Secret Shopper USA

It is often difficult for new shoppers to complete their first report without having seen an example to follow. For that reason I have included a copy of a sample report from a restaurant assignment I recently completed. Remember to describe your experience in as much detail as possible.

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SAMPLE EVALUATION

Location: Mount Royal
Date of Shop: 04/04/03
Day of Shop: Friday
Time: 6:15 p.m.
Host: Mark
Server: Jessica

Reservation:
Call the restaurant the afternoon of your assignment date and request a reservation. Answer each of the following questions in detail.

1. 1. When calling into the restaurant how many rings before someone answered and how did they answer (what specifically did he/she say?)

I called into the restaurant at 2:30 p.m. before I had dinner at the restaurant, the phone was answered after two rings with the following: “thanks for calling (restaurant name), Lisa speaking, how may I help you?”. Lisa was courteous and cheerful when she answered.

2. 2. Were you placed on hold at any time? If so for how long?

After I asked to make the reservation Lisa placed me on hold. I was on hold for approximately 20 seconds then Jennifer came on the line. Jennifer then proceeded to take the reservation in a timely manner.

3. 3. Did you get a positive first impression after making your reservation?

Yes I did, both employees were pleasant and professional in their telephone mannerisms.

Host/Hostess:

1. 1. Were you greeted in a prompt and cheerful manner upon entering the restaurant? Were you made to feel welcome?

There was another party in line ahead of us, as soon as the host (Mark) greeted and seated those guests he immediately returned and welcomed us to the restaurant.

2. 2. Did the host/hostess have a professional, well groomed appearance?

Mark was wearing a freshly pressed shirt, tie and dress pants. He was dressed in a casual business manner which fit well with the restaurant style.

3. 3. Did the host keep you informed if you had to wait for a table? Were you seated in the amount of time estimated?

We were seated immediately after we were welcomed.

4. 4. Did you get a positive impression of the restaurant from your experience with the host/hostess?

Yes

Server:

1. 1. Was the server’s introduction prompt? How long did you wait, and what was the atmosphere like in the restaurant?

We waited approximately 4 minutes for the server (Jessica) to introduce herself and ask for our drink order while we looked over the menu. She seemed to be quite busy waiting on about five other tables.

2. 2. Was the server friendly? Did they smile and make direct eye contact? Did you get the impression they were there to serve you?

Jessica apologized for the wait and was very friendly. She made eye contact with both me and my companion.

3. 3. Was the server well-groomed, neat and professional?

Jessica was wearing neatly pressed black pants and white shirt with an apron. Here hair was not pulled back , she was not wearing a name tag and neither were any of the other servers. Overall she looked professional.

4. 4. Did the server inform you of any specials? Did they know how the dishes were prepared? Did they seem competent and knowledgable?

Jessica informed us about the specials but was unsure about the ingredients of the soup when I inquired. She returned a short time later with the answer after checking with the chef.

5. 5. Was the server attentive, and did he/she thoroughly meet your wants and needs throughout the visit?

Jessica was attentive, she checked on us and asked if we needed anything else throughout our meal. She did seem to be a little forgetful though, I asked for another fork because mine fell on the floor and she forgot, I had to remind her once.

6. 6. How was the overall timing of your meal? Did it flow well?
Exact Times:

Drink order taken: 6:22
Drink order arrived: 6:27
Appetizer order taken: 6:27
Appetizer order arrived: 6:41
Entrée order taken: 6:41
Entrée order arrived: 7:02

Our meal flowed well, Jessica took our appetizer order when she dropped off our drinks, they arrived less than 15 minutes later. She took our dinner order when she brought the appetizers because we had not decided when she brought our drinks. The entrée took about 20 minutes which was fine because it took us a while to finish our appetizers.

7. 7. Did the server suggest other items that might go with your meal (i.e. appetizers, dessert, coffee, drinks, etc.)?

Jessica suggested an appetizer when she brought our drinks and also suggested coffee and dessert at the end of the meal.

8. 8. Did the server take care of your transaction courteously and efficiently? How long did this process take?

Jessica brought our bill when we were about halfway finished our dessert. It took her quite a while (about 10 minutes) to come back and pick it up. After she picked it up she processed my visa payment and returned quickly (3 minutes).

9. 9. Did the server (and any other employees) thank you sincerely?

Jessica wrote “thank-you” and her name on the bill when she brought it to us and thanked us again when she brought back my visa receipt. No one else thanked us on the way out or at any other time.

10. 10. Based on your experience with this server would you return as a regular customer?

Yes I would. Jessica was attentive and seemed to be doing the best she could considering the business of the restaurant.

Facility:

1. 1. Was the parking area safe, sufficient, accessible and free of litter? Was the exterior well maintained? Was the lighting adequate, signage professional, and was all the glass polished and clean?

The parking situation was a problem, the restaurant does not have a parking lot because it is located downtown. We found it difficult to find a spot and when we did it was expensive (7 dollars). The exterior and lighting were fine but the glass doors were dirty with smudges and fingerprints.

2. 2. Was the entrance/foyer clean, tidy and professional? Was the dining area clean? Were the floors clean of debris? Were the ledges, walls and decorations dust free?

The entrance was clean but the restaurant was a bit dusty. There was a ledge next to our table and when I checked it there was a moderate amount of dust on it.

3. 3. Was the overall atmosphere of the restaurant pleasant and enjoyable? How was the music volume? Was the room temperature comfortable?

The music level was fine but I did not care for the music choice, I prefer a more relaxed type of music. The temperature was fine and the overall atmosphere was pleasant although it was loud because it was very full.

4. 4. Was the bathroom clean and stocked with the appropriate supplies? Were the floors, urinals, sinks and fixtures clean and sanitary? Were the countertops clean and free of excess debris?

Overall the ladies bathroom was clean except for the trash basket was overflowing with paper towel and needed to be emptied. The mirrors were slightly spotted but everything else appeared to be clean.

Food Quality:

1. 1. Was the food tasty? What was your overall impression of the meal? How were the temperature, portions, presentation and value?

Our appetizer was very generous and tasty (appetizer platter for two), we felt that it was large enough for at least 3 people. One of our entrees was very good (salmon), it was perfectly cooked with a very tasty cream sauce on top of it. Our other entrée (prime rib) was not very good, it had too much fat on it and was undercooked. Our dessert was excellent, we shared the crème brulee. Our cappuccinos were not as good, not very frothy and the temperature was a little cool.

Recommendation:

1. 1. Would you recommend this restaurant?

Yes I would, I felt that the atmosphere and service were very good although there were a few minor issues with food quality.

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Remember the most important part of the assignment is not the shop itself, it’s the report. Of course you must be effective at making oberservations in person and “keeping your cover” but it is the report that ultimately goes to the company and their client. The quality of your reports will greatly influence how many more assignments the company will give you in the future. You must ensure that you are submitting top quality reports if you want to become successful in this industry and work on a regular or full-time basis.

Pay close attention when filling out reports that you are answering the questions asked of you. Be as detailed as possible, I recommend putting your longer narrative into a separate word document and stating “see attached” on the companies form if there is not enough room. The biggest mistake new shoppers make is one sentence responses with lack of detail, don’t do this!

Carefully review your reports before submission for obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes, use your spelling and grammar check functions in your word processing program to do this. Also important to watch out for is repetition of the same word throughout your report, use the thesaurus function in your word processor to find alternatives. Watch out for conflicting thoughts in your reports, for example you check off “no” to the questions, “would you return to this restaurant” but you later say that you thought the service was excellent. Conflicting thoughts are confusing to the client, remain consistent throughout your report.

Another mistake many new shoppers make is giving too many opinionated answers versus the facts. It can be tempting to state what you think the employees should be doing but make sure you don’t do this unless you are asked directly. For example: “I thought the server should explain the ingredients of the specials when telling us about them”. Remember: you are a researcher, you are being paid to report the facts. If your responses on reports become too opinionated you will risk getting off track rather than stating genuine detailed facts.

This is the second time I have said this but it can’t be said too many times: be sure to submit your report within the time allotted. Most companies will ask for you to submit your reports within 24-48 hours of completing an assignment, if you do not your assignment will be null and void. The worse thing you can do is waste your precious time driving to an assignment and completing it then not getting the report in on time (not to mention that you will never work for that company again).

Thoroughly review the guidelines and instructions from the company to make sure you submit your report properly. If your report is incomplete in any way your payment may be reduced or you may not be paid at all. Always be sure to include any requested documents such as receipts (very important for reimbursement), business cards, brochures etc.. This may seem straight forwards but when you begin working regularly for a company do not make any assumptions, you might miss some new instructions for report filing since the last time you worked for them.

When submitting your report either by email or snailmail always be sure to include a short note indicating the following:
• • Which report you are enclosing or attaching
• • Let the company know that they may contact you with any questions or problems pertaining to your report
• • Ask them to send you a confirmation that they received the report
• • Let them know that you enjoyed the assignment and that you look forward to working for them again in the near future

Last but not least, I highly recommend jotting down in your daytimer when you expect to receive payment for your assignment (based on the guidelines they have given you). If a week past that date goes by without your receiving a payment, drop a polite e-mail, or make a polite phone call, to the mystery shopping company’s office to verify the status of your payment, companies who deal with thousands of shoppers can make payment mistakes. When you do receive the payment make sure you make note of that, you don’t want to be inquiring about a payment which has already been made to you.

Writing Reports Detail