Declaring "This has been a mystery shop" Telephone mystery shopping, anxiety.
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WHat company is making you do that? That seems stupid.
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Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
Welcome to the forum, Buffy. (Do you slay vampires?) You posted in exactly the right place.
I'm afraid I'll be no help. I quit doing phone shops exactly for that reason -- high anxiety. I never understood why they were so anxiety provoking for me, either. I just gave up doing them.
I hope some people with more positive experiences will come on and help you out.
I still do shops with recorded calls that go on the report; they bother me, but not to the extent that actually trying to complete the shop on the phone did. I don't know why that is, either!
I'm afraid I'll be no help. I quit doing phone shops exactly for that reason -- high anxiety. I never understood why they were so anxiety provoking for me, either. I just gave up doing them.
I hope some people with more positive experiences will come on and help you out.
I still do shops with recorded calls that go on the report; they bother me, but not to the extent that actually trying to complete the shop on the phone did. I don't know why that is, either!
I do a decent share of these shops. Just get into the role playing mode of being the character you are suppose to be and act natural. Maybe practice with your significant other, from different rooms of your house, cell phone to house phone/cell phone. After doing so many, I think you'll get so use to it. Think of it this way, they don't see you on the phone so just be in the moment and play the character you are suppose to. Besides, what have you got to lose for a phone shop, a few dollars ?
Many of the phone calls I do are for a minute or less. For $4 or $5. That's a bargain to me.
Many of the phone calls I do are for a minute or less. For $4 or $5. That's a bargain to me.
7star, it sounds like the OP has a hard time with the reveal part at the end of the call, which doesn't sound like the shops you are doing.
I stand corrected ! I still think most of my advice applies. I suggest practicing with someone many times until the OP gets more comfortable. I haven't done a phone shop with reveal before but I'm thinking it shouldn't be much time on the phone. For restaurant reveals I've done, it just a few minutes at most.
I have the reveal sentence typed out in front of me. If I were to feel flustered, I could just read it word for word.
I have a feeling these are competitor shops, because it’s simply not something you would do to your own employees. The shop info would get passed to the manager.
As for getting more comfortable, you just have to do them. It may help if you incorporate it into a terminating statement i.e. “This has been a mystery shop. Thank you for your time. Goodbye.” Then hang up. Much of the anxiety comes from anticipating a negative response, so don’t wait for it.
As for getting more comfortable, you just have to do them. It may help if you incorporate it into a terminating statement i.e. “This has been a mystery shop. Thank you for your time. Goodbye.” Then hang up. Much of the anxiety comes from anticipating a negative response, so don’t wait for it.
I’ve done a number of these and have never had a negative response. If I did it would likely fluster me for a second, but ultimately I am doing my job just as they are doing their job. I know that doesn’t provide much support, but it is advice I have heard on this forum for many uncomfortable situations that may arise in this line of work and I think it helps by looking at this as a real job.
Thank you all!
I'm going to do the big type out, as a terminating sentence and do it that way
I think the anxiety comes from having an effect on someone's day.
Normal calls, no one is any the wiser and they carry on with their day.
I turned down a council call once, because it involved reporting on a vulnerable OAP getting bullied.
My thought was it could worry the other person and I didn't like the idea of that.
Again, with the reveal I suppose my actions cause a reaction.
It's not for competitive shops, for example I call Mercedes Benz and report to them "This has been your quarter 3 mystery call on behalf of Mercedes Benz."
I'm going to do the big type out, as a terminating sentence and do it that way
I think the anxiety comes from having an effect on someone's day.
Normal calls, no one is any the wiser and they carry on with their day.
I turned down a council call once, because it involved reporting on a vulnerable OAP getting bullied.
My thought was it could worry the other person and I didn't like the idea of that.
Again, with the reveal I suppose my actions cause a reaction.
It's not for competitive shops, for example I call Mercedes Benz and report to them "This has been your quarter 3 mystery call on behalf of Mercedes Benz."
OP- completely understand.
I haven't had many that require the reveal, but the ones I've done where I had to call back and cancel the appointment and announce it was a mystery shop weren't as fun. The disappointment (or anger) in the person's voice on the other end was palpable for all but one who laughed and breathed a sigh of relief because she was already trying to confirm my info and having trouble.
In those cases, I just prepared myself with exactly what I was going to say, slapped on a smile before I dialed, made sure my tone was professional and friendly and wished them a good day no matter how they responded to me.
While I have done quite a few phone evalustions, I don't take as many anymore.
Reasons:
1. In my experience (except for a handful a scheduler gave me as a reward for helping her with a last minute re-shop 50 miles away), phone shops are just as much work and take just as much time as an in-person shop that pays much higher.
2. It seems the phone shops usually get picked up quickly, so I feel like I'm wasting my time to even click through the links.
I haven't had many that require the reveal, but the ones I've done where I had to call back and cancel the appointment and announce it was a mystery shop weren't as fun. The disappointment (or anger) in the person's voice on the other end was palpable for all but one who laughed and breathed a sigh of relief because she was already trying to confirm my info and having trouble.
In those cases, I just prepared myself with exactly what I was going to say, slapped on a smile before I dialed, made sure my tone was professional and friendly and wished them a good day no matter how they responded to me.
While I have done quite a few phone evalustions, I don't take as many anymore.
Reasons:
1. In my experience (except for a handful a scheduler gave me as a reward for helping her with a last minute re-shop 50 miles away), phone shops are just as much work and take just as much time as an in-person shop that pays much higher.
2. It seems the phone shops usually get picked up quickly, so I feel like I'm wasting my time to even click through the links.
Keep in mind that the employee you are calling knows if they are performing their job correctly or not. If they get frustrated or upset after the reveal, it’s because they know they messed up somewhere. You might not have even caught everything. Mystery shops get turned into performance metrics that affect the employee’s pay, advancement and even shift bid. If they performed as they were trained, revealing after the call should actually make them happy. Again, they know if the shop is going to impact them positively or negatively.
I would type out the sentence too. I have done a couple reveal ones. I tend to put off and procrastinate phone calls too. But then I do the same with all phone calls in my life not just mystery shopping. I can't seem to get better at phoning.
Good luck.
Good luck.
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