Telephone Mystery Shopping Scripts:
How Phone Shops Really Work
Mystery shopping doesn't always require driving across town, visiting a restaurant, or walking into a business. Some assignments can be completed from your kitchen table with nothing more than a telephone, a set of instructions, and careful note-taking.
I've completed many telephone mystery shops over the years. Some were quick and easy. Others required dozens—or even hundreds—of calls. The key was understanding telephone mystery shopping scripts before dialing the first number.
Want more help getting started? My book, Take That Job And Mystery Shop It!, walks you through finding assignments, completing shops, writing reports, and avoiding many of the mistakes new shoppers make.
Following Telephone Mystery Shopping Scripts
Most telephone mystery shops give you a scenario to follow. You may be instructed to ask about a product, request information, inquire about an appointment, or act like a potential customer.
Don't read the script like you're reading from a piece of paper. Know what information you need but make the conversation sound natural.
You also need to pay attention to the employee. Was the phone answered promptly? Did the employee identify the business? Was the person friendly? Did they answer your questions correctly? Did they attempt to make a sale?
Sometimes one little detail is the entire purpose of the assignment.
I once had pizza shops where I called to place an order. The client wanted to know whether the employee would try to upsell me. Would I be offered a larger pizza, an appetizer, extra toppings, or a drink?
Of course, I wasn't going to hang up before cancelling the order. I would say something like, "Oh, you brought dinner," pretending someone had just walked into the house with food.
That gave me a believable reason for cancelling.
Telephone Surveys Can Add Up
One of my more unusual telephone assignments involved people who had visited a medical clinic. It was actually an audit, and not a mystery shop.
I was conducting follow-up surveys. I was given a list of approximately 300 names and telephone numbers. I had about 10 questions to ask each person concerning the service they received at the clinic.
The pay structure made this assignment interesting.
If someone answered my questions, I received $2. If the person answered but hung up without completing the survey, I received $1. If nobody answered after three attempts, I received nothing.
Three hundred telephone numbers sound like an enormous assignment, and it did require some organization. However, I could make the calls from home and work through the list. I usually earned around $250 from a batch of 300 calls.
That's an example of why you should look beyond the payment for an individual mystery shop. A $2 telephone call doesn't sound exciting. Put hundreds of them together, and the assignment looks quite different.
Keep Good Records
Large telephone projects require organization.
When you're working from telephone mystery shopping scripts, keep track of every call. You may need to record when you called, whether someone answered, how many attempts you made, and whether the person completed the survey.
Don't rely on your memory.
This becomes especially important if you're juggling several assignments. You don't want to make a fourth call when the instructions permit only three attempts.
For regular telephone shops, write down important details immediately after the call. If the employee gives you a price, name, appointment time, or product description, you'll probably need that information for your report.
Some Telephone Shops Require Longer Narratives
Not every telephone shop is a two-minute conversation followed by a few multiple-choice questions.
I also completed Medicare-related telephone assignments. I would call and request information while evaluating the person who handled my inquiry.
Those calls could produce fairly lengthy narratives.
I had to remember what was said, how the representative handled my questions, and how the overall conversation progressed. The report had to accurately describe the interaction without adding something that didn't happen.
That's where good note-taking becomes extremely important.
If the assignment permits notes during the conversation, use them. Develop abbreviations that allow you to capture important information without losing track of what the employee is saying.
Don't Sound Like a Mystery Shopper
The biggest danger with telephone mystery shopping scripts is sounding scripted.
The Medicare calls can sound scripted when you talk to the phone attendant. I know some of them knew I was a mystery shopper by the way they responded to my questions. They get mystery shopped a lot. I didn't reveal myself as a mystery shopper either. Some of those people are pretty sharp.
That's okay. When the phone attendant suspected me, the best tactic for them is to give the best performance they can possibly give. If they don't, what they're actually doing is begging for more mystery shoppers to call.
You want the conversation to sound like something a real customer would have.
Your tone matters too. Don't sound like you're conducting an interrogation unless the assignment actually is a survey.
Read the Instructions Before Calling
Telephone shops can look easy because there's no travel involved, but mistakes can still invalidate an assignment.
Know exactly whom you're supposed to call, what you're supposed to ask, and what information you need to collect. If the assignment requires a particular scenario, learn it before making the call.
Also understand the rules concerning recordings. Don't record a telephone conversation simply because it would make writing your report easier. Recording-consent laws vary, and mystery shopping companies and clients may have their own requirements. Follow the assignment instructions.
A Different Kind of Mystery Shopping
Telephone assignments won't appeal to everyone. Some shoppers don't enjoy making calls, while others love being able to work without leaving home.
I've found that the best telephone shops have a clear scenario, reasonable reporting requirements, and compensation that makes sense for the amount of time involved.
A good telephone mystery shopping script gives you enough structure to gather the information the client needs without making you sound like you're reading a questionnaire.
Whether you're checking for an upsell on a pizza order, evaluating a customer-service representative, requesting information, or making hundreds of survey calls, the same rule applies:
Know what you're supposed to accomplish before you pick up the phone.
Then have a conversation—not a performance.
About the Author
I'm Mystery Don, and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, and new home builders.
I created this website to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen—and to show new shoppers how legitimate mystery shopping really works.
My book Take That Job And Mystery Shop It! lists over 150 mystery shopping companies to contact. I offer beginner-friendly tips and honest guidance without hype.
We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.
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