Writing a great report for your mystery shop is critical for the client. A well written report should be clear, organized and a virtual replay of your experience. The client for which you are writing the report is relying upon this accuracy of information so that they can further provide training and feedback to their staff. The information you share about your experience is used to provide coaching, reward employees and enhance their performance on the job. In addition, the quality of work you provide in your report ensures your successful assignment for future assignments. Often schedulers are specifically looking for great shoppers to do that last minute urgent assignment and being able to depend on you and your writing creates a win-win solution for both you and the client.
There are many tips you might want to consider when writing your reports. When asked a yes or no question, always follow up by providing an explanation to your answer. Go beyond just stating yes or no. Offer the reader an explanation about why you responded yes/no. For example, if the question asked you whether or not you were thanked for visiting, answer such question with “yes, the sales associate thanked me for touring today, and asked what day and time I could return to complete an application.” To ensure that your commentary is concise, use description words that add value. Keep your comments objective and add value to your statements. For instance, “Sally was dressed in neat and professional attire. She wore a black skirt, white blouse, and nametag. Her hair, makeup, and nails were tastefully manicured and conservative.”
It is equally beneficial to the client when your comments help the client to imagine the setting for which you visited. Describe the experience so that they client will be able to view the experience as if she/he were there in person. The client wants to understand what areas might need to be improved upon to enhance the efficiency of their team. For example if you encountered an experience where you felt the associate was rude; don’t merely state, “she did not speak to me nicely and was rude.” A more helpful explanation might be, “When I arrived, Sally was on the phone. She appeared stressed and disorganized. Her desk was cluttered with numerous papers, there were three guests waiting to be seen. She was so busy that she was not able to make eye contact or greet me verbally with a friendly tone in her voice.” Help the reader understand the circumstance that made your interaction positive and/or negative. Any comments you make should be a recording of the facts surrounding your visit and they should be made in an objective manner.
Lastly, always spell check and proof your work for accuracy. When you leave your shop, always drive away from the location and park somewhere safe so you can make notes of your experience. Your accuracy for the story is critical and any falsification of the data that you provide could potentially eliminate you from being paid and receiving additional work in the future.