Finishing time:2016/3/4 11:45:00 Announcer:TRISEARCHER
Context of Rules
1.1 Context Concerning MS research of the Company
1.2.1 Employee notification
Mandatory Term
l It’s mandatory to notify all employees the information of mystery shopping that might be conducted at whole company level.
l It’s mandatory to clarify to all employees the objectives and potential use of the research and its result. Also tested staffs must be informed (within the national legislation permissible range) if the report is based on the tested independent branch or store, or during the test, personal names would be recorded by voice recording equipment or VCR.
l Employees must be informed if employee reward scheme is part of all referred to MS research result.
l The notified content can be recorded in employee contract or handbook, or notify them with other methods. However, it’s not necessary to tell staffs the detailed information, such as exact time of execution, research coverage, or types of mystery shopper, etc.
Optional Recommended Terms
l Inform staffs of the factors regarding MS coverage.
l Inform staffs of the report format and communication channel
l Inform staffs of information regarding mystery shopper recruitment and training.nbsp;
l If it’s necessary to conduct a few MS trial visit before the main project begins, it’s suggested to notify the tested staffs in advance. If it’s not possible to inform them during the visit, employees can’t be made identified in the trial result.
1.1.2 Employee Identification
l Once tested staffs are known of the influence regarding publicizing of their identities through appropriate communication, and also well understand that all processes will be within the law, then the recorded employee names and identification information can be publicized (see above). However, the actual execution needs to be conducted based on national legislation and regulations. This procedure needs to be consented by Trade Union or its representatives.
l MS research result can’t be served as the only reason to criticize staffs. The purpose of MS is to improve service quality and staffs’ personal development through training and rewarding.
l It’s mandatory to notify tested employees of the save path of the recording and videotaping information, and the future use of these data, in particular:
When to use the data?
Whom to show the data to?
What’s the future use of the data?
Where and for how long the data will be saved?
In order to protect privacy of tested employees, the contractor signed between the research party and the client should also include the restriction of potential data use.
1.1.3Under Circumstances When Employee Trying to Identify Mystery Shoppers
l Employees should be notified that it’s not feasible to “identify mystery shoppers”, because it might disturb the real customers, which may bring about negative influence to MS research from the whole company perspective.
l The whole process should be well organized, in order to ensure natural behavior of mystery shoppers.
l MS service provider should inform the tested staffs about benefits from this research method and the way to give its role to the full play. In this way, employees’ tendency to identify mystery shoppers can be weakened.
1.1.4 Employees that Earn Commission Rather Than Fixed Salary
For performance assessment of employees who earn commission as their income (automobile, financial industry, etc.), time mystery shoppers might take up to the employees should be considered, or make certain compensation to the latter.
1.1.5 Website Evaluation
Mystery shopper should be aware of the possible identity exposure if they use personal credit card for on-line shopping.
1.2 MS Research to Competitors
When conducting contact survey of MS research, there’s conduct guideline regarding the purchase of product or service. The distinction between purchase or non-purchase survey is quite important.
Non-Purchase:
When no purchasing behavior is involved in the onsite execution, the following terms will apply:
l Because staffs of competing companies can’t be informed in advance regarding the MS research, employee personal identity and information shouldn’t be publicized either in report of targeted survey or in the process of recording ( with voice recording, videotaping, etc.). (see “legal issues” party)
l Time spent by mystery shoppers contacting with employees should be rational and based on the market natural consultation features. The enquiry should be brief and also should be similar with other enquiry of regular consumers, in order to avoid wasting resource of competing companies.
l The evaluation frequency of any shopping mall/center should be considered from the perspective of the whole organization, so as to avoid any special individual frequently being evaluation target.
Purchase
When MS research involves actual purchasing behavior, the following terms apply:
l Employee personal identity and information shouldn’t be publicized either in report of targeted survey or in the process of recording (with voice recording, videotaping, etc.)
l Mystery shoppers shouldn’t suffer any adverse consequences (e.g. their credit status) due to the purchase of certain product or return it afterwards
The above rule may vary with the difference of MS research method. The rules will apply no matter the purchase happens or not.
1.2.1 Telephone Assessment of Competing Companies
l Staffs of the competing companies shouldn’t be identified.
l Recording of the conversation is not allowed.
l Any written material should be reduced to minimum of the telephone assessment, and only reflect the normal deal.
l Competing companies should not be asked to make follow-up calls to mystery shoppers during the telephone assessment.
l The average length of contact time between mystery shoppers and employees should be enough to reflect the normal market purchasing status.
l Mystery shoppers should be notified in advance that they might expose their identities if the call receiver installed caller ID display system.
1.2.2 Face-to-Face evaluation of competing companies
l Employees of competing companies shouldn’t be identified.
l No voice recording or videotaping should be conducted during the contact. (see “legal issues” part)
l Any follow-up paper work regarding the evaluation process of competing companies should be reduced to minimum, and only reflect normal purchasing status.
l Competing companies should not be asked to make follow-up calls to mystery shoppers after the evaluation.
l The average length of contact time between mystery shoppers and employees should be enough to reflect the normal market purchasing status.
l Time spent on observation or investigation shouldn’t be included in contact time with certain employee. Besides, mystery shoppers shouldn’t excessively interfere with other customers or employee normal activities.
l The ideal MS purchasing behavior should be able to reflect the business type of the shopping place. For instance, mystery shoppers should go to gas station to refuel rather than purchase for key rings.
1.2.3 Evaluation on competing companies with methods of mail, fax and email
l Employee identity shouldn’t be revealed. Therefore, any copied material used as part of report should be anonymous, e.g. information form of employee name, email address, etc.
l The enquiry by mystery shoppers should not cost tome much time and energy of competing companies.
l Mystery shoppers should not ask competing company staffs to reply with very long answers.
1.2.4 Evaluation on competing companies through on-line shopping
All terms under 1.2 should also include the followings:
l Mystery shopper must be aware of the possible identity exposure if they use credit card for on-line shopping.
1.3 Research sponsor and other parties
l If Research sponsor or research project contractor intend to use the MS research for service level test, they must ensure all contract parties have the right to know the project execution and research methods, and inform their staffs (mystery shopper) of the possible identity exposure in the following project execution stage.
l If the above preparation work wasn’t done in advance, then the research should be conducted the same as the one does to competing company, which is forbidden to release any personal identity information.
l If both parties claim in the contract that MS research will be conducted in a method of evaluation, then all employees of the company should be informed of it. Projects can be conducted in tested stores as soon as the information is well known by employees.
(After confirmation of research type, pls. see above for more details.)
1.3.1 Quality Control
l Based on different requirements, research service provider should provide mystery shopper with adequate guidance over execution standards and project training.
l Client and research service provider should reach agreement on the following terms:
MS team status
Project training requirements
Operational control process
Quality control
l Data validity should be realized on computer and logical check and supported by documents that can reveal the MS research contact situation.
1.3.2 Responsibilities of MS service provider towards mystery shoppers
Legal issues and MS Research
All business organizations in charge of MS research should abide by the local laws and regulations related to data protection.