How Secret Shoppers Work
A secret shopper acts as a combination of a spy and a reporter for a business. He or she has a list of things to look for during his or her shopping experience. There may be specific tasks that the shopper needs to complete during the visit. Sometimes, a follow up visit to see how employees handle an exchange or a return is necessary before the shopper can file a report.
While the shopper may need to remember quite a bit of information, he or she has learned to do so without attracting attention. Notebooks, report forms and other materials are left in the car to avoid tipping employees off. The shopper makes sure that the fact that he or she is not there as a typical customer is not revealed during the visit.
After the visit, the shopper provides the business owner with a detailed report, which can cover everything from the cleanliness of the store to an employee's understanding of a new promotion.
Hiring a Professional Secret Shopping Company
There are dozens of secret shopping companies. It is a good idea to look for companies that hire and train people to work as secret shoppers instead of choosing companies that require very little training. While most people are serious about their work and are very conscientious, the training process will usually weed out the few people who are out for a free meal or other item and have no interest in helping the employer improve customer service.
Professional secret shopping companies have several advantages.
- There is usually a pool of shoppers to draw from, which means the business can take advantage of people with fresh eyes and different shopping styles by specifying that the same shopper cannot be used within a certain number of days.
- The company will want to guarantee the business's satisfaction, which means that a shopper who files a sloppy report will probably have to redo the entire thing before it goes to the business.
Using Other Types of Secret Shoppers
If a secret shopping company isn't quite the right fit, there are several other ways to check up on employees.
- A great customer may be more than happy to make an extra trip to the business while the employer is away for a discount coupon. The report will probably be much less formal than that of a professional secret shopper, but the customer will know right away if the service isn't up to the usual standard.
- Local college students would be delighted to pick up some cash by shopping for a few minutes a week and giving feedback on their experience.
- While they may be too recognizable to be secret shoppers in person, friends or family members often are happy to pose as customers over the phone to check up on employee customer service skills.
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