You can go weeks or even months without every needing to reach out and contact your mystery shopping providers. The relationship between mystery shoppers and providers has been established in such a way that that the two parties don’t need to communicate at all in most cases. The mystery shopper selects assignments to work on, completes them on his or her own, submits the report and waits for a paycheck. There usually is not a need communicate directly with a provider. However, there are always a few instances when issues arise and communication is necessary. Many providers respond to direct communication quickly, but what can you do if you can’t get a response?
How Urgent Is Your Need?
First, you should determine how urgent your need for a response is. If your question pertains to an assignment that is due today, you have a fairly urgent need. Rather than send an email and wait for a response, it is best to pick up the phone and make direct contact. If you get voice mail, by all means, leave a message. However, in the message, state the urgency of the matter so that the recipient of the message is clear about your urgency. If you have time to wait a few minutes, do so out of courtesy. However, you may need to contact the provider’s main number to ask the receptionist if someone else is in the office who can help.
Can Someone Else Help?
If you have an assignment-specific question, you likely need a provider’s direct support and guidance. However, this is not always the case. You could consider posting a question on the mystery shopping forum online. Chances are that another mystery shopping provider has already worked on that exact same assignment in the past or has knowledge of the provider that can be useful. If nothing else, another mystery shopper may help you to think of a better way to get a mystery shopping provider’s attention.
Can You Escalate the Issue?
If you have tried everything and simply cannot get a response or don’t have any time to wait, consider escalating the issue to a higher authority. This can make you look like a squeaky wheel, and nobody wants to be labeled as pesky. Therefore, only take this approach if it is truly necessary. You can try to find an email address or phone number for a manager or supervisor by searching the company’s website. If this information is not published, an email address that you have received from the provider in the past may contain it. Otherwise, contact the company’s main phone and ask to speak with the supervisor or manager of the person you were originally trying to reach. Keep in mind that you may not be trying to get this person in trouble, and if not, you want to specifically state that you are only calling because you need immediate assistance. Be sure to state that the other person has not done anything wrong necessarily.
As you can see, there are several different steps that you can take to reach someone who works with your provider or otherwise to get the answers that you seek.