Are You Secret Shopper Worthy?

There are a lot of ways to become a secretshopper. But are you secretshopper worthy? It is not some prestigious exclusive club, but your opinion is highly valued. Industries ranging from restaurants to self storage use opinions from a secretshopper to correct the way they do business. One opinion or evaluation from a secretshopper could result in huge increases in revenue. That is a lot of weight to have on ones shoulders, especially for someone who just signed up to make some extra cash. Salespeople and property managers are promoted and fired by the opinion of someone who pretended to be a customer. The most curious thing is a secretshopper does not require much training, much unlike the people who they evaluate. But that is what industries want. They want someone who acts and thinks like the public and who better than someone who is from the public with no training whatsoever.

However, there are some qualifications a person must have to become a secretshopper. They must have a drivers license and insurance. This is so they can go from one location to another without the dependence from another. It is very important that they have an eye for detail. Though they go to restaurants and retailers to shop (something that everyone knows how to do), a secretshopper must be very observant. They must remember what they observed since they cannot take written notes during the secret shopping job. Maybe the most important, they must have a passion about the customers experience. Though they work for a quality assurance service agency, they represent the everyday consumer. After all, it is the customer who suffers or benefits from customer service, and who is suppose to be treated with the companys expectations. If they are not, then the customer is being cheated. 

See if you can handle a typical day for a secretshopper, although this may vary from one quality assurance agency to another. A secretshopper is sent a survey telling them where their assignment is located. It could be a restaurant, a retail store, or a self storage facility. Then they go to the location. If it is a restaurant they order whatever they want. They take mental notes about their experience with the customer service and food. When they are finished, they go home and fill out the survey. Usually, the survey is a set of standard questions with an area for additional notes. Finally the secretshopper sends back the survey to the quality assurance agency and waits to get paid.

Some industries, hospitality for example, use an in house secretshopper to conduct customer service evaluations.  Whether this approach is effective or not is debatable. However, since the secretshopper works directly for the company, a biased evaluation could be the end result. They know what the company expects from their employees and they might only look for specific things. A third party secretshopper bases his opinion on the customers perspective and nothing else. He is not looking for specific criteria, only his experience.

So, do you think you have what it takes to become a secretshopper, someone who solves problems that affect a companys service, efficiency, and productivity? Many companies think you are worthy and will prove it with a paycheck. But use caution when finding a secret shopping agency. Some come with empty promises after promising you the world. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Never pay someone to become a secretshopper just like you would never pay someone to become an accountant.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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