Company Overview: Melinda Brody and Company is another of the niche mystery shopping companies, this one specializing in new home shops, of which about 95% are video shops.
Based in the Northeastern suburbs of Orlando, Florida, Melissa Brody and Co. has over 20 years experience in shopping the new home industry. They break their shops down into five categories: New Home Video, Phone, Internet, Competition, and Design Center. Video shops concentrate on assuring the performance of the developer’s sales force. The phone shops are recorded and provide a means of verifying call center performance, as well as how they convert phone inquiries into visits. The internet shops track the timeliness of replies to internet inquiries. Competition shops are, as the name suggests, shops to provide data on a competitor. Lastly, the design center shops measure the performance of the staff at a developer’s design center.
Registration is at http://www.melindabrody.com/
On www.mysteryshopforum.com, there are virtually no negative comments about this company. They pay as agreed and on time, the schedulers are communicative, and, what most surprised this author, when I signed up with the company, Ms. Brody personally called to welcome me. I don’t know if this is standard with the company, but it’s the first time I’ve ever had the owner of an MSC want to talk with me. A check with the Orlando, Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Central Florida BBB revealed no complaints against the company, which reinforces the opinion of the members of Mystery Shop Forum.
The instructions for the shops are very clear and the schedulers are more than happy to answer any questions a shopper may have. They are also quick to call or email after the shop with a review and constructive criticism. One shop I did for them, I was following the agent up the stairs. I briefly thought to cover the camera lens with my hand so as not to film the back of the agent. I didn’t do it though. When I reviewed the video, I was mentally kicking myself for not doing that simple step. That was mentioned in the after shop email, and is now on my mental checklist.
Another plus is the MSC has two documents sent to each shopper. The first is an eight page shopper policy and procedure document, the second is a 19-page shopper orientation document. Both documents are sent to the shopper prior to their first shop. This company is dedicated to making sure the shopper doesn’t fail and do all they can to assist the shopper in being successful. Also, the training provided my Melinda Brody is reputed to be among the best in the industry and that works to help build a shopper’s confidence.
Although there is a job board on the site, you may also be contacted by email if a shop is available in your area. The job board is frequently updated to remain current.