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ARC Consulting Will Pay You for Telephone Mystery Shops
Review of ARC Consulting Mystery Shopper Jobs
Mystery shopper jobs are something I've always been interested in. I have heard good and bad. But I wanted to share a company I found that offers freelance mystery shopper jobs. ARC Consulting does pretty much what their name implies. They’re a consulting firm that helps clients improve their public relations, sales strategies, etc. One of the things that ARC Consulting does is provide secret shoppers which are a wonderful way for businesses to learn what aspects of their performance needs to be strengthened. (See my post, Big Mystery Shopping Companies List – Get Started Today for more mystery shopping opportunities. Or, here's another way to earn, List of Legitimate Paid Focus Groups (and how to get started!).
Sometimes ARC Consulting puts out a call looking for freelance contractors who would be willing to act as ARC mystery shoppers. What makes ARC Consulting different is that all of “mystery shopping” you do will be over the phone, so you don’t even have to change out of your pajamas if you don’t want to.
Is It Flexible?
Admittedly, ARC Consulting isn’t as flexible as I’d like, but they do try. The good news is that they do have shifts going at all times, including weekends, and they do an excellent job trying to work around your availability. (Check out Mobee. It's an app that lets you earn cash mystery shopping with your smartphone.)
The Pay
One of the things that really impresses me about ARC Consulting is the amount their willing to pay for their freelancer contractors. Pay is per call, so the longer the call, the lower your pay will be. The amount you’ll make ranges from $2.75/task to $12/task. You should know that you won’t get paid if you reach voicemail or get a busy signal, though you’ll be expected to continue calling those numbers until you connect with a real person.
The Drawback
One of the things I don’t like about this company is that after each call you make, you will have to fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire is long enough that it will take you a few minutes to fill it out, so make sure you factor in this additional time when you’re trying to determine your hourly wage while working for ARC Consulting.
The biggest problem I’ve discovered with ARC Consulting is that it can be quite difficult to get accepted into this company as a freelance contractor and get those mystery shopper jobs. There are two reasons for this. One, many of the people who do this type of work for the company are already full-time employees who make the performance calls when they have some free time. Two, once freelance contractors get accepted into the company they’re so happy they seldom leave, meaning available positions are very rare. You can find out more about mystery shopping as a whole, by checking out the US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Mystery Shopping.
However, if you here ARC Consulting is looking for freelancers, I encourage you to submit your application. If your application is accepted, you’ll have added a fantastic egg to your work at home basket.
The Application Process
The application process is pretty simple, but there is one aspect that can be a little confusing. Some of the questions you get asked will likely pertain to the type of mystery shopping that requires you getting in a car and driving to a store. While you’re encouraged to answer these questions honestly, while doing so, you should keep in mind that it’s unlikely ARC Consulting will ever need you do anything other than talking on the phone. Learn more at: http://www.arllc.com/employment/
Another great resource Kelly!
I did MS heavily or years and years back when I got laid off from my job and it was a life saver for sure. I barely do any right now because I don’t have the time and like you alluded to, the questionnaires for a lot of shops can be quite lengthy especially for department store shops.
When I do take on a shop it’s usually for a particular kind that’s simple and fast to do with a bigger payout so it’s worth my while. I have done phone shops before and they’re easy to do, but you have to remember what people say so you can be accurate when you’re filling out the forms.