Category: Tips for Mystery Shopping

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!

You just submitted your computer online report to your mystery shopping company and begin applauding yourself for another job completion while dreaming of how to spend all that money you just made. You then start looking for other assignments to make more money, but hold on, did you forget that a major component on mystery shopping requires submission a follow-up report?  A follow-up report is normally necessary for a shopper for a complete job before you receive your final payment.   Most companies want to know if their client followed-up with their customers with a telephone call, email message, or if they sent a note in the mail within a certain time frame.

So remember not to toss out any of your records until you receive your follow-up correspondence from your target employee since that is the final part of a mystery shop.  Ensure you immediately note the date you received your telephone call, note in the mail, or email since accurate reporting is important for clients to monitor their employees turn-around time when responding to customers.  Most mystery shopping websites have an automatic reporting system that has a set time frame for shoppers to report a follow-up visit.

Failure to report a follow-up report within an appropriate time frame can sometimes cause mystery shopping companies to block you from the system which prevents you from viewing and assigning more assignments.  If a site blocks you from viewing their jobs due to a late follow-up reporting of an assignment, it can sometimes take days to resolve the problem and you can lose valuable jobs while you wait for the system administer to fix the problem.  A few minutes is all it takes to document the date you received a follow-up and that will ensure you always have access to job assignments.

To have a successful shop, you must be prepared for the shop by knowing all of the details necessary to complete the mystery shop.

I have listed the most important steps to preparing for a successful shop below.

Step 1: Check the EPMS website for all required information (log in required)

When you log into the EPMS website, read through all of the tabs under your assigned shops. Each shop will have its own information and details for you to review.  Remember, although some of the information may seem the same, still read through it as you do not know what information may be updated or different.

 Step 2: Check the Special Notes

Make sure you take note of the person’s name if you are assigned a ‘target’ shop. This is a shop where you are assigned a specific person to shop.  Check to make sure there are no specific times to call or not call.  Always keep the EPMS staff updated, if you are not able to reach your target within a couple of days.  If you are assigned a shop where you can shop ‘anyone’ then simply read the instructions, make the phone call and perform the onsite mystery shop.

 Step 3: Get familiar with the Property

Take about five minutes to look at the apartment community’s website. Look at the floor plans, price ranges, and location.  This is to ensure you sound natural and comfortable during your call with the agent.  Now, you are ready to complete your next shop. Due to the above steps, you will be on the high list to be approved for more mystery shops.

There are several things you need to consider when coordinating a day of mystery shopping.  First, take a look at your calendar to determine how much time you have this week or month  Make sure you have enough time to complete the shops. Figure out the time frame

Determine how many shops you want to complete during that selected time frame

Choose the mystery shopping sites that will have the type of shops you want to complete.  If you are not a current shopper for that particular company, apply to be a shopper. Once accepted, you will receive your log in information.  If you already have your log in information, log in to see what mystery shops are available.

Choose Your Desired Shops

Look through the shops and determine which ones sound fun, easy, or fit into your available time frame.

Request the Shops You Want

This is pretty self-explanatory.  Just make sure to select more than enough shops so that you can get the number of shops you want. For example, if you want to complete four (4) shops, aim to request for six (6) shops.

Wait for Confirmation

Do not complete the shop until you get confirmation from the mystery shop company that you have been selected to complete that particular shop. Chances are there is more than one person requesting this very same shop.  There are many reason why a company may or may not choose you, just know it is not personal.  You will want to request more than enough shops so that you can increase your odds of getting the number of shops you want to complete.

Do not forget to read and review the shop requirements. This ensures that you can complete the shop, as directed. This means that you will be chosen for more shops later 😉  Now, you are ready to plan a route of shops, have fun!

When you are first assigned a shop to be completed, you will get a confirmation email. Check the email you used to sign up with for shops to see the email informing you of your upcoming mystery shop. Once you have verified the assignment you can begin the process of mystery shopping.

If you have been given an assigned target then you may have some difficulty reaching the person. In this case, contact the Ellis Mystery Shop team and inform them that you need help. Most times they are able to help you reach your target individual. It is important you let the company know if you have difficulty reaching the target agent.

Next, you should log in the to the site: http://ellismysteryshopperjobs.com/ and check off the various steps to let Ellis Mystery Shopping know you have

1. Read the guidelines.

2. Made the telephone call.

3. Made the onsite visit. Use the map guide and make sure you know the best route. Call the property and find out hours as part of the shop.

When you check off the different parts on the website you are letting the company know that you are proactive. It also shows that you have made progress on the shop, which is important. Further it shows you are in the process of completing assignment. It also shows you are read the rules on how to conduct the shop and thus there would mostly likely be no mistakes.