared to meet the challenge of increasing sales by:
* Retaining existing customers
* Acquiring new customers
* Creating word-of-mouth advocacy
* Improving customer loyalty
Once we have a contract to do so, you would be directed to the company or outlet, and you would be given the funds you need to do the job(either purchase merchandise or require services), after which you would
write a detailed report of your experience.
Examples of details you would forward to us are:
1) How long does it take to get served.
2) Politeness of the attendant.
3) Customer service professionalism.
4) Sometimes you might be required to upset the attendant, to see how they deal with difficult clients.
Then we turn the information over to the company executives and they will carry out their own duties in improving their services.
Most companies employ our assistance when people complain about their services, or when they feel there is a need for them to improve upon their customer service.
Our company partners with you to implement proven mystery shop auditing and surveying strategies that provide critical information about customer experiences.
You will be paid a commission of $100 for every duty you carry out, and bonus on your transportation allowance.
Your task will be to evaluate and comment on customer service in a wide variety of restaurants, retail stores, casinos, shopping malls, banks and hotels in your area.
Qualities of a good Mystery Shopper:
* Is 21 years of age or older
* Loves to go shopping
* Is fair and objective
* Is ON TIME
* Is very observant and able to focus on details
* Is fairly intelligent
* Has patience
* Is detail oriented
* Is practical
* Types well
* Is trustworthy * Explains well in writing
* Is discreet * Loves to learn * Handles deadlines * Has full internet access (at home or at work)
Mystery Shopping is fun and exciting but also must be approached very seriously and is definitely not for everyone.
If you are interested in applying for consideration as a Mystery Shopper do send in your information:
Full Name:
Address: City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone Number:
Age:
Occupation:
As soon as we receive your information we will add you to our database and we will look for locations in your area that needs to be evaluated.
Thank you,
Ed Barnes
————————-
Tel: (773) 661 3313
Fax: (773) 496-6789
this is a good mystery shopping company http://ShopUntil-YouDrop.cjb.net/
References :
Be extremly careful… There has been a lot of mystery shopper SCAMS out there.
References :
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/shopper.asp
Well, there is such a legitimate industry as mystery shopping. I used to work at a company that organized in-store demonstrations and we occasionally got in a mystery shopping project as well, which I then had to assign to a specific shopper.
However, as the poster above said, right now you need to be careful of scammers posing as legitimate companies. I would say: Investigate the company itself. Look online; find the address of the home office. Find out how long they’ve been in operation.
There definitely is a lot of scamming and a good deal of criminal activity at the moment due to the obvious fact that people are more urgently looking for work than in the past (more people are out of work, etc.).
Good luck! Just be careful.
References :
Article: http://creditidentitysafe.com/credit-monitoring/unemployed-beware-of-identity-theft-posing-as-job-offers.htm
Be careful of mystery shopping tends to be scams and you end up with more junk mail and end up paying to be a mystery shopper..
I’ve done it for awhile and haven’t got anything except more junk mail.
References :