Shopper faq’s

Once you are qualified as a Mystery Shop Evaluator or Panelist for AboutFace, you will begin to receive emails and text messages about opportunities located within your area. We encourage you to check the project listings regularly, as new assignments are added frequently throughout the month.

If you see an available shop in your area, you have the option to accept it or decline it.

Remember, when you signed up with us you added your home and work addresses to your profile, so we are sending you notifications within those specific areas. From your Mystery Shop Evaluator home page, you can easily check for assignments outside your area on our job board. This feature enables you to search for shops if you’re traveling or if you have a second home in an area other than your primary home zip code.

A detailed shop flow is provided in each project’s evaluator guidelines in order to help you have a rewarding and successful experience. Since specific requirements vary from client-to-client and month-to-month, we urge you to read through the evaluator guidelines and the evaluation form prior to every shop. We want you to have a great experience, so please feel free to contact the scheduler or other contract person provided in the evaluator guidelines if you have questions.

Best Practices for a successful shop:

Before Your Visit

Log in to your Mystery Shop Evaluator home page and click “View Visit Details or Fill Out the Form” for the shop you have agreed to perform.

Read the evaluator guidelines and the evaluation before your visit.

ALL projects require a proof of visit (i.e., receipt, business card, quote, floor plan, etc.). Check the evaluator guidelines for the type of proof needed for your shop.

During Your Visit

Be sure to double-check that you’re at the correct address!

Perform all required portions of the shop. Depending on the type of shop, requirements could include a home tour, a purchase and/or return or a test drive.

REMAIN ANONYMOUS!! This is key. Behaving as a regular customer protects your status as a Mystery Shop Evaluator and allows you to have a typical customer experience.

Be sure to obtain the required proof of visit item(s).

After Your Visit

Once you have completed your shop, we suggest going immediately to a location away from the shop site and writing down the DETAILS while they are fresh in your mind.

Details can include:

• Specific items/features mentioned by associate(s)
• Names and descriptions, as required
• Timing for the visit
• Any other shop specific details

Remember this – details tend to be forgotten with time, so TAKE NOTES!!

Submit the evaluation and your proof of visit by midnight on the same day of the shop (unless otherwise noted in the evaluator guidelines).

When submitting your evaluation, it is critical that you provide substantial information about your experience. Remain objective and support your comments with details from the interaction(s).

• Log in to your Mystery Shop Evaluator home page, locate your accepted evaluations in the center of the page and click “View Visit Details or Fill out the Form.”
• Make sure to turn OFF your pop-up blocker.
• Be sure to address EVERY question in the appropriate comment box. Details are key, and you will be contacted if details are missing! Tips to ensure your evaluation will be great can be found at the bottom of every set of evaluator guidelines.
• While you are completing the evaluation online, be sure to save frequently. Don’t risk losing your hard work and having to start over!
• Once you are finished, attach your proof-of-visit and click on SUBMIT (NOTE: Do NOT click on SAVE after attaching the proof-of-visit because doing so will prevent the evaluation from submitting properly).
• When your evaluation has been properly submitted, a confirmation number will display on the screen. Write down your confirmation number, and you are all set!

Once submitted, your evaluation will be assessed. We maintain strict quality control practices to ensure we provide our clients with the accurate, thorough product they deserve. Quality Control Suppliers will review your evaluation upon completion, and they will contact you if they require help understanding your evaluation. You will be asked to respond within a limited time-frame.

Feedback is a vital tool we employ to give you a better understanding of what makes a GREAT evaluation. Therefore, for each evaluation you submit, you will receive feedback from an editor.

For advanced notice of shops, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! You’ll be among the first to learn of upcoming shopping opportunities!

Mystery shopping is an exciting opportunity to share your customer experiences and be heard.
Read on to see if it’s for you.

What It Takes to be a Mystery Shop Evaluator
A mystery or secret shop evaluator is a self-employed individual (Independent Contractor) who calls or visits a business interacting as a real customer would. By following guidelines to perform the assignment and making observations that fit in the categories the business seeks to understand, the shopper is partnering with the brand as a consultant or advisor of sort. It is important to an evaluator’s success to understand the directions and provide a detailed write up about the experience. Mystery shopping provides flexibility and a good discretionary income. An evaluator can choose only the assignments that are appealing, can work for many companies, and can work as much or as little as preferred.

To qualify as a Mystery Shop Evaluator with AboutFace, you must have the following tools and capabilities:

• Reliable transportation (unless performing an in-home evaluation)
• Computer and ability to check e-mail often
• Scanner and copier (digital camera and/or smartphone is also required for some shops)
• Telephone
• Writing skills
• Ability to remain objective when describing your experience
• A memory for details
• Be deadline driven

We depend on you to follow through with each of the requirements and commitments listed above. When you accept an evaluation, you are fully responsible and committed to completing the evaluation on time. If you don’t perform your evaluation on time and as laid out in the client guidelines, you risk being disqualified. We want you to succeed and to continue to participate and profit from your shopping.

Best Practices
It goes without saying that the more knowledgeable you are, the more profitable mystery shopping will be for you.

AboutFace has developed the Mystery Shop Evaluator Community Best Practices to provide you with essential tools and resources to make that happen. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or just stopping by for a refresher, below are a few reasons the Mystery Shop Evaluator Community Best Practices should be a vital part of your AboutFace evaluator experience:

• Discover best practices for conducting a shop and writing a quality evaluation. Our standards are high. If your shop is rejected, you won’t get paid for it. Understanding conditions under which shops cannot be accepted will show you how to AVOID rejection
• Learn tips and tricks to becoming a better Mystery Shop Evaluator
• Get answers to your questions (We know you have questions!)