Don’t worry. You’re not just a glorified tattle tale. Take it from me, mystery shoppers can often feel that way especially when they are writing a report on someone who provided a subpar experience. But companies don’t just use mystery shoppers so that they can catch their leasing agents making mistakes on the job.
We’ll start with the most obvious. They want to know what their employees actually do in front of customers. Of course when management or owners are there, employees are going to be on their very best behavior, but it’s tough to know how they act when they are with an actual customer. Are they pointing out all of the product features? Are they successfully battling objections? Are they professionally handling customer questions? Of course, reporting on these things can make mystery shoppers feel like snitches, but there’s a lot more to it.
You’re helping the employees be recognized for good performance and make more money as well. And don’t feel like a jerk for providing constructive criticisms because your report could ultimately be the key to the employee’s success. You have to be as honest, but also as tactful, as possible. This isn’t your chance to rip someone to shreds. If that’s why you’re in the mystery shopper business, get out now.
When it comes to mystery shoppers, our main objective should be to help the employee be better at their job. If they’re better at their job, they’ll make more money and so will the company, meaning that everyone will be happy! When you are on a mystery shop, think about things that could help the employee become more effective in their role.
Just remember, your goal is to be helpful. If you’re not providing insight that helps someone, then you’re not going to be successful as a mystery shopper.
Lindley K