Mystery Shopping is all about finding out what customers really think of a particular service. It is recognised by organisations (both large and small) as a valid way of evaluating the performance of their staff and the service their customers receive.

Mystery shoppers, acting as regular customers carry out all aspects of their assessment in a professional and objective manner. The results of a mystery shopping assessment are recorded in the form of a questionnaire, which is then returned to the market research organisation for collation and reporting of results to the client.

A common question often asked by prospective mystery shoppers is 'What qualities do I need to become a mystery shopper?' In answer to that question, here are the five most important traits a potential mystery shopper should possess:

1) Good Observational and Recall Skills

Being observant - knowing what you need to be aware of and looking out for it without drawing attention to yourself is a key skill. Bear in mind too, that you will not have the luxury of walking around with a clipboard filling in your assessment questionnaire as you go along. Your recall skills should be sufficient for you to absorb the information needed and complete the assessment sheet once you have either returned home or to a quiet spot far enough away from the site you have assessed.

2) Honesty

Both your reputation as a mystery shopper and the reputation of the market research company you represent are at stake if you do not carry out each job with the utmost integrity. Never second guess at anything, and under no circumstances should you make up answers to any of the questions. If in doubt, go back and check.

3) Reliability

Do what you have agreed to do, when you agreed to do it- it is as simple as that. Unreliable mystery shoppers jeopardise projects, and those who prove consistently unreliable may no longer be invited to accept jobs.

4) Objectivity

For the main part, you need to be objective and report on facts, not opinions. In some instances, you may be asked for your personal viewpoint on what your feelings were as if you were a real customer, but this will be clearly communicated to you in your brief. Personal opinions should generally be avoided at all costs, for instance, comments such as 'The waiter looked scruffy' would not be acceptable, however, when worded as 'The waiter was wearing the correct uniform, but it was heavily creased and I noticed dirt under his finger nails', it is seen as an objective observation and includes points which can be specifically acted upon.

5) Self motivation

You are essentially working as your own boss, and only you can make your visits. Some mystery shopping jobs are mundane and quite boring. You should follow one of two schools of thought in relation to this sort of job- either decline the offer of that particular job (and whatever fee goes with it) or accept the job and be happy in the knowledge that all the other poor souls in the queue are not getting paid to be there! Seriously, though, if you are the sort of person who cannot drag themselves out of bed on a morning, then mystery shopping is not the vocation for you.

If after reading this you feel inspired to learn more about mystery shopping, more resources can be found at the author's website.