One of the challenges you face as an apartment mystery shopper is managing to complete your shop and shop report by the deadline on top of everything else you have to manage in your day. Here, we’ll discuss some tips and tricks you can use to help you stay on track and get your shops completed on time as well as what to do if you’re running behind. After all, the more reliable you prove yourself to be, the more often you will have access to better and more profitable shops and the more money you can make!
- Know What’s Going On: The first, most important piece of advice is not to overload yourself! Take some time to evaluate your schedule before picking up shops. Do you already have several other shops you’re working on? Are you scheduled for additional hours at your other job? Are your kids going to be out of school for an extended break? If you look at your overall schedule and see that your plate is already full, it may be best to be conservative about how many assignments you pick up at one time.
- Don’t Delay: Once you’ve confirmed you have the time in your schedule to give your attention to shops, make sure to get started right away! Read the special instructions for the shop so you are familiar with what’s expected and then begin making calls the same day. Be sure to make between 3 and 5 calls per day and work to space those calls out across the day so you have a better chance of reaching the person you need to reach. For some shops, especially those with a specific target agent, you may have to make calls for a couple of days, so the sooner you can get started, the better.
- Fill in As You Go: When you complete the phone call, unless you’re visiting right away, go ahead and fill in the phone portion of the report. This way the information is fresh in your mind and you’ll already have a great head-start! (If the call was recorded, be sure to listen to the call as you complete the report to make sure it’s accurate.) When you get home from the visit, get the backup documentation scanned and uploaded first thing so it doesn’t get lost and you don’t forget.
- Tie Up Loose Ends: Find a quiet time during your day to finish up the visit portion of the report. Maybe at the end of the day when the kids have gone to bed or first thing in the morning as you sip that cup of coffee – anytime you’re able to focus best. The more reports you write, the better you will be at composing a concise summary that still provides all the important details. Remember to save each page before moving on to the next and also update the shop checklist to mark each section complete as you work your way through.
- Keep in Touch: When you find yourself struggling to meet the deadline either because you haven’t reached the target, you needed to reschedule the meeting, or you just have too much on your plate, make sure to update the shop through the white envelope icon to let the EPMS person assigned to your shop know. This way they can move the date when appropriate or help get the shop removed if it’s more than you can handle at the time.