Mystery shopping is a form of research work whereby an individual poses as a customer to objectively gather information on the business being studied. The information gathered usually involves, but is not limited to, employee performance, product quality, and overall perception of the shopping experience.

The information obtained from mystery shopping is used to measure service quality, and is normally just one part of a company wide program to enhance employee performance. Employees are told what is expected of them and that mystery shoppers will be used to evaluate their performance. The idea is to learn from the consumer's point of view which areas of service quality need improvement so the company can make those changes as soon as possible. Mystery shopping is designed to reward good performance and identify areas for improvement and is not intended to punish employees.

As you can see, the information our mystery shoppers gather is very important to our clients. Although the shopping assignments themselves are often fun, the importance of this work means that mystery shopping is actually very serious business.

A mystery shopper is engaged to visit a place of business (retail shop, financial institution, or other) for the purpose of evaluating the customer service, product quality, presentation and other specific details as requested by our clients. Our mystery shoppers follow specific instructions during their visit and complete a detailed online report.

The best mystery shoppers are detail oriented, thorough, observant and objective. Mystery Shoppers must have the ability to remain confidential and must be extremely reliable. All Mystery Shoppers are required to complete detailed reports for each assignment undertaken. This includes taking notes whilst on the assignment and providing a detailed 'debrief' report on the mystery shop once complete.

Our Mystery Shoppers are recruited based on the information provided in their registration form and after a phone interview with our staff to determine their aptitude and ability to meet assignment requirements.

Yes, Retail Mystery Shopping Australia is a web-based business and we use our website and e-mails as the primary means for communicating with our mystery shoppers. Assignments are posted on our website and reports must be completed online. An e-mail address is also required.

Applications to become a Mystery Shopper are accepted online, through our website. Click on the register button and simply fill out the form and hit “Submit” at the bottom of the page. You will receive an email confirmation of your registration.

Standard members may register their interest for scheduled assignments online. Each assignment is assessed by our staff and then allocated to an individual shopper. Notification to succesful shoppers happens via e-mail and the process takes several days from the time the assignments are posted. So you must check your emails to see if you have been given an jobs. Priority members are members who have consistently completed quality assignments on time. They have been given the ability to accept assignments directly from our website without prior approval from our staff. Priority members are given preference over standard members because they are tried and tested.

There is always someone available by e-mail if a Mystery Shopper has a problem or question. All reports are checked and verified by our trained staff. If details are missing or need to be clarified on your report, will we contact you by e-mail or phone. You must keep all written notes from assignments for a minimum of six months.

After logging in as a shopper, click the "Open Opportunities" button located on the left side navigation bar. A list of open jobs within your stated postcode range and distance you are willing to travel will then be displayed on the screen. Click on the "Info" icon and this will show you an Overview of what is required to complete the job, including the pay rate. Once you have read and understood the Job Overview click on the "Apply" button on the right side of the assignment you wish to mystery-shop. A pop up window will then open and you must give a brief reason of why you would like this assignment.

Repeat this process if you are interested in conducting multiple assignments. If you are a "standard member", your request for the assignment will need to be approved before you are actually given the assignment. If you are a "priority member", the assignment will be automatically allocated to you and no one else will be able to request the job. When an assignment is allocated to you, the appropriate briefing document will automatically be available for you in the main shopper's page.

It is critical that assignments are conducted within the time frame and dates specified by our client. Failure to do so could result in non-payment. You must submit your reports typically by midnight on the day the assignment was completed. Again, failure to do so could result in non-payment. If there are circumstances that prevent you from conducting the assignment within the specified time frame, you must e-mail admin@mysteryshopping.com.au immediately. We will review your request and respond via e-mail. Failure to complete assignments without contacting us will not be accepted, and you will not be considered for future assignments.

When you first login to our website http://www.mysteryshopping.com.au/ and see your open assignment you click on the blue link (over to the left) which will be the name of the survey.

You then scroll down to the bottom of the document and that is where you fill survey information. When done, you then click submit at the bottom of the page. If the survey does not disappear from the screen it means something was not filled in correctly. Scroll up and down the report and look for red warnings to explain what is not correct. If you still can not find the error try looking up and down the yes/no responses as you may have forgotten to fill one in. Once you have done that you go over to the right of the page and under "Action" you click the submit link which submits the surveys and removes it from your open jobs.

You must notify us by e-mail or by phone at least 48 hours BEFORE the scheduled shop date so that we can re-schedule the assignment to someone else. Failure to do so may result in the cancelation of your membership. If you accept an assignment, do not complete it, and do not inform our office, your name will be removed from our database. Cancellations are costly (re-scheduling time, project delay, etc.) and inconvenient for our clients.

NO, assignments cannot be transferred. If you have a friend interested in shopping with us, please have them access our web site www.mysteryshopping.com.au and apply online. Many of our best shoppers have been referrals from friends.

Just about anywhere in Australia. Because our database is online 24/7, all you have to do is log on and check what assignments are available in your chosen state. You can even complete mystery shopping assignments whilst on holiday (if you choose)! Simply check the state or area where you will be holidaying during that time frame. Note: please update your address if you move permanently so we can notify you of assignments in your new area.

Each assignment will vary in the time it takes to complete. Please read the assignment overview to find out what is required.

There is NO minimum number of monthly assignments required. You choose the amount of assignments that you can fit into your schedule. If you are too busy - do NOT take on mystery shopping assignments. Your details will remain on our Mystery Shopping database for at least six months after completing your last assignment.

A flat fee is paid for each assignment and this fee varies depending on the client and assignment requirements. The rate of pay for each assignment is posted along with the assignment details.

We only pay by direct deposit into your bank account because you will receive the payment more quickly and it is less costly from an administrative standpoint. We no longer pay by cheque. You must supply your current tax file number, otherwise payments will be taxed at the maximum rate.

Yes, you will receive a Payment Summary (formerly called Group Certificate). You are classified as an independent contractor, but by law, you must receive a Group Certificate. All shoppers are responsible for their own operating expenses and tax liabilities.

Click on Forgotten your Password in the upper right-hand corner of the website and your user id and password will be sent to you by e-mail. If you do not remember your login, you may enter your email address.

If you have tried unsuccessfully to logon and think you may be registered with us, please send us an e-mail, including your full name and address, to admin@mysteryshopping.com.au and we will check to see if you are listed on our database.

All user name & passwords are case sensitive (upper case letters and lower case letters are different). Hint: A common error is interchanging I and l or Z and 2. On some computers, the capital letter I (as in Ice) looks similar to the lowercase letter L (as in lake). Or the letter Z might look like the number 2. If you are still experiencing problems, e-mail admin@mysteryshopping.com.au

There is no need to check the website each day for new jobs. When new assignments are available in your designated area, you will be sent email notification. The email does not guarantee work, you must still go to the website and register for assignments you are interested in. You will only be notifed via email if you have been successful for any job/s you have registered for. Priority shoppers will be given the first day of the job release to accept assignments, then from day 2 onwards assignments will begin to be allocated to non-priority shoppers. There are a large number of potential mystery shoppers registered with us and there is high demand for assignments. Persistence usually pays off, and it may take some time before you are allocated your first assignment. We will endeavour to get you assignments as soon as possible, so please be patient.

Payments are made on a fortnightly basis and will be paid by direct debit into your bank account. Pleasse note we no longer pay people by cheque. When the pay fortnight is closed off you will receive a Pay Statement in your shopper in-box on our web site. The pay statement will outline the amount of your next payment. Once you receive your pay statement the payments are processed that week, and will show up in your bank account by the end of that week. You must ensure your profile is up to date with your current bank details. If you make any changes to your online profile you must email admin@mysteryshopping.com.au and notify us of the changes to your details.

If you have any questions about a missing payment, please double check your online profile to ensure we have your correct bank details and then email your name, your question and the name of the job your performed and email to admin@mysteryshopping.com.au We will then investigate the missing payment.

If you have any questions about a missing payment, please double check your online profile to ensure we have your correct bank details and then email your name, your question and the name of the job your performed to admin@mysteryshopping.com.au We will then investigate the missing payment.

Remember we only pay by direct deposit, so if you have not supplied your account details, the payment can not be processed until you do. If you do update your details to include your bank details you must notify us via email at admin@mysteryshopping.com.au so we can update our accounting softare.

When you first login in to our web site, you will see on the left hand side of the screen, about half way down the page a button called "Pay Statements" if you click that link it will show all your payments.

Remember even if you have received a pay statement for the previous fortnight in your shopper in-box the payments are processed the coming week, and will show up in your bank account by the end of that week.