I have been MSing for about 8 months...Love it..don't ever considering flaking...if I commit, then I commit.
I just don't ever have conversations with schedulers. And after reading this I don't know why? I have completed over 300 shops and stick to about 10 companies. Any insight?

I've been shopping 10 years. I have schedulers call me quite frequently. As you build your reputation, the calls will come. I am the "go to" for several companies for shops in my area. Patience, persistence, quality work and time will build your reputation.

BJay,

It might be that you are in an area that is saturated with shoppers so you have lots of competition.

It may also be that the 10 companies that you work for have schedulers who either come and go frequently (never really building rapport with a shopper) or who are so swamped with work that they try to stay off of the phone! It's hard to build a team mentality in either of those situations.

It doesn't take very many schedulers who will call you, and even chat about stuff other than assignments, to make a big difference in the assignments that you may get. I try to send a note to a scheduler when something particularly nice or funny happens on a shop. Usually, they hear only when someone is angry or when something is incedibly fouled up, so good new and good humor can make a shopper quite memorable. Also, if you discover something about a shop assignment or a site that may make a difference in how the client or MSC handles a shop going forward, passing that info along will make you memorable. Just be sure to cast the info in a positive manner. My friend discovered that several of the subway stations that were assigned had different numbers of entances and/or mezzinines than the assignment included. At first the editors refused the shops, assuming that she must be wrong. She went to the scheduler and trainer, not to "complain" about the editor but to "help" the MSC and client update the assignment details for each of those shops. (One entrance, that used to lead directly into a major department store, was closed 12 years ago when the store went out of business, and was still on the client's list of places to be checked out!) Guess who has become their go-to shopper, offered bonus shops, on that huge project! AND, this was her first MS experience when she started MS 3 months ago. (We were trained for those shops together, so we can obviously discuss them in detail, being on the same small team.)

I get calls monthly from NSS as that's how they schedule (by phone). I have a few "schedulers" that may call.
Amanda from Mercantile called the other day to ask me a question about a report and I got a 10. Sometimes you build
a rapport with a scheduler especially if you do the same job over and over...it's nice to put a voice to a name.
Most don't call, so, don't worry, it's all about the connection.

I talk to my schedulers telepathically

Careful what you ask for. Some of these people are so starved for human contact that they won't let you go once they get going.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
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> I get calls monthly from NSS as that's how they
> schedule (by phone). I have a few "schedulers"
> that may call.
> Amanda from Mercantile called the other day to ask
> me a question about a report and I got a 10.
> Sometimes you build
> a rapport with a scheduler especially if you do
> the same job over and over...it's nice to put a
> voice to a name.
> Most don't call, so, don't worry, it's all about
> the connection.

"MY" scheduler from NSS left the company so now I need to build a new relationship. But I get infrequent calls from schedulers. I think lbw1000 is correct that if you are in a place saturated with shoppers they don't have the need to call. Some companies where I used to get calls were ones that had only one client in the area with only a few shops. They did not seem to have many shoppers. But a few of these companies picked up a client with a shop on every corner like a Starbucks or some other chain with thousands of locations. Right after they picked up the new client suddenly they had lots of shoppers for the client I used to get calls and bonuses about.

SandyF...they have a turnover, I agree and was talking about my 6 year relationship with same three schedulers.

You can talk to schedulers?

If I like the scheduler and have a few extra minutes I always make an effort to chat with the schedulers. I am always careful to be mindful of their time though. If I'm not careful I hang up the phone and 45 minutes have gone by. I try to let them do most of the talking.

When a scheduler calls me, I alway sense an urgency in their voice and I find myself trying to help them along so they can get to the next call. I wouldn't call any of the phone contact 'conversations.' My best conversations occur via email.

We are in business and marketing ourselves is part of the business. Chatting up schedulers without wasting their time is a very good marketing tool. Even emailing the scheduler with a note about something good or very funny that happened on an assignment is good marketing, since they usually only get mail asking for help or declaring disaster or ranting about something.

Also, thanking the scheduler for "continued help and support" (when warrented, of course) is always a nice way to end any communication.

The most common call.... "Hi, it's _____ @ ______. I have a shop @ _______ and I know you have done this for us before. I can add $20 to the shop if you can do it in the next three days."


or

"I need this shop done before the end of the month. Are you heading that way anytime soon?"

When you travel or do route shopping, it changes the perspective from "I need this today" to "When will you be in that area?"

Just to add.... It's always nice to thank the scheduler for thinking of you. Again, they get soooo much negative stuff that even a small positive comment will make you memorable!

Wales, have you been getting a sneak preview of Monday's Mystery Shopper Magazine?

James,
Not a chance, but what I have said here on this subject, I have been preaching on forums and at conferences and workshops for years.

walesmaven Wrote:
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> Chatting up schedulers without
> wasting their time is a very good marketing tool.

Wales make a good point here that I would reiterate. There is a difference between being amiable and receptive to making conversation with your scheduler, and talking their ear off! Scheduling a time-sensitive job and so you may do harm to the relationship if you want to engage in casual conversation each time the scheduler calls you.

I would also add what seems like it would be common sense but I learned was not; Don't stalk your scheduler...cyber or otherwise! I had a shopper discern my home address based on a conversation we had and a bit of internet snooping on their part. They then sent a small gift to my home address, presumably to increase their chance of getting better assignments. It totally freaked me out and I deactivated the shopper...

Yes, I always say "thanks for your help" on the phone or in email when communicating with schedulers.

walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We are in business and marketing ourselves is part
> of the business. Chatting up schedulers without
> wasting their time is a very good marketing tool.
> Even emailing the scheduler with a note about
> something good or very funny that happened on an
> assignment is good marketing, since they usually
> only get mail asking for help or declaring
> disaster or ranting about something.
>
> Also, thanking the scheduler for "continued help
> and support" (when warrented, of course) is always
> a nice way to end any communication.

I attended the IMSC conference back in May of this year. I arrived a couple of days early in Atlanta so I could play tourist. I contacted some of my regular schedulers via e-mail ahead of time to let them know that I would be traveling out of town. For the life of me, I could not get any shops along the way.

While at the Georgia Aquarium, I had the opportunity to get in the water with four Beluga whales. It was such an awesome experience. I was so excited when I got out of the water, I just started texting a pic of one of the whales kissing me on the cheek to everyone I could think of. That included a scheduler or two.

While attending the IMSV conference/workshops, I periodically checked my e-mail. One of the schedulers that I sent the whale pic to offered me my first regular route of monthly shops. I have no proof that the whale pic had anything to do with it or it was just a coincidence but it obviously did not hurt. :-)

Maybe she thought the whale was a good judge of character.

I have regular conversations with my schedulers but more often than not, they don't catch me on my landline, so I usually get messages. When they really want a shop to be done, they tend to make a meaningful conversation.

Some I have a short conversation. Other it is just business.

I've only had conversations with a few but will include humorous lines in emails in reference to shops though. They really do value knowing who they are working with as sometimes with emails, the instant responses are not there.

I am always courteous and appreciative to them!

Sometimes you just have to make the first move....thank them for a shop you've been trying to get! If something was really urgent, after completing the shop, I let them know, "I got it done for you!" It reminds them that you are dependable and build a positive trait.

It never hurts to be social.

I have several that are just business and some that are becoming good friends. I know when one is giving birth and the struggles with picking a name. Another is a fan of my baseball team and we chat about that and the hot dogs at the stadium. Others it is the "I have a job and you have done it before...."

Rapport is nice though. Even the ones that are all business, I contact them when they send out information about jobs and I will be available a day or two after their due dates. Sometimes they extend the date and I get the work. If not, at least they know I am willing to work with them if they will work with me. This has lead to a great increase in my income as they know who I am. I am not just a shopper number and a profile. I even met the owner of one of my favorite companies to work for the other day. It was great to meet the person who puts money in my Paypal account every week!