Most mystery shoppers get into the business as a means to earn some extra cash in a way that is convenient for their busy schedules. Earning some money with a flexible job scheduler certainly is a major benefit, and this is a benefit that many other jobs simply cannot offer. However, there is another important benefit that many mystery shoppers don’t recognize regularly. As a mystery shopper, you are actually providing the companies and the general public with an incredible service that few pause to consider. When you take a moment to reflect on the service aspect of your job, you will likely enjoy an incredible amount of satisfaction with your job, even with the lowest paying of assignments.
Services to the Public. How many times have you walked into a store or restaurant and vowed never to return? Maybe it was because the store simply had a bad odor, or perhaps the employees were rude to you. With each assignment that you complete as a mystery shopper, you will be asked on the report to provide important feedback about your experiences on-site. You will be asked about the quality of service you received, the promptness and friendliness of the service, the quality of the food or products that were purchased, the cleanliness of the site, and so much more. The comments you provide on your reports are given to the managers at these locations, and the managers use your feedback to improve the overall customer experience. You may not think much about it, but the comments you make today on a report have the very likely potential of affecting the experience of countless future customers who visit the store after you.
Services to the Business. All for-profit businesses have their doors open with the hopes of turning a profit. In order to do so, they need to keep their customers happy and coming back in their door time and again. They also need to encourage new customers to visit the store as well. Because your comments on the report are so important to the overall customer service, your comments are also tied to the potential for future profits of that company, too. Of course you have no control over what a company does with the comments you make on the report. However, by taking the time to provide truthful and accurate answers on the report, you give the company the information they need to improve their bottom line. Looking at the big picture, keeping the business profitable helps employees keep their jobs and may even encourage job growth as well.
As you can see, your job as a mystery shopper does more than just line your pockets with extra cash. This job affects the overall customer experience of future customers visiting that site. By doing this, it also affects the company’s profitability as well as the ability of the company retain and even hire new employees. The next time you consider the benefits of mystery shopping, take some time to reflect on how your job is serving the community in these ways.