The results are in for the best and worst mystery shopping companies to work for in 2009.
Some of the results are expected and others were educational for me. You may not agree with the results, but that's the data I received.
Here’s how it worked; Rather than scoring companies on overall votes, since some companies are larger and have more shoppers, the overall company score has been used to justify placement. Scores have been averaged from 10-point rating scales, and rounded to one decimal place, based on the following elements:
• Frequency/Timeliness of Pay:
• Pay Rate:
• Quality of Assignments:
• Quality of Instructions:
• Quality of Reporting:
• Scheduling:
• Communication with MSC:
• Resolution of Problems:
All scores have been verified to come from independent IP addresses. Scorecards that were incomplete, or voted all 10’s for the best and all 1’s for the worst MSCs have not been counted in the totals, since I do not personally know of any companies that extreme. In addition, to be considered for scoring, a MSC must have received a vote by more than one shopper.
Some companies had votes in both categories and therefore scored close to the average (6.9) for all companies. These included:
Sentry (7.1),
Service Intelligence (6.7)
CORI (6.2).
Companies are listed below as: Company (Average Score)
Best Mystery Shopping Companies of 2009
1. Maritz (9.5)
Pay Rate averaged 8.6, and was the lowest scoring component for this MSC. It was the only average score below 9, making Maritz the favorite MSC of 2009.
2. Mintel (9.4)
This MSC had generally high marks overall. Resolution of Problems was the only component that averaged below 9, bringing Mintel in at second place.
3. Trendsource (9.2)
Pay Rate was the largest problem for this popular company and averaged 6.3, bringing the average down despite all other areas scoring well.
4. Coyle Hospitality Group (8.3)
High marks were given for Frequency/Timeliness of Pay, Quality of Assignments and Communication with Coyle, but the overall score was reduced by lower averages on Pay Rate and Scheduling.
5. Market Force (7.2)
Median averages for Pay Rate and Quality of Assignments kept this MSC from placing higher on the list of favorites. It comes in slightly above average for all MSCs.
Overall, MSCs in the top four generally scored between 8 and 10 in most categories, with the exception Pay Rate, where the average score was 8.2 and scoring went as low as a 3. Resolution of Problems was the next lowest category, with a 9.0 average. This can most likely be attributed to a number of ‘No Opinion’ (5) scores from shoppers who have not encountered problems with their favorite company. It appears that although many shoppers are unhappy about the existing rates of pay, it does not prevent them from working for a company or deeming it their favorite.
Worst Mystery Shopping Companies of 2009
1. JC & Associates (3.3)
This company has been notorious for late payments recently and had very low marks for both pay categories and Communication, with average scores for Quality of Assignments, Scheduling and Quality of Reporting. This makes JC & Associates the least favorite MSC to work for in 2009.
2. Feedback Plus (3.6)
Scoring was low overall for Feedback Plus, with Pay Rate being the worst factor.
3. Ath Power (3.7)
Higher averages for Quality of Assignments and Quality of Instructions helped to boost the overall score, but negative scores regarding missing and low pay, as well as Communication and Resolution of Problems kept Ath Power on the list of worst companies.
4. Intellishop (4.1)
The Frequency/Timeliness of Pay was the main factor in bringing Intellishop to this list. Above average marks for Quality of Assignments and Quality of Instructions drove the overall score higher.
5. Bestmark (5.1)
Frequency/Timeliness of Pay was the high point for Bestmark, scoring an average of 8.3 and bringing the company average up from what would have been a 4.6 without it. All other scores were below average, making Bestmark a reliable, but not very profitable to shop for, MSC.
While most categories in the least favorite companies had below than average scores, Quality of Assignments and Quality of Instructions had average scores closer to 6, with Scheduling and Quality of Reporting each averaging in the 4’s. Frequency of Pay and Communication were slightly lower, with Resolution of Problems averaging 3.2, and clearly being a driving factor in the vote for worst MSC of 2009.