Category: Tips

Tips for navigating mystery shopping assignments

  January 19, 2024

  Posted by: lford

  

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Apartment mystery shopping can be an easy way to make extra cash, travel, and have fun! These are some tips that can help you complete a mystery shop.

  • Read the client’s shop requirements thoroughly
    • Make sure you meet and adhere to the requirements (e.g., student age for student shop, senior age for senior shop, specific timing, agent to shop, etc.)
  • Reach out for help using the white envelope on your dashboard for the shop contract when you have questions
  • Remember when you call the property, you should be in a quiet area without a lot of background noise
  • Research the property online first to see the office hours, then cross reference it with the client’s shop requirements to make sure you are following the allowable times/days
  • Research the area to see if there are multiple shops you can accomplish
    • You may can get a route bonus based on the number of shops are the area in which you select- ask your scheduler using the white envelope
  • Remember your ID! You can NOT tour without one
  • Be patient and friendly
  • Remember the deadlines- your report and all backup and required recordings should be completed and turned in no later than 24 hours after your visit unless otherwise directed by the client’s shop instructions
  • Report all follow up after the shop using your shopper dashboard. You can email [email protected] if you receive follow-up after you reported no to follow-up via the online portal.
  • Remember that shops must be completed, with reports, backup and recordings submitted and accepted before the 7th to be paid on the 22nd.

There are also some things you should avoid in order to be successful when apartment mystery shopping:

  • Do NOT ever reveal yourself as a shopper
    • If you feel that the agent knows you are a shopper please report it using the white envelope
  • Do NOT reuse the same shopper story over and over; try something new
  • Do NOT use different names for the phone call and the on-site visit UNLESS otherwise directed by the client’s shop instructions

These tips will help you to navigate apartment mystery shops. Remember, you are an integral part of the customer service experience and your feedback is valued. However, to ensure that your report is accepted and received by the customer, try these tips to increase your chances for success!

Follow up Success!

  September 1, 2023

  Posted by: lford

  

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Did you know that an Ellis Mystery Shop is not complete when you submit your report?  The leasing professionals you shop are scored on their telephone presentation, their onsite presentation, and any follow up contacts they make after your visit.  These contacts (or lack of them) have a great impact on the score the community and the leasing agent receive for that shop.  What are some things you can do to ensure the follow up score is fair and accurate?

  1. Don’t ever decline to give your contact information or say that you prefer not to be contacted.  It is generally required that a community follow up with you.  If you are asked if you have a preferred method of contact, just say that any method is fine with you.  Don’t give the impression that you do not wish to hear back from anyone after the shop.
  2. Always provide valid contact information.  We understand you may sometimes vary your name or phone number between shops to avoid becoming known as a shopper, but the contact information you give must always be valid.  If you have used your own phone number for numerous shops, perhaps you could use a relative’s phone number or a work number to receive contact.  You can set up additional free email addresses at yahoo or gmail.  Just be sure you remember how to log in to the account so you can check for any emails from the community.
  3. Check your spam folder for any missed emails.  Check your phone for any missed calls or voice mails from the property.  Remember that the caller id may not show up exactly as the name of the community.  If you see a missed call or find a voice mail from a community you have shopped, please award credit for the contact.
  4. If you speak with a leasing professional in a follow-up call, do not say that you have already leased elsewhere.  Just say that you are still looking.  You don’t want to shut down any further contacts that could impact her score.
  5. Please report any follow-up contacts that you receive at the bottom of your shopper dashboard.  Scroll to the bottom of your shopper home page and you will see any shops awaiting follow up reporting.  Click on the exclamation mark next to the name of the shop.  You will enter a “yes” or “no” for each of the three types of follow up individually – phone, email, and mail.  You won’t be able to enter a “no” for any of the three types of follow up until it has been 5 days after the visit, but that will not cause your report to be considered late.
  6. If you receive a late follow up after your report has been finalized, please email [email protected] the type and date of the contact.  We will be happy to add that to your report.

The last few points on a shopping report that are awarded for follow up contacts often make a huge difference in the score of a mystery shopping report. 

Time Zones- How Important Are They?

  July 15, 2023

  Posted by: lford

  

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Everyone wants to have a successful mystery shop the first time they attempt it. One of the key items to look for to ensure your shop is successful, is making sure you are shopping the property during their business hours as well as the times that the customer has outlined.

It is easy to pick up a phone or virtual tour mystery shop and think oh it says, “Anytime”. However, “Anytime” does not mean “anytime”. It means any time that the property is open for business and/or during the hours specified by the customer. You MUST be mindful of the time zones. If you do NOT call during the property’s business hours, your shop call will be considered invalid. For example, if you live in California and your shop is in Florida, that is a difference of 3 hours (3 times zones). If you wait to call at 3PM California (PST) time to call Florida (EST), it will be 6PM in Florida and it may be past the property’s open hours for business.

One helpful practice is to print out or save a time zone map of the US on your phone and/or computer. Another option would be to Google in the search bar the name of the city (e.g., “What time is Chicago, IL” ) and then Google will tell you what time it is in Chicago, IL.

There are apartment mystery shops available throughout the US – including Alaska and Hawaii! If you pick up a mystery shop and realize the time zone difference will not work with your schedule, you can decline the shop f you do so quickly so another shopper can accept it. If you pick up a shop and can’t determine what the time zone is, feel free to reach out for assistance.

Last thoughts on how to have a successful apartment mystery shop based on time: Make sure in addition to contacting during the property’s business hours that you also look at the specific instructions to see if there are specific times you are not supposed to be calling. For example, “Do NOT call between 12 and 2” or “Best time to call is between 2P and 6P”. These are time requirements from the customer. Again, if you have any questions about the specifics for a shop, you should ask instead of assuming.

Time zones are very important! Following the time zones will help you:

  • to fulfill the customer’s requirements
  • to be successful with reaching a targeted leasing professional
  • to reduce the number of attempts made to reach an on-site leasing professional
  • get your shop accepted and get you PAID!!!

How COVID changed apartment shopping-

  June 13, 2023

  Posted by: lford

  

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New Ways to Tour

As we are all aware, the emergence of the COVID pandemic changed how people interacted with each other. It also changed apartment mystery shopping. There are now more options provided for touring/seeing an apartment at the location.  Below are some key takeaways to help you with your post COVID mystery shops.

On-site guided Tours-

For a guided tour, you will tour an apartment (and the amenities) in person at the community with a leasing professional assisting you and leading the tour. Depending on the location of the shop, you may have to wear a mask based on local and/or state guidelines. Also, the leasing professional may not shake your hand due to COVID safety protocols. Make sure you read the client’s specific shop instructions and the questions on the report to ensure you are giving credit as required.

Self-guided Tours-

For this option, you will arrive on-site and hand over your ID and they will give you keys to an apartment for you to go look at and then return the keys to get your ID back. Sometimes you will have the opportunity to talk with the leasing professional after you complete the self-tour. Another option is you login to a mobile application, upload an ID and then you are given a code to a lockbox for you to enter in order to get in to see the apartment.

Virtual Tours-

When a leasing professional talks about a virtual tour this could mean several things.

  • Virtual tour video
    • Is a pre-recorded video of an apartment and/or a leasing professional walking through and talking about an apartment (or amenities for that matter). This is NOT a live virtual tour. This is a video. The video can be personalized which means that the leasing professional videos themselves in a specific apartment to meet your needs and addresses you personally in the video to discuss this particular apartment.
  • Live virtual tour
    • Is where the leasing professional schedules a specific time and date to tour with you virtually. They may use any platform (e.g., Zoom, FaceTime, Google Duo, Microsoft Teams) to conduct the tour. The leasing professional calls or emails you and when you connect/log in the leasing professional takes you on a tour of the apartment (or amenities)
  • Virtual tour walk-through
    • Is where the leasing professional leads you through a virtual tour video while on the phone with you. The video can be emailed to you or something you can see on the website.

What type of tour am I supposed to take?

When signing up for a shop, please look at the client’s specific shop instructions which will indicate the type of shop that is required. If you EVER have questions about the type of shop, you can use the white envelope on your shopper page to contact a team member who can provide clarification about the type of shop.

Rejection Hurts!  How to GET your report Accepted!

  May 13, 2023

  Posted by: lford

  

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There is no doubt that rejection hurts!  Studies show that feelings of rejection and the experience of physical pain are both felt in the same area of the brain.  We hope that our mystery shops are enjoyable to complete and bring the satisfaction of a job well done.  We never enjoy notifying a shopper that a shopping report they have submitted is being rejected.  Here are some ways to ensure your shopping report is accepted so that our client can use it and you can be paid.

  • Read all the way through the instructions for your shop before you begin.  Some shops include specific days of the week to shop.  Many shops have a “target agent” you must speak with, or an agent you are requested not to shop.  Some shops require that a specific scenario be used, or a question asked. 

  • Listen carefully to the telephone greeting when the phone is answered.  If the greeting does not match the name of the property, reach out to us before proceeding with the visit.  We will be happy to make sure you have reached the correct community.

  • When you arrive at the community, double check the exact name of the community and the address to make sure it matches your shop instructions.  Different properties may have very similar names and differ only in words like “Estates at ___” or “Woods of ____”.  Two properties may have entrances from the same private road or parking area.  The address and name of the community will usually be found on the door, so it is a good habit to double check as you walk in.

  • You are always required to bring a valid, government issued photo ID and willingly present it if asked.  If you can’t tour because you don’t have your ID, your report will not be accepted.

  • Do not decline a tour for any reason if one is offered.  You may have said you are looking for a two-bedroom apartment and they only have a one-bedroom to show.  You should not decline to look at the one-bedroom, and you should appear interested and engaged in seeing it.

  • Do not disclose that you are a shopper at any time during your shop, or at any time later.  If you are asked directly if you are a shopper, please say that you are not.  If your shopper identity is compromised, we will not be able to accept your shop.

  • Submit your report in a timely manner after your visit.  We request that reports be submitted to us within 24 hours after your visit.  We understand that unforeseen circumstances may require a little extra time, but our clients don’t have confidence in the accuracy of a report submitted long after a visit.  Experience has taught us that the most accurate reports are submitted quite promptly.

If something out of the ordinary happens that you feel may affect the acceptance of your shop, please notify us right away by clicking on the envelope icon next to the name of the shop on your shopper dashboard.  Most problems can be resolved easily, and we are happy to help.  It is our goal to help shoppers get every shop accepted, so we can meet our due dates for our clients and build a long-term relationship with a happy shopper!

Welcome Home! A Tour of Your Login Page

  September 20, 2019

  Posted by: lford

  

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Welcome to shopping with EPMS! If you’re new, let’s learn all the things you can find and do with your login. If you’ve been shopping for a while, maybe you will discover something you didn’t know before. In either case, your EPMS profile account is an excellent resource to you with invaluable tools and information. Continue reading “Welcome Home! A Tour of Your Login Page”

Top Skills of Successful Mystery Shoppers

  September 13, 2016

  Posted by: lford

  

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46

Successful mystery shoppers are the best at what they do because they consistently complete mystery shops. You can read about doing something all day, yet if you do not take the time to apply your skills, you will never gain the real world experience needed to be one of the best. If you work to develop the skills below, you will be come a great mystery shopper!

 

Love what you do (or at least like it). If you like, or even love what you do, you will want to do more of it. Am I right? The more you like mystery shopping, the more shops you will want to complete. The more mystery shops you successfully complete, the more practice you will get and the better you will be at completing successful shops.

Do not assume anything. What I mean by this is that you should read everything. Do not assume because you have done a similar mystery shop that it will have the same instructions and directions. Remember, there are companies that hire EPMS to have these shops completed. They will have slightly different parameters and information they want gathered for each shop.

EPMS makes it easy to read through each section of instructions and you must mark it as complete before you can submit your shop results for review. This is a good thing, so make sure to read through everything.

Take action! The best way to refine and learn something is to put it into action. In this scenario, this would involve completing mystery shops. Actually log-in to the shopper area and select shops based on your schedule to complete. It can really be this simple if you allow it.

Overall, if you follow these 3 skills, you will definitely become a better mystery shopper than you are right now. Remember, this applies to you whether this is your first or one hundredth shop.

Best Way to Grow Your Mystery Shop Skills

  

  Posted by: lford

  

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16It does not matter whether you are a new mystery shopper or you have been doing this for years; you can grow your skills at any level of your mystery shopping career.  To be the best at anything, you need to focus and grow your skill set. This takes time and dedication, yet it does not have to take all of your time. If you are strategic and plan accordingly, you can get a lot done in a small amount of time.

 

The absolute best way to grow your mystery shopper skills is to practice. Actually this is the best way to grow any skills. If you’re only doing one or two shops a year, there is no way you are going to learn the ropes of being a successful mystery shopper. You may be wondering how many shops you should complete per month or year. Well, this truly depends on your schedule and availability.

The ultimate best way is to practice your skills. And the best way to practice your skills is to mystery shop. There are a variety of mystery shops available. You can do apartment shops, restaurant evaluations, hotel shops; the list can go on. Choose the type of mystery shops you like the best, select a reputable mystery shopping company and start shopping!

For apartment shops, EPMS is one of the best companies. They have a variety of apartment shops to choose from along with the ability to select a majority of the available apartment shops to assign to yourself. Remember, you can always decide your schedule of shops based on your own free time. There is no clocking in or out with mystery shopping!

Conducting the Phone Portion of a Shop

  July 28, 2016

  Posted by: lford

  

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21

There are typically two components to apartment shops and the first starts with a phone call. During with phone call, you will assess the leasing agent’s ability to learn your apartment home needs, share details about the community and apartment amenities, and entice you to visit the community and tour the facilities. This phone call is typically recorded. EPMS will provide a toll free number you will dial and enter a special code unique to that shop.

 

There will be times where you cannot get a leasing agent on the phone right away and you may need to either call back or in rare cases, leave a message. In those cases, if the leasing agent returns your call, you will need to make an excuse to call them back on the recorded line using the EPMS toll free number. With most apartment shops, you will either be assigned a specific leasing agent to call or you will have the opportunity to shop any agent that answers the phone.

Either way, it is up to you as a shopper to allow the leasing agent to do their best. Try not to lead the call as it is the leasing agent’s job to ask you questions and inspire you to take a tour. The phone shop must be completed prior to taking the in person tour, which you will always say yes to when and if it is offered by the leasing agent. Once you’ve completed a couple of phone assessments, you will see how easy they really are.  Do not worry and remember to allow the leasing agent the best opportunity to be successful!

3 Keys to Being a Successful Shopper

  July 26, 2016

  Posted by: lford

  

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54Becoming a successful mystery shopper is simple, yet you must focus on three basic keys to make this happen.

#1: Know What You Are Looking For

Make sure to read through all of the instructions for each apartment mystery shop. Although all of the apartment mystery shops are listed on the same EPMS site, the apartment or property management companies who hire them may have different requirements.

Therefore, no matter how long you have been completing mystery shops, remember to read and take notes for each section of the shop requirements before completing the shop.

 #2: Stay Objective

Following tip number 1 will help you stay objective because you will know what is required of you and not worry if you are completing the shop correctly. This will allow you to stay calm and focused, giving the staff member ample opportunity to show you they are great at their job. You will then be prepared to create an accurate report for the mystery shopping company to submit to their client. The more focused and calm you are, the better the leasing associate can shine; it is a team effort!

 #3: Be On Time

Make sure that you arrive to complete the in person shop on time; before the leasing associate takes the last potential resident before closing. Always check with the leasing office as this is usually 30 minutes to an hour before the actual closing time. Being on time also applies to submitting your supporting documents (i.e. business card, brochure, etc) and the shop report by the due date. This should typically happen within 24 hours of completing the shop.

Overall, if you follow these three keys, you will be golden.