Mystery shopping is a unique and intriguing side gig, as it provides an average consumer the opportunity to don the guise of an undercover agent. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to visit a variety of dinning and shopping establishments to experience the products they have to offer, as well as the customer service they provide. Your feedback will help guide those businesses to improve their products and lay the groundwork for their employee training programs. For over thirty years, The Brandt Group has aided countless small businesses in their quest for survival and success. Now’s your chance to be a part of this mission, to experience a variety of retail and service establishments incognito, and to be paid while doing it!
The Role of a Mystery Shopper
Mystery shoppers play a crucial role in the process of evaluating and enhancing the customer experience, no matter the kind of business. Posing as regular customers, they visit client businesses to assess their performance. The primary objective? Provide detailed, actionable feedback on a number of critical concerns, including customer service, product quality, cleanliness, and adherence to that company’s policies.
Incognito
One of the most fun dimensions of being a mystery shopper is going incognito. Shoppers are provided with specific guidelines for their visit, which may include specific scenarios or even questions to ask. But above all, it’s important to remember that the employees will not know you’re a mystery shopper. You’re there to be treated like every other customer, for better or worse. That’s the best way for management to learn what it’s really like to be a customer of their business.
Details, Details, Details
When you embark on your mission, there are several important considerations:
- You should crank up your observational skills, paying close attention to the details. You’ll note any observations about everything from the cleanliness of the establishment to the friendliness of the staff.
- Be sure to be on time! Many mystery shops will give you a specific day and a range of time to visit. You do this purposely to evaluate specific staff or experience what the business is like at various times of day.
- Be vigilant about what’s expected. That means reviewing the materials and guidelines before you visit so that you know exactly what you’ll have to do and what kind of feedback you need to give. Don’t just wing it!
- What we need most is your comprehensive feedback. The client needs to know everything you observe, from the positive aspects to the areas needing improvement. Make sure you keep good notes so that you’re able to report on your employee interactions and any discrepancies you find.
Perks
Beyond the good deed of helping the businesses in your community improve, there are a number of perks to be aware of:
- First of all, you get paid for your opinions. That can take the form of money, free food, or sometimes gift cards. We’re transparent on each assignment, so you will know exactly what you’re getting into, and what you’re getting out of it, before accepting any mission.
- As a consequence, you get tons of flexibility. While days and times are prescribed in an assignment, you have complete autonomy on what mystery shops you do. And oftentimes, we can adjust days and times to suit your availability. All you have to do is ask!
- Projects come and go all the time, so you will have opportunities to try all sorts of experiences. This is especially true if you travel, as The Brandt Group has clients all over the country.
Getting Started
But how does one become a mystery shopper? While joining any mystery shopping network varies from company to company, joining The Brandt Group is a quick and easy process. We offer a quick registration process that will give you immediate access to our Shop Board, which is like a classified listing of all the projects we have available near you. These projects range from dining at restaurants, shopping at retail stores, staying at hotels, and more. And you can check other areas of the country, too, if you know you’re going to be taking a trip sometime soon. If you’re ready to learn more about the exciting world of mystery shopping, check out our page on what it takes to get started. See you on the shop board!
