Mystery Shopper Training Manual What is Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopper Training Manual

What is Mystery Shopping? • Mystery shopping is a way for companies to see their business through a customer’s eyes. • We conduct many different types of mystery shopping, but generally mystery shopping involves the mystery shopper going into a store and evaluating its appearance and/or assessing the customer service offered. The mystery shopper then fills out an online report afterwards on their experience. • All of this is done while remaining completely discreet and anonymous, hence “mystery” shopper. The mystery shopper acts like a normal, genuine customer at all times. • Types of mystery shopping: – Mystery Visit - A visit focusing on the store appearance and the staff interaction. – Video Mystery Shop - A visit that is captured on a recording device that is concealed in your clothing. We provide the recording equipment. – Mystery Call - A phone call (usually recorded) focusing on response times and the service you received over the phone.

How We Operate • Customer Perceptions Ltd (CPL) operate entirely through an online system called Sassie. • Once you are signed up on the Sassie system, you can see what mystery shopping jobs are available in your area and apply for them online. You are under no obligation to take on any jobs after signing up. If none are suitable, you simply do not apply for them. • If you apply for a mystery shopping job and it is subsequently assigned to you, the instructions/guidelines for this job will appear on your personal log page, as well as the online report that you have to complete after you have done the mystery shop. • You complete the report online and when you are finished you must submit it automatically to us via the online system.

Getting Signed Up • In order to get signed up, just go to www. questcpl. com and click on “New Shopper Sign Up”. • On the next page, just enter your email address in the box provided and click on “GO”. • You will then be asked to enter your Country. Choose from the drop down menu and click on “GO”.

Getting Signed Up…. Contd. • You will then be taken to a page where you fill in your personal details. The required fields are highlighted. When you have done this, you click on “Sign Me Up” at the end. • At this point, an email will be sent to you confirming your login details. There will also be a link in this email for you to verify your email address. You must click on this link to verify your email address and ensure you will get notifications of mystery shopping jobs via email in future. • You are now signed up! You can go to www. questcpl. com again and choose “Shopper Login” and login with your details. You will then be brought to your Shop Log page.

Your Shop Log • Below is a screen shot of a sample Shop Log. This is where information on jobs you are doing/have done will be displayed. • The first thing you need to do to be able to apply for jobs is complete your Extended Shopper Profile by clicking on “Click for Extended Profile”.

Extended Shopper Profile • It is essential that you complete your Extended Shopper Profile before the Sassie system will allow you to apply for jobs. Complete all the fields and click on “Save Changes” at the end. The Extended Shopper Profile serves a few purposes: Ø Ø Ø It is an agreement that you have been given these Mystery Shopper Training notes and access to the Mystery Shopper T&C’s It is an agreement that you work with CPL on a self employed basis, confirming that you are therefore responsible for your own income tax affairs It is a confidentiality agreement, confirming that you will not discuss your work for CPL with any other parties It allows us to gather profiling information. Sometimes we are asked by clients to use shoppers that meet a certain profile, e. g. People who wear glasses It allows you to enter your bank account details (including your IBAN and BIC/SWIFT numbers which are normally found on top of your bank statements ). Your bank account details must be entered here in order for you to be paid after completing work for us* * Please Note: Bank details are hosted on a secure system and access to our details are restricted to use for payment only

Applying For Mystery Shopping Jobs • There are 2 ways to find out about available mystery shopping jobs – Job Board : All jobs are placed on the Job Board (the link for which is on the top of your Shop Log page. On the Job Board, you can search for jobs by county. You just click on the blue “More Info” link to find out more and to apply for the job. – Email Notification: We highly recommend that to avoid disappointment all shoppers sign up to receive shop offers via email. You do this during the initial sign up phase by verifying your email address via the link that is emailed to you. Some jobs are assigned within a day of being put on the Job Board, so unless you are logging in regularly, you will be too late to apply for some jobs. We recommend that shoppers sign up for email notifications and check their emails regularly and they will therefore find out about available jobs more promptly. You just click on the relevant link in the email to find out more and to apply for the job.

Applying For Mystery Shopping Jobs • Whether you apply through the Job Board, or through the email link, you will be brought to a page that has an overview of the job and confirms where it is, the fee for doing the job, the due date and any restrictions or requirements. • If you are satisfied that you are able to complete the job by the due date and you meet any specific requirements, you then click on “Apply For This Shop”. You must only ever apply for jobs that you will be able to complete by the due date! • Applying for a job does not guarantee that it will be assigned to you. Sometimes we have many applicants. You will receive an email confirmation of whether a job has been assigned to you, or whether it has NOT been assigned to you. • A factor we take into consideration when assigning jobs is your shopper grade. http: //customerperceptions. ie/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/Guidlines-for-Shopper. Grades. docx

After A Job Has Been Assigned To You • If a job is assigned to you, it then appears on your Shop Log as illustrated below. You will be able to see the name of the store, its address, the due date, any restrictions on when the job is done and the fee for doing it. • You must click on the blue “Guidelines” link on the left and this will open up the instructions document for the mystery shop. • The system will not allow you to view the report (that you complete online after doing the visit) until after you have opened the guidelines. Therefore, after you have opened the guidelines, just refresh the page and then you will be able to click on the blue “Online Report” link and open the report.

Before Completing Your Mystery Shop • It is essential that you thoroughly read both the guidelines and the online report before doing anything. – The guidelines will explain everything you need to do for the mystery shop. If you do not follow the guidelines, we cannot accept your report and will not be able to pay you. – The online report shows exactly what you need to answer after your visit, therefore allowing you to be prepared and to look out for the relevant things during your mystery shop. • If after a job has been assigned to you and you realise that you can no longer do it, you MUST let us know immediately. The Account Manager’s details are always in the guidelines. We work to very tight deadlines. We understand that your circumstances may change after you have applied for a particular job, but if you have applied for it and it has been assigned to you and we don’t hear anything from you to cancel the job, then we have to assume you are still doing it. • If not, you must let us know so we can assign the job to someone else. Failure to do this, may results in you not receiving any jobs in the future and your account being de-activated.

After Completing Your Mystery Shop • After you have done the mystery shop, you log onto your Shop Log, click on “Online Report” and complete the report, which is a combination of tick boxes and commentary boxes. • If you have the report open for longer than 30 minutes, the system will remind you to save your work, otherwise it may be lost. • When you have filled in the report, you have the option to “Save Shop For Later”, whereby it will save what you have done so far and allow you to return to it later (the “Online Report” link on your Shop Log will change to “Finish Report”), or if you are finished you can “Complete Shop and Submit” and it will come straight over to us and you will no longer be able to make changes.

Instructions for Carrying out Mystery Shops • Please do not take the guidelines or printout of the report into the store with you. It is too risky that a staff member may see them. • Please allow plenty of time to carry out your mystery shop, do not rush it! You are carrying out an objective assessment – You are to report back on the facts of what happened/did not happen – You are not there to specifically find fault, or be overly negative. – You should never compare the store to others you have mystery shopped, you have to assess it on its own merits – Let the staff member do their job, don’t lead the conversation • You must appear like a genuine, normal customer so please do not draw attention to yourself. Be as discreet as possible and act natural. You must NOT take written notes during the mystery shop. Be prepared to remember what you need to remember. • Some shoppers use their phone to record short notes, and pretend they are writing a text message. This is acceptable, but only if you remain completely discreet, please use common sense.

Instructions for Carrying out Mystery Shops • Never reveal yourself to be a mystery shopper. • After you have left the store, and it is safe to do so, make a few notes. Sometimes shoppers find it helpful to have a printout of the report in the car (out of sight!) so they can write down notes straight after the shop. – People often think that they will remember all the details until they get home to write up their report online, but things get forgotten. • The online report must be completed within 24 hours of conducting the visit. • You must keep your notes, receipts, etc. for at least 3 months after a mystery shop in case the client requests further information.

Writing a Good Report • The point of mystery shopping is to convey your experience via a report. The report is the sole means of measuring the success and quality of the assessment you carried out. • It is very important that the information you provide allows us to fully understand exactly what happened. The tick box questions are designed to allow us to generate a score, but your commentary is what is really important as it allows you to elaborate and explain what actually happened. – We were not there when the assessment was carried out, so we can only get a clear picture of your experience from the information you give us. • Mystery shopping reports are generally used to improve customer service, therefore your comments should have real added value and give extra insight. Don’t always be looking for negative elements. Ensure that if there are positive points to your visit that these are recorded in your report as well. • Your job as a mystery shopper is to give an objective view. Record what you saw and what happened. There is no need for: Irony , Hearsay, Assumptions, Emotive elements such as CAPITAL LETTERS or over use of exclamation marks!!! or smileys ☺ • Of course you will often be asked for your opinion and how you felt about your experience, and this is very important feedback for the client, but please try to keep this separate from the facts of what happened. • Companies have pre-defined measuring points that they set down in the mystery shopping reports. As a mystery shopper it is simply your job to assess these, not to judge the appropriateness of them.

Writing a Good Report When completing your report: ü ü ü ü ü Write full, structured sentences Use paragraphs and a concise, professional style Write in the past tense and explain what happened in a story-like manner Use the correct punctuation and capital letters where appropriate No slang or abbreviations Use the spell check Avoid repetition Read the questions carefully and answer what was asked Avoid generic comments that only repeat the question Justify all tick box questions that have been answered negatively

Shopper Grading • When we receive your report, we will review it to ensure you have completed the mystery shop correctly (i. e. followed the guidelines exactly) and to make sure the report has been well written. • When your report has been reviewed, you will be given a score out of 10. This score is based on whether you carried out the mystery shop correctly and did what was expected, by the due date, as well as how much time was spent reviewing your report and correcting any grammar or spelling errors. • Every shopper has an average score which can be seen on their Shop Log • Reports must have sufficient detail and be written in good English. If necessary, we can put your report back in your Shop Log for you to correct it or add details. • It is in your own best interest to try to achieve a high score. When we have multiple applicants for jobs, we are naturally more inclined to give jobs to shoppers with a higher average score who we know are reliable. • ü ü Below are the most common reasons for shoppers receiving a low grade: Not sticking to the guidelines Lack of detail in report, i. e. it does not clearly explain the shopper’s experience No justification of negative answers, i. e. ticking “no” to questions but not backing this up or providing an explanation in the commentary Poorly written report with abbreviated sentences, poor grammar, no use of capital letters at the beginning of sentences, spelling mistakes, etc. Report submitted late, after the due date Inability to make contact with the shopper, i. e. we contact the shopper to ask a question on their report and they do not respond to calls or emails ü ü

How to be a good Mystery Shopper • ü ü Be efficient, organised and reliable: Complete your assessments and reports on time If applicable, return receipts and purchases ASAP Don’t continually ask for extended deadlines Don’t cancel last minute or fail to do a mystery shop • ü ü ü Communicate. Let us know if: You are having a problem meeting the deadline You don’t understand the guidelines or report Something unusual happened during your mystery shop • Respond quickly if we call/email you with queries • Be observant and thorough, as well as honest and objective • Have good written English skills

Payment and Fees • Payment is made directly into your bank account. Your bank details must be entered in the relevant section on your Extended Shopper Profile. It is imperative that your IBAN and BIC are entered correctly or we cannot process your payment. • Payment for jobs conducted in any particular month is processed at the very end of the following month, i. e. Jobs done in January are processed for payment on the last day of February. Depending on who you bank with, payment can take a few working days to reach your account. • Mystery Shopping fees range from € 5 for a phone call to € 10/€ 15 for a short visit up to € 50 for a longer visit. Fees are ‘per job’ and will always be specified in the job information. • We do not offer mileage. The fee as stated in the job information is the total fee. – Occasionally, if we need a job done urgently, we may offer mileage, but this will be clearly stated and agreed in advance.

Payment and Fees…. Contd. • We reserve the right to reduce payment or not pay for certain jobs in cases where: ü ü ü The guidelines were not followed The report was submitted late The report was extremely poorly written The incorrect location was assessed The report was incomplete and the shopper did not respond to requests for more information • Note for shoppers in Northern Ireland: The Sassie system can only display one currency symbol (€). Therefore, for any jobs carried out in Northern Ireland, the fee displayed will actually be the Sterling amount, i. e. Sassie will display € 10, but if the job is based in Northern Ireland, then the fee is actually £ 10. • For Mystery Shopper Terms & Conditions please see http: //customerperceptions. ie/terms-and-conditions-2/

Agreement In accordance with CPL and the MSPA Rules of Ethical Conduct • • • • • • I agree to perform all shops to the best of my ability; I agree to perform all shops with honesty and integrity; I agree to submit all reports on or before the deadline; I agree to honour all confidentiality agreements; I agree to give immediate notice to CPL if I cannot perform a shop for any reason; I agree to return follow up calls or emails in a timely manner; I agree to keep paperwork and notes for at least 90 days in case questions arise by the client; I will not perform a shop unless I have thoroughly read each question on the survey and the guidelines provided by CPL; I will not falsify or misrepresent reports; I will not ask or encourage anyone to break confidentiality agreements with other firms for whom the conduct mystery shopping assignments; I will not use any MSPA media to publish complaints against vendors, clients, shoppers or mystery shopper providers; I will not share information with others on which company shops which clients; I will not share information with others on shopping fees and reimbursements for specific clients; I will not share the results of a shop with others in order to protect the client’s confidentiality; I will not perform any shops under the influence of illegal drugs, or prescription drugs that might impair my abilities; I agree not to become inebriated or drink beyond the legal limits set forth in my state or perform any other activity that my cause harm to myself or others while mystery shopping; I will not contact a client directly without approval of the shopping company; I will not disrupt the normal business flow of an operation in the process of performing a shop (do not cause a scene); I will not announce myself as a mystery shopper to the business being shopped unless given specific instructions by the shopping company; I will not accept a mystery shopping assignment for a business that I, my family or friends work for; I will not list any shopping company I work for as an “employee” on any forms (especially unemployment forms) if I am hired strictly as an independent contractor for that company.

Thank you for taking the time to read this Training Manual. We hope you enjoy being a Mystery Shopper with Customer Perceptions. If you have any questions on this manual please contact the Account Manager who assigned you this job or info@customerperceptions. ie or call (00353) 42 9333033