Mystery shoppers

Introduction

Suzanne Keene

020 7639 5371
“Mystery Shopper” research exercise
(Mystery Shoppers are often used by marketing and consultancy companies to test services etc)
If you are being a Mystery Shopper, please complete the exercise by the end of October. Please complete the questionnaire after you have completed the exercise.
Almost every museum says that its collections may be visited or accessed on request. This exercise will address the questions:
- If an 'ordinary member of the pubic', not an academic or a researcher, wants to see some of the objects, will they be able to?
- How easy is the process?
- Do they feel welcome, or is the museum reluctant to let them see objects?
- Are the actual access arrangements well organised?
- How does the process rate as a service to the public?
Important note
You do not necessarily need to get to see objects. If the museum says no you can't see the collections, or it appears to be very difficult, then that is fine, just politely back out.
The objective of the exercise is to see how a member of the public (which you are, of course) who was curious about collections would
a) find out if anything of interest was in them and
b) experience the museum's response to a request to see them.
Don't invent anything, or any project you are not actually doing. Simply interest in the objects is fine. We want to know if museums accept that as sufficient reason. If you have anything to contribute by way of personal knowledge of the objects or a personal connection then do offer it.
If they ask you what you do, what's your occupation etc then say straight away you are a museum studies student. If they ask if this is to do with this project then say yes it is, it is an exercise to see how easy it is to find out what is in collections and to access them.
A final technical point: the questionnaire is not actually sent until you see a 'thank you' message. If you don't, please scroll down until you find a red message and complete the question as requested.

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Mystery Shoppers – Report questionnaire
Your details
1. / Please give your name
Your UCL email address
The research exercise
2. / Which museum did you try out?

Address

Postcode
3. / What kind of objects did you choose to see?
What objects

4. / What reason did you give for your interest?
Reason for interest

Locating the objects
5. / How did you discover that the collection included that sort of object?
Please choose your main information source.


6. / How did you choose specific objects to see? Please select the route you found most useful.

Find out about objects - Comments?

7. / Your rating for:
"It was easy to find out if the collection included the things I am interested in"
Impossible 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 Very straightforward
In general - examples exhibited, images used etc / / / /
To select particular objects within the collection / / / /
Good? Poor? Improvements you'd suggest?

8. / If no list was available for you to select objects from, the museum might have helped you in various ways to find out what they have that could be of interest.
Your rating for:
"The museum was helpful in identifying what in their collections might be of interest"
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / N/A
Made no suggestions / / / / / Asked about my interest and volunteered suggestions /
Were they helpful - Comments?

The visit
9. / The next step is for the museum to make an appointment with you to go and see the objects. For various reasons it may turn out that this is not possible.
Were you able to make an appointment to see objects?

Comments on making an appointment?

10. / Your rating for:
"The process of making an appointment to visit to see objects was pleasant and easy"
(Accepting that
(a) notice may be required and
(b) the museum may have a very valid reason why it is impossible at that time)
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / N/A
Difficult or impossible / / / / / Pleasant and easy /
What was good? Not good? Suggest improvements?

11. / If it was impossible to make an appointment, why was that? If the museum gave reasons please explain.
Why no appointment?

12. / Were you asked to justify your request - for example, were you asked if you were a researcher?

What were you asked (if you were)?

13. / Your rating for:
"I felt that the museum welcomed or encouraged me to visit to see things I was interested in"
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / N/A
My request seemed problematic / / / / / My request seemed welcome /
Comments on how you felt your request was received

14. / How did you find the actual arrangements for seeing objects?
(if you didn't get to see any, leave blank)
Aspect of visit / Unsatisfactory 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 Excellent
Area or workroom for looking at objects / / / /
Instruction on how to examine or handle objects / / / /
Attention to collections security / / / /
Staff willing to talk about the objects / collections / / / /
Comments on arrangements

Final impressions
15. / Finally, what did you think of the process overall?
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / N/A
Poor as a service to the public / / / / / / Excellent, a good service to the public /
Overall impression and general report on what you think about accessing collections

Thank you for doing the exercise and completing the questionnaire. If you don't see a 'thank you' message please scroll down and comply with the request in red print to complete a question.
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