I want to give some advice to MF about their script for phone schedulers. I usually like getting calls for shops but these calls are always frustrating. I often have trouble understanding the caller due to language barriers, so the call would go better if they were more like the report narratives (300 characters or less).

Current script:
Hi, this is Jane from Marketforce. Could I please speak with Jelly?
Me: How can I help you?
Caller: How are you today?
Me: I am in the middle of something and cannot talk long. How can I help you?
Caller: Should I call later?
Me: <frustrated> no. Please just tell me how I can help.
Caller: I have a shop at ABC store. The address is 1234566890 Main St Suite 299D like Dog in <unintelligible town name>.
Me: What is the city please?
Caller: It is lunch today or tomorrow.
Me: Yes, what is the city I didn't understand.
Caller: <unintelligible town name>
Me: I don't recognize that place. It's going to be too far, sorry.
Caller: <repeats full street address> I could offer you $10.
Me: No thank you.
Caller: So you're not interested?
Me: No.
Caller: Okay I will call back later.

New script (could also be left as a voicemail):
Hi, this is Jane from Marketforce. I have a shop at ABC store in Anytown, USA that needs to be completed today for $10. Can you help?

all the time and then, after i've requested a bonus (which i almost always get) it's another 3 frustrating minutes of confirming everything + confirming my email, and some more details of the assignment.

I know already usually where and what the shop is or it is likely an automatic, "My schedule is full, I won't be able to do it." Mine usually go as follows:

Sch. - "Can you do it for $8?" (That is a $2 bonus.)
Me - " I can do it for $25."
Sch. - "Can you do it for $14?"
Me - "I need $25 to do it."
Sch. - "How about $24?"
Me - "How about $26?"
Sch. - "Ok, I'll put in a request for $25. What should I say is the reason? You have done it before for $20."
Me - "$20 was only when I had other shops out that way. I have no shops out that way tomorrow."
Sch. - "So it is distance?"
Me - "Distance and needing to rearrange my schedule to accommodate you. Put it through for approval and if I don't get it, that is fine as well."

Yes, they should really tell you the bonused fee when they leave a voicemail.

Then there's the rare occasion with interacting with an in-house scheduler. Typically, those are tacked on with a great bonus with no negotiating needed.

@Flash wrote:

I know already usually where and what the shop is or it is likely an automatic, "My schedule is full, I won't be able to do it." Mine usually go as follows:

Sch. - "Can you do it for $8?" (That is a $2 bonus.)
Me - " I can do it for $25."
Sch. - "Can you do it for $14?"
Me - "I need $25 to do it."
Sch. - "How about $24?"
Me - "How about $26?"
Sch. - "Ok, I'll put in a request for $25. What should I say is the reason? You have done it before for $20."
Me - "$20 was only when I had other shops out that way. I have no shops out that way tomorrow."
Sch. - "So it is distance?"
Me - "Distance and needing to rearrange my schedule to accommodate you. Put it through for approval and if I don't get it, that is fine as well."

that's exactly how the scenario goes !!!!!

Unfortunately, I cannot understand them very well. I get messages saying so-and-so from Marketforce called, please call back, but I can't make out the name at all.

So glad to know that I am not alone on this! Last week they wanted me to travel quite a distance for a $2 bonus for (FF restaurant)! Not!

(Mod note: Linking an MSC with its clientele is a violation of the Forum rules and probably also a breach of your ICA)

@Tarantado wrote:

Then there's the rare occasion with interacting with an in-house scheduler. Typically, those are tacked on with a great bonus with no negotiating needed.

Oh, there's always room for negotiation. One of them once asked me how much it was going to cost to get me to do the shop. It wasn't cheap, I can tell you that.

@thegov2k2 wrote:

@Tarantado wrote:

Then there's the rare occasion with interacting with an in-house scheduler. Typically, those are tacked on with a great bonus with no negotiating needed.

Oh, there's always room for negotiation. One of them once asked me how much it was going to cost to get me to do the shop. It wasn't cheap, I can tell you that.

"Always" pushing the limits will lose some nice jobs. Like I said, if you know what I'm talking about when it comes to those in-house scheduling from MF, and not the out-sourced schedulers, the pay offered is more than appropriate and meets my comfort level with hourly rate, plus a decent meal.

@Tarantado wrote:

@thegov2k2 wrote:

@Tarantado wrote:

Then there's the rare occasion with interacting with an in-house scheduler. Typically, those are tacked on with a great bonus with no negotiating needed.

Oh, there's always room for negotiation. One of them once asked me how much it was going to cost to get me to do the shop. It wasn't cheap, I can tell you that.

"Always" pushing the limits will lose some nice jobs. Like I said, if you know what I'm talking about when it comes to those in-house scheduling from MF, and not the out-sourced schedulers, the pay offered is more than appropriate and meets my comfort level with hourly rate, plus a decent meal.

I have had the in-house schedulers tell me if they were not going to be able to get a certain amount approved because I had done the job at the same location previously for less. They seem very willing to work with me. Obviously, everyone's mileage may vary. It seems like since the big fast food jobs went away, there are less MF shoppers in my area. I try to gauge exactly how desperate they are for someone to take the shop before really pressing the issue.

I never have a problem understanding them. However, I work at a large company with a very diverse workforce. I also work nightshift and so my customers are overseas (Asia and Europe and Australia). They do speak English but have heavy accents so have to listen closely. The ones from Market Force to me sound like they are from California (even though I know they are located in the Philippines.

My biggest problem with MF is they calculate my mileage as the crow flies. They aren't the only MSC that has called or asked me to drive 8 miles when It really is a 25 mile drive one way.

I live in off a lake and it doesn't have a bridge.

I have always had great experiences with the scheduler who calls me. He is to the point and doesn't fart around.
I think it comes from an Atlanta area code. I nearly died when I found out I've been doing the burger shops for $6 and he asked me if $25 would work right off the bat.

For the burger shops, aren't those people the project manager? The ones who marketed, vied for and signed the client? Isn't that how most of these work? Or does Market Force have one project manager and they just assign all of their calls to others? Hmmm. Having lived in Hawaii for umpteen years, I understand them perfectly and appreciate their congeniality and their negotiating style, which is lost on most North Americans. When you accept the assignment from them, they are signing the contract for you so they have to go over the contract terms. And me too, I know every job they have for 200 miles around me so I always know why they are calling and how much I will be trying to squeeze out of them based on how much they will be trying to squeeze out of me.

I have one call me and offer me $8 to do the shop but it was already on the board at $30.......

Their VOIP line must be dirty because I can never understand them and they have to keep repeating what they say. I had one offer me a shop in the hood for $10, told them forget it. I won't go into that area working unless I have a vest on.

Yes this mileage as the crow flies is for the birds!
I live on one side of a State Forest, and as the crow flies it is only 12 miles, but as the road runs it is really a 42 mile trek! they do not understand- I can not do this for $6. That works out to less than $3 an hour on the drive time and i'm in the hole for the gas...