The new-fashioned profession of "mystery shopper" (or "mystery shopper") is gaining momentum and becoming more and more in demand in the Russian consumer market. Almost every large company in the world has its own "secret agents", agencies that offer professional "secret buyers" services have been successfully operating in Russia for a long time. What is this profession, and why do they pay money to go shopping? Why is it useful for ordinary non-secret consumers to know the tricks of "mystery shoppers"?
A mystery shopper is essentially a completely ordinary shopper, but at the same time a secret agent hired by the institution itself to check the quality of service and its own employees. The essence of the work is as follows: visiting a trade department, bank, restaurant, hotel, car dealership under the guise of an ordinary buyer according to a pre-agreed scheme.
The mystery shopper conducts a kind of examination for the seller, cashier or waiter and evaluates the entire retail outlet as a whole. Contrary to the first bright impression, the mystery shopper is not always shopping and almost never buys anything. Firstly, this is not provided for in the verification scenario, and secondly, it is almost always simply required to assess the seller's reaction to a refusal to make a purchase.
In a nutshell, a mystery shopper is a service quality auditor. And scientifically, a mystery shopper is a kind of marketing research to verify the customer service process with the involvement of professionally trained people who carry out checks on behalf of potential or real customers, reporting in detail the results of the checks. Mystery shopping is in demand wherever there is service.
There are also secret phone buyers. The essence of the work is the same: check the politeness, competence of the staff, the waiting time on the wire, the completeness of the information provided. But phone work is rare and more modestly paid.
In the field, visiting one requires 15 to 30 minutes. Filling out the questionnaire takes from 5 minutes to an hour. The amount of payment to the mystery shopper most often depends on the complexity of the questionnaire. In addition to the questionnaire, mystery shoppers are most often required to present proof of verification: from a description of the appearance, name and position of an employee to a scanned copy of a business card, brochure, photos of a sales outlet, and even audio and video recording of a conversation.
After verification, the data is transferred to company executives, who decide on the level of service, reward or punishment of their employees. As a result, both an inconspicuous student, and a corrosive pensioner, and a respectable lady may turn out to be the very "arbiter of fate" of career growth or dismissal of service personnel.
There are various names for this type of service quality assessment: mystery shopping, mystery shopping, mystery shopping, mystery shopping, secret customer, secret customer, hidden customer, control customer, anonymous customer, etc. The terms “secret customer” are popular in the Russian market. and the mystery shopper.
Inside view
Sellers, especially those warned of a possible check, are often ready for it. There is an opinion among lazy salespeople that employers, giving out training material for independent development to an employee, do not find time to personally deal with their subordinates, and give money to an “undercover agent”, that is, a random person from the street, to check how well the staff mastered the material. Indeed, not every "agent" (person from the street) can be awarded such a proud title. Even in a written report, a randomly hired person can make up to 40 mistakes, since he does not understand the characteristics and features of the checked product. And in oral speech, the "agent from the street" does not completely connect three words and does not clearly express his requests to the seller. So the reports of a mysterious buyer with elementary grammatical errors get on the chief's table. However, the management also takes such reports into account - after all, money was given for them.
And this also has its advantages: firstly, employees begin to diligently learn the characteristics and range of goods, and secondly, after visiting secret buyers, you can reduce the salary of negligent sellers. And if the seller is still “happy”, then in the process of communicating with the buyer he will be able to identify a “secret agent” in him and work 100%, or he will simply serve absolutely any buyer at the highest level.
The point of view of the mystery shoppers themselves and the undercover experience are also leaving their mark. On duty, in principle, it is not customary among secret shoppers to spread their focus, even if they are supposed to go with a friend for a check in a cafe, since an inexperienced friend can easily issue a check with an awkward look or an obvious grin.
Typically, the profile of the agent is quite wide. Large retail chains, banks, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and even airlines can resort to its services.
In the memo, a mysterious buyer is advised to use a dictaphone, be no different from ordinary buyers, be moderately curious and moderately indifferent, be attentive to trifles, in no case give out your "incognito", even if a direct question is asked. The most critical mistake of such a buyer is a lie about an allegedly perfect visit, which in the end will always be revealed by comparing the facts. In general, you should be an exclusively professional "spy on assignment".
Today Mystery Shopping is a developed industry with a wide customer base, employing hundreds of thousands of people.
Memo for the ordinary consumer
It is useful to know about the Mystery Shopper technology both for the most ordinary buyers and consumers. What for? So that sellers, who value their reputation, treat them not as a "wallet", but as a desired consumer. Since sellers are afraid of checks, they will try to serve in such a way as to get the highest score. So why not take advantage of this?
So, everyone can try on the role of a mystery shopper, because it is from these mistakes that experienced sellers guess that they have a real checking "spy" in front of them. And yet, these tricks only work in stores and chains, where real checks are carried out from time to time.
When entering the department, be sure to greet the seller loudly first.
Carefully and stealthily look at the seller's badge, as if you are trying to remember his name and position.
Ask more questions than usual, even if you don’t know anything about it.
Try to be led in the conversation, giving the right to offer to the seller.
From time to time, stick your hand in your pocket, as if you were checking a working dictaphone.
You can accidentally get a camera.
Be sure to look around the department as if you are trying to remember the situation.
Look at your watch, as if you were following the regulated time of a visit to the store (according to the scenario of some stores or cafes, the seller should contact the buyer strictly at the 5th minute, and the product presentation should be at least, for example, 7 minutes).
Give up your purchase at the last moment. If you still need it, do it after a little time.
Take notes from time to time in your notebook.
To the question "Are you an inspector?" nod your head in the affirmative.
All these errors are strictly forbidden by real working "mystery shoppers", as they betray their purpose of the visit and devalue the whole undertaking of verification. But ordinary consumers, counting on decent service, may well "play spies." Moreover, it will qualitatively improve the level of service in Russian stores!
How much does a mystery shopper make?
The average cost of checking a store is from 300 to 500 rubles per visit.
A common check with the need to make a small purchase is from 200 to 500 rubles (which is sometimes compensated).
Checking a restaurant is most often free of charge, the money spent on dinner is reimbursed by customers, usually 600-1000 rubles.
Bank check - from 400 and more, depending on the complexity of the task.
Checking a car service or car dealership - from 500 and above, plus payment of expenses for car diagnostics.
Mystery shopper call - from 200 to 700 rubles.
Hotel check (rarely ordered and only by experienced TP) - from 1000 to 7000 rubles plus accommodation.
For checking an elite cosmetics, perfumery or clothing store, you can pay with gift certificates from this store.
