Your mystery shopping rating is vitally important to your career in this industry. Most mystery shopping providers will start new shoppers out with a neutral rating of 5, but you have the ability to either increase or decrease the rating with each assignment that you complete. With a higher rating, you may have the ability to select higher-paying assignments and will have access to more assignments. When your rating is lower, you will have access to only a limited number of assignments, and these assignments generally will have a lower rating. While you may be happy to strive to keep your rating neutral with a 5, there are indeed benefits associated with boosting your rating. Here are a few key steps that you can take today to boost your rating with ease.
Keep Tabs on the Clock and Calendar
Timing is critical when it comes to mystery shopping assignments. If you complete an assignment on the wrong day, fail to complete your report on time and more, your rating will likely be dinged considerably. More than that, you may not be paid for your work on an assignment if you do not follow the instructions exactly. This means that if you complete your site visit and report a day later than is required, you may receive a very low rating and may not receive payment for the assignment. If necessary, establish a scheduling system that helps you to better monitor your assignments’ due dates. In addition, if you run into an issue and are no longer able to meet an assignment’s deadline, contact your scheduler immediately to explore your options.
Review Your Report
Another key factor that can trigger a lower mystery shopper rating is the quality of your report. A report that is filled with typos, factual inconsistencies and other issues may be flagged for revisions, or the provider may simply knock your rating down. One of the easiest steps that you can take to keep your rating high is to simply proofread your reports before you submit them. Look for inconsistencies in your statements, grammatical errors, spelling errors and more.
Respond to Revision Requests Quickly
If your reports are flagged for revisions, it is imperative that you respond to requests for revisions quickly. A revision request does not necessarily mean that your rating will be lower, but it means that if you don’t correct the report, your rating may be lowered and your pay for the assignment may be affected. In addition to making revisions quickly as requested, pay attention to the type of revisions that you are being asked to do. These can help you to note what you may be doing wrong with your reports, and you can look for these errors and issues when you review your reports before submitting them.
Many mystery shoppers regularly earn a rating on 8, 9 or 10 on their assignments, but others struggle to earn a rating higher than 5 or 6. By following these tips, however, most mystery shoppers will be able to boost their rating in the months to come.