They are a large Market Research company called Taylor Nelson Sofres.
Mystery shopping is an independent visit carried out by a contractor of the Mystery Shopping organisation. The Mystery Shopping company will have a contract from a client whether they be a business generally a well known group of companies.
Their are either retail visits to Restaurants, Banks, Betting shops, coffee shops, amongst the type of visits that tend to be available.
The reason this exercise is used is for the business to measure the level of quality performed on either a retail basis or through phone calls. The Buying Process of a retail Fast Food store will check for cleanliness i.e how fast are the tables cleared and cleaned, the speed of the buying process, from walking into the store to making a payment is measured. A Mystery Shopper is asked to take a description of the member of staff that served a Mystery Shopper. The store must rate the Service of the staff, the product display, the cleanliness and tidyness of the store, and if required a visit to the toilet to check if the company hygiene of the area. Also the Mystery Shopper is asked to give a rating and recommendation as to whether they would shop at the store that has been visited. The feedback and comments detailed in the report makes the Mystery Shopping client aware of any areas for improvement and the details are viewed and action can be taken accordingly.
Usually the Mystery Shopper will have to visit an agreed store and purchase an item stated in a assignment brief. The spending
limit may or may not cover the expenses incurred in the shopping visit. The Mystery Shopper has to adhere to all these guideline details, otherwise they will not be paid. Also the report must be submitted online within either twenty four hours of the visit taking place or on the same day.
People visiting the wrong place or at the wrong time will not Get Paid for this effort. Also the brief will indicate a visit duration in minutes. This also has a warning not to spend too little time in the retail store. Also the shopper will have to obtain a receipt for their transactions, following the guidelines in the assignment brief.
Mystery shopping can also be used to identify competitors service provided. For example one supermarket can carry out the field research on a rival store. This could be used to find areas of strengths and weaknesses.
Other than field based visiting work, the Mystery Shopping can also be carried out if their are Telephone only Mystery Shopping assignements available. This will measure the level of service given by the Call Centre staff along with the process of call duration, call transfering, level of automated layer options etc. The usefulness of the Call Centre and a random member of staff, is measured by the Mystery Shopping contractor.
Whether the work be actual visits which is the most common method or through a Telephone call, the Mystery Shopping contractor contract is with the Mystery Shopping Market Research company.
The booking process of assignements is usually online based and the booking process of the assignments is done on a 'first come first served basis'.
What does Mystery Shopping involve?
It involves going to visit Retail Putlets on a freelance basis. Examples of what takes place involves includes observing if the staff at the counter are smiling/happy or not, if the shelf display's are tidy, if there is litter outside the shop not cleared, if products are well stocked, displayed, aisles are clear.
why is mystery shopping used?
In layman terms, it is used by the business to independently determine the level of Customer Service being shown to customers. Also businesses want to evaluate and improve upon Customer Service based on the experiences and feedback of Mystery Shoppers.
is mystery shopping a regular paid job?
No, it is not. The Mystery Shopper will be paid based on a stated agreed rate. This is definitely not salary or wage based. Travelling expenses are limited usually up to three Pounds, and purchases are refunded/reimbursed usually a maximum of twenty Pounds. The payments of expenses are refunded by direct Bank Payment each month following the assignment. The Payments are taxable as benefits in kind.
Coffee shops, large Food Supermarkets, Casino's, Electronic merchants, Pubs, Hotels, Home improvement stores.
Do people need to make a long term committment if applying to become a Mystery Shopper?
No, the choice of how many bookings and frequency of visits is entirely your choice.
What types of personal information do TNS ask for? In the same way as getting a real life job, i.e name, address, NI number is asked for. The rest of the non personal questions asked, will be to read a handbook and answer the questions in the test based on what is in the handbook.
how can people apply to become Mystery Shoppers?
On the TNS website the following link can be used to apply online. http://www.tnsglobal.com/market-information/mystery-shopping/
From the link, registration details must be supplied. Following this someone in TNS will send you a link to complete a easy test. The test should take no longer than thirty minutes. Upon the test results the applicant should get a successful or declined result.
What happens next upon successful entry to TNS Mystery Shopping panel?
The TNS team leader will send you a link to book in available Mystery Shopping assignments which are located at different venues nationwide. Upon the booking of a Mystery Shop, a questionnaire link is also sent to one's own Electronic mail address with guidelines which must be followed.
what are the benefits of Mystery Shopping?
It gives the Mystery Shopper interesting and interesting Days Out. Some or all the purchases are reimbursed to the Mystery Shopper, and you have information regarding your experiences of shopping at a particular store.
It gives useful experience in the field research area. As a Mystery Shopper it involves good observation and accurate recording of results.
disadvantages of Mystery shopping
The pay per assignment usually less than ten Pounds, or assignments that are taken where just the purchases of Coffee, Cake, or Sandwiches are refunded.
Often an assignment listed on the booking system is gone Before You get a chance to think or review going to a particular place. Secondly, the Mystery Shopper can only visit the same store once every three to six months, so it is not a repetitive Easy Money System.
how long does each store visit last?
Usually between twenty minutes to an hour.
how long does it take to complete the questionnaire?
Usually based on mental notes taken during the visit, it takes about twenty or thirty minutes on average to complete the questionnaire online. Number of questions varies, usually between twenty questions which tend to be yes or no answers which are easy to complete. It takes a bit longer if there are many comments or feedback of the Shops concerned. The questionaire results have to be submitted online within twelve hours after the visit.
conclusion
Mystery Shopping is a worthwhile exercise, but it does require some dedication, and reliability. The Experience is good as it can help companies to improve the Service in the future.
Whilst I feel the pay should be more realistic for the time and effort to complete Mystery Shopping tasks this should be improved. The opportunity to carry out this type of Freelance Work is quite good.
Mystery shopping is a great and fun experience, the Day Out can be used to maximise the use of travel expenses, such as meeting a friend or family member elsewhere, going to other places before or after the Mystery shop visit, applying for a work at an agency also. Some visits depending on times of the day can be flexible to fit in with existing work or family related responsibilities.
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