A few weeks ago, I wrote about the many ways you could make money making phone calls. I talked about the many companies looking to hire you full time as well as the mystery companies that allow you to work at your own pace only over the phone. There were quite a few.
As that post covered almost all telephone job options, I figured I would create a post that solely talked about the telephone mystery companies that pay you to make phone calls from home. The nice thing about mystery shopping is that you can work at your own pace and whenever you want. There are no set schedules, making it one of the most flexible gigs around.
If you’re interested in talking over the phone, asking some pre-defined questions, then this could be something to consider. You won’t get rich in doing this, but it’s not uncommon to make $50 or even $150+ a month working very part-time.
In this post, I will talk about how it works, why you should consider it as well as the many telephone mystery shopping companies that want to work with you right now.
How Does Telephone Mystery Shopping Work?
If you’re not familiar with mystery shopping, I talked a lot about it in here and here, but in short, you will be in charge of accepting a job, in this case, a phone job, and acting as if you were a customer. Then, after the call completes, you will fill out a form, generally answering a few questions in regards to your phone call as well as upload a recording of your phone call in some cases. In some scenarios, you will call a special toll-free number that routes directly to the mystery shopping company as you talk over the phone.
For example, in the past, I was asked to call a local apartment complex and ask them a few questions in regards to apartment openings as well as a few concerns a legitimate renter may have. Then, after the call completed, I was asked about the employee and how long the call took. I think it paid about $10~, but it only took me about 10 minutes to complete.
As the name implies, you will always remain a mystery so that the person you’re talking to never knows you’re actually analyzing their work. You will never ever let them know you’re part of a mystery shopping company as this would blow your cover, of course.
Companies use mystery shoppers to make sure employees are following corporate protocol and are offering a pleasant experience, to name a few. So, by keeping it quiet, employees won’t change their way of doing things just so that they can get a good review.
The entire process is straight-forward. As long as you follow the directions, you won’t have a problem getting paid.
If it sounds like something of interest, then here are 16+ companies that you can apply to right now. In some cases, you can start working in as little as a few days as long as you pass the application process.
Telephone Mystery Shopping Jobs Companies
ARC
ARC is almost always hiring independent shoppers and call evaluators to make telephone mystery shopping calls. Pay is said to be between $3 to $10+ per call, with room for advancement in the future for steadier work. The cool thing about ARC is that they hire from all over the world, not just the United States, so if you’re bilingual or comfortable with another language, then you’re encouraged to apply.
- Website: ARC
BARE International
BARE Associates International works in more than 100 countries and are always looking to hire new evaluators. As a member of the MSPA, recently winning the MSPA Shoppers Choice award, this company sets the standard in the industry, according to many mystery shoppers. While you won’t always find telephone mystery shopping gigs, they do post them on occasions. Every month, they post more than 50,000 jobs, so there’s a good chance you could find something.
- Website: BARE International
Bestmark
Out of all the telephone mystery shopping companies I list here, I would have to say Bestmark is the most reputable and offers the most jobs. While not all of their jobs are telephone-based, the company posts more than 10,000 mystery shop jobs across the United States, making them one of the largest job boards online. BestMark works with multiple Fortune and Globe 500 companies and is part of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
- Website: Bestmark
Business Evaluation Services
Business Evaluation Services is a full-service mystery shopping company, focusing on more than just telephone mystery job opportunities. The company has been an active member of the very reputable Mystery Shopper Providers Association (MSPA) since 2001. To become a shopper, they did post a list of the many ways to become a successful shopper with their company and receive continuous assignments via the official link below.
- Website: Business Evaluation Services
Call Center QA
Call Center QA offers an “exciting” opportunity for both men and women who don’t mind speaking on the phone and have a strong attention to detail. You get to choose your own schedule, and according to the website, each telephone mystery shop typically pays $5 for a call that usually lasts no longer than 10 minutes. What makes them different is that they pay out fast, in seven days or less. To learn about how you can add your name to their telephone mystery shopping waitlist, you can do so via the link below.
- Website: Call Center QA
Confero
As a Confero telephone evaluator, it will be your job to call a toll-free number, which then re-directs to the correct location. The call is then recorded and available for listening for both the client as well as Confero employees. Talking with other mystery shoppers, it appears most of your telephone work will be in regards to price checks.
- Website: ConferoInc.com
Imyst
Imyst works with more than 100,000+ mystery shoppers across the United States and always have room for more. Working in almost every industry, not all jobs are telephone based, but you can find a few here and there. If you want to become a shopper, they ask that you fill out the application form linked below. It’s quite lengthy, and it will require a writing sample as well as previous experience to ensure that your writing is up to their standards.
- Website: Imyst
InteliChek
As an InteliChek Agent, you get to work from the comforts of your own home making automotive-related telephone mystery shopping calls. These calls tend to be on the shorter side, lasting no longer than five minutes and pay close to $1 each.
- Website: Intelichek.com
Perception Strategies
Perception Strategies primarily deals with the healthcare industry, and your role, as a telephone mystery shopper, is to ask certain questions and evaluate how the response is that you receive. Unlike a lot of the mystery shopping companies I talk about here, they don’t record the call, so you will be responsible for creating a very detailed report to get paid. Plan spending 15 to 25 minutes, from phone call to report, but payment is said to average $15 each.
- Website: Perstrat.com
Quest for Best
Quest for Best works in more than 40 states and offers some telephone mystery shopping jobs on occasion. However, they are quite rare. Nonetheless, it’s another opportunity to consider as there’s no limit as to how many mystery shopping companies you sign up for.
- Website: Quest for Best
Reality Based Group (RBG)
The Reality Based Group has worked with a ton of well-known brands, including Amazon and Hilton, to name a few. The company offers a ton of mystery shopping opportunities, including telephone shops. If accepted to the platform, you will work as an independent contractor, where you can select any job from the list at your leisure.
- Website: RealityBasedGroup.com
Second to None
Second to None offers a ton of mystery shopping gigs, not just telephone jobs. They are known to be one of the leading mystery shopping companies, working with many well-known brands in both the United States and Canada. In business for more than 30 years, they have a solid A+ BBB rating and a great reputation among current mystery shoppers. As long as you enjoy interacting with people, have excellent observation skills and are capable of remembering small details, then the company encourages you to apply as an independent contractor via the application form linked below.
- Website: Second to None
Secret Shopper
As one of the largest secret shopping companies on the web, they offer opportunities in almost every vertical, including phone shops. As a secret shopper, you will make customer service calls, competitor phone calls as well as conduct research. It’s up to you as to which jobs you want to select from the list. If you want to start as a mystery shopper, this is one company that needs to be at the top of your list.
- Website: SecretShopper.com
Shoppers’ Critique International
Shoppers’ Critique International has been a proven leader for more than 40 years, offering a variety of mystery shopping jobs, including telephone gigs. The company pays quick, has an accessible staff as well as a very easy to fill out registration form. If interested, follow the link below to start the application process. There are no registration or obligation fees. Work the shops that make sense to you.
- Website: Shoppers’ Critique International
Shopper’s View
Shopper’s view is yet another larger mystery shopping company, similar to that of SecretShopper.com, that focuses on almost everything. While they focus on many industries and types of mystery shopping gigs, you can find telephone jobs from time to time that allow you to work at your own pace from home. Simply sign up as a secret shopper, accept the jobs of interest and complete for pay. From my personal experience, most telephone jobs pay anywhere from $2 to $5+ each.
- Website: Shopper’s View
Yardi Matrix
Yardi Matrix is different in that they only hire during certain periods of the year, and you will need to complete a certain number of surveys per week to stay active. I talked about this company in the past, particularly my make money as a college student and how to make $1000 fast posts and found it to be a great part-time income opportunity if you can take advantage of it. In short, you will call various apartment communities, asking about rent, rent specials and more.
- Website: YardiRentSurvey
Final Thoughts
If you want to focus solely on telephone mystery shopping work, then you must know that there’s not a ton of work out there. That’s the main reason I said you could make maybe $150+ a month at best, so, don’t plan on replacing your income.
Mystery shopping, as a whole, on the other hand, could replace your part-time income as there are always hundreds of jobs available as long as you live near a somewhat busy metropolitan area. In this case, you would have to visit the stores and some people aren’t comfortable and/or don’t have the time to do that. I get it. A lot of the companies I mentioned above offer much more than just telephone jobs, so you may want to see what they have to offer aside from making phone calls.
In the end, talking over the phone can be great since you can do it from home, and most jobs only take a few minutes to complete. Plus, it’s quite flexible.
If you know of any companies I’m missing and/or you want to comment on what I have already added, then, as always, you’re more than welcome to do so in the comments below.
For now, start applying to the many companies mentioned and see who’s willing to bring you on board. Best of luck!
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