Author: lford

There are many reasons why shop completion can be delayed. Four common scenarios are listed below along with advice for what to do if they arise.

When the call is constantly going to voicemail

Most apartment shops include calling the apartment complex prior to completing the onsite visit. There may be times when you call a complex and you will be repeatedly directed to voicemail. It is recommended to call without leaving a message at least five (5) times before you leave a message.

It may be recommended to reach out to the EPMS staff through your shop page to update them on this issue prior to leaving a message. The staff member will typically email you next steps to follow to move through the shop. If directed to leave your name and number, make sure to leave the correct number, even if you use a fake name.

When messages are not being returned

First, contact EPMS through your shop’s page to update them and let them know this is happening. Typically, an EPMS staff member will send an email to you directing you one what to do next. If you continue to call while waiting for the EPMS staff member to email you next steps, you are usually able to get a leasing agent on the phone.

When the wrong agent answers the phone

Instead of hanging up, you should ask the person who answers the phone something general. This could be asking for office hours or address and location. For example, when I am looking for a target agent and another leasing agent picks up the phone, I would choose a street that is familiar yet not near the actual apartment complex. I would then ask the person if they are near (insert street name).  They would say no then usually thank you before hanging up. If the agent tries to start the leasing conversation with you, simply say that you already live there. This usually stops them from asking additional probing questions about your interest in leasing. Of course, this response works best when you are asking about office hours or gym close time.

When you arrive onsite and your target agent is not there

If you arrive onsite and your target agent is not there, ask the person who greets you if this person will be back and when. If they respond that the target agent went to lunch and would not be back for an hour or two, you can typically go ahead and shop with whomever greets you. If the person would be back in less than an hour, just say that you can wait for this person as you would like to finish the conversation with the agent who started it with you. This usually works well to stop even a pushy agent from trying to help you through the process.

Once  you have finished your mystery shopping assignment you will need to evaluate all of your information.  Before you even leave the mystery shopping site, make sure you have met all the requirements for the shop. For instance, some shops now require a photo showing certain parts of the shop.  Other requirements maybe the time you were at the mystery shopping location or the shopping of a particular person.

In any case, you need to show that you were actually at the specified location and shopped the location in the time frame allowed.  That being said, for most apartment shops you will need to have the business card of the person you shopped.  If no card  was available, then you need brochures or floor plans.  If possible, get the agent to sign their name on the paperwork that they provided to you.

Once you have all the materials required then you can enter the information for the shop. Furthermore, you should upload the documents when you complete the written portion of the shop. Make sure the documents can be read easily. A good scan or even a good photo should not be blurry to the person reading your report.

Documentation is very important and it will make the difference on whether the shop is accepted or rejected by the mystery shopping company. It helps to see if you shopped the correct person and if you went to the approved location. Accordingly, make sure you have supporting documents and ensure they are submitted at the time you send in your report.

When you accept your mystery shopping assignment with Ellis Mystery Shopping Company you have to complete part of the assignment from home before you even go on site. Such as simply reading the instructions.  For example, you need to make sure you don’t know anyone working at the community.

You definitely don’t want to complete a shop and a have conflict of interest.  Especially one that can be avoided by looking at all of the shop details including who the target agent may be.

Next, you might have to map out the shop and make sure the amount you will be paid would be worth the trip. Keep in mind you might have other shops to do from other mystery shopping companies and you need to be mindful of the time you will be at the apartment shop. Most shops require you make the telephone call, so call and get your target. Once you have done that you are ready to visit on site. Take your notebook and gas up the car!

When you get there and it seems your target agent is not around, take a look and see if you see the golf carts in the front of the leasing office. Afterwards see the sign in the door and see if it says closed or open. If you see another phone number, like a local number listed, call it and see if you can get someone to answer. If none of these options work, then see if you see a resident and ask if they know where the target agent might be at the moment.

Lastly, if you have waited for over thirty minutes you should take a photo of the sign and then leave. Once you are back at your work area then write an email to Ellis Mystery shopping. Detail what steps you took to see where the target agent was at that time of day. Wait for a response, but know that you tried your best when you went there to do your assignment.

When you become a mystery shopper and register to complete with a mystery shopping company, you need to enter in some information in the database of the company with whom you have an application.   Besides your name and address, you would have to put in your date of birth and even your social security number.

All of this information is required to make sure you are a legitimate person looking for work.

You might be curious to ask why the mystery shopping company would need a social security number from their shoppers. Especially since shoppers are 1099 employees and not salary based employees.  Fraud happens in all areas of life and the company would need to ensure the applicant is legally okay to work in the United States.

Furthermore, the demographics area of the mystery-shopping site has questions to help narrow down the shoppers who are the best fit for a particular assignment. For example, if you currently wear corrective lenses whether it is contacts or glasses – you should update your profile. There are times when you could be called upon to do a glasses shop.  Similarly if you have acquired a new car, then updating your profile will help you gain better shops.

So, next time you have signed in to your favorite mystery-shopping site. Take a look at the demographics area of the site. You might be pleasantly surprised to see some questions that once answered could help you get additional mystery shops.

Are you going on vacation or are you visiting family for a while. Perhaps you have a temporary move. In any case, you might want to do some shops while you are away from your home. After all, there was a reason you signed up to be a mystery shopper.

When you first signed up to be a shopper you had to fill in certain particulars about yourself on the site. For instance, you probably put in your home address and there you could see shops in your neighborhood and what was near by. For example, let say you live in Irving Texas then your zip code would be 75038. The map at Ellis mystery shopping Company would like this: https://app.epmsonline.com/dispatch/shopper/interface/available

As you can see the mystery shops are listed and you can choose which assignments you might want.

Now let’s say you are away from home and you would like to complete mystery shop assignments for Ellis Mystery Shopping. You would go to the same map and there up top where it says “zip code” you would put in a zip code where you would like to shop. For example, if you were in Los Angeles you would simply put in the zip code of where you wanted to go. For instance, if you put in the zip code “90210” and the map populates with all the apartment mystery shops available. See: https://app.epmsonline.com/dispatch/shopper/interface/available

Try to use the map to zoom in as well. It helps to see the roads and conveniences near the shops. The map is great asset to use for your apartment mystery shopping.

Normally, a mystery shop provides a specific person to be shopped and sometimes, you just can not seem to connect with that person on the telephone call.  So, what can you do when the specific target employee does not answer the telephone?

Most companies do not like you to just hang up on each call you make since that can draw suspicion.  Hanging up three to five times a day can trigger an employee to suspect that something is wrong or worse yet, an employee might think a mystery shopper is involved!

One of the first things to do is dial *67 on each call to prevent your number from showing up on the other caller’s line.  Several inconspicuous tips on calling include asking the answering caller if this is so and so business (but remember to prepare to have a business name handy).  An occasional hang-up may be sufficient once or twice, but check the website’s instructions since some companies do not allow any hang-ups.  Another tip, is when you call and the wrong target answers the telephone, you can act as though you can not hear the person due to the static on the telephone and state that you will have to call them back.

Normally, after six to ten calls, most mystery shopping companies allow you to ask for a target by name.  So if you are already at the sixth call and still have not reached your target, ask your customer service representative if you can ask for the employee’s name.  Getting an approval with customer service on when you can ask for a specific name can prevent unnecessary time calling someone who may not be working there or can not be reached quickly.

You have been doing routine mystery shopping jobs and have noticed that some companies advertise video shopping assignments which normally have an added bonus fee than regular shops, but continue to ignore them.  You might feel a little apprehensive to try something new, but video shops are not that difficult to learn and they normally allow you to learn more money than a standard mystery job.

Conducting a video shop with Ellis Partners is not as difficult as it may appear and only requires learning a few new steps.   If you decide to assign yourself  video shops, remember to order your video shirt size larger than you normally wear since sizes tend to run small.

Further, a larger size will ensure that you can button the shirt comfortably in the front without any problems and also allows you to wear a blouse underneath.  Also, when you assign yourself these video shops, ensure that your calendar allows you to perform this job quickly since Ellis requires the shop to get completed as soon as you receive the video equipment.  The video  equipment is similar to a simple recording device and Ellis provides written instructions on how to record a video shop and also gives a telephone number to call their technical department for any further questions.

The equipment is similar to wearing an I-pod and the small camera device is attached to the front of the shirt.  The recording device is a small box that can be placed under your shirt or in your pocket.  Ensure you can perform these types of jobs quickly since many of these devices require companies to pay a daily fee for the use of the video equipment.   Also, do not forget to keep in constant touch with your customer service representative for any problems since they are there to assist and get you going on making more money!