I just did my first Coyle assignment. I am not familiar with the grading system. Can anyone fill me in?

I received a .88 (88.24%)?

Thanks

That type of percentage grade is what they use on their shopmetrics jobs. You probably received an email explaining exactly how you scored in each category. As far as how good your particular score is, I'm not sure for the shopmetrics side, but shops on the main platform state that averaging 18-20 is a good way to have yourself poised for the best shops, but that there's no shame in getting a 16-17 your first try. As your score is pretty close to what an 18/20 would be (90%) I'd say good job, just need to get a little more experience with the style and format.

I most times, get 19 or 20 from Coyle.

vloglady-what do you do special to merit the 19-20? Is it length of report, spelling right, praising the features of the hotel, restaurant, spa? Do you ever get to say the ugly truth and still get a 19-20?

I can promise you that the score an establishment receives from the shopper is not related to the score the shopper receives from the editor.

If you follow the format of the samples closely, provide the required content, use the required syntax, report objectively, have good grammar and few spelling mistakes, you will get a good score. It may be an 18 or 19 for various reasons, but that is still a good score.

Adding unnecessary praise for an establishment will not raise your score. I have submitted very negative evaluations that have received a high score.

Following the format is the most important. I just wrote a fairly negative report on a very upscale restaurant and received a 19 only because my comments in the check boxes were longer than 3 to 5 words. Anyway, when they score you, they tell you exactly why you lost points.

STEVESOCAL- OK. I will take your word for that and hope that the same editors deal with me in the same way- as I sent them a report that will rock the boat in an ugly way for the client. I checked the Trip Advisor feedback AFTER I did the report. (I don't check in advance so my own feedback to the ms co. doesn't get a chance to be compromised by what others have said) Most people just loved the hotel. Of course some of them had done only one or two Trip Advisor ratings so I had to think that they are clueless as to what they should be expecting and their standards are not really established enough to know good from bad. But, some of the "stuff" that happened made it seem as if it was some kind of hidden camera show. It was real and I reported it.

What concerns me about your post is that if you are being objective in your reporting, having a preconceived notion of service at the hotel or expectations based on prior experiences would not be an issue. How other people felt about the hotel should not influence your reporting either. You simply tell the events as they happened and let the clients make up their mind about it. Hopefully you did not color your narrative with disappointment, or the editors may have a problem with it.

I would also add that I have exactly 2 Tripadvisor reviews on my account. I don't submit reviews for places that I MS for obvious reasons, so the number of submissions a Tripadvisor member has is not necessarily a reflection of how observant or experienced they are.

Good to know, thanks!

Has anyone been paid for August yet?

I have not been paid for August.

I routinely get 19s-20s and the occasional 17 to 18 but I've found that a lot of their editors are inconsistent. I got a 17 for not following a style guideline listed anywhere on their site (It's on the site coyleapps.com- which I didn't know existed until after I was docked points) and only after I did like fifteen shops for them was I informed of a rule of theres that was never stated before.

The issue with Coyle isn't writing for them as much as anticipating what each editor might have a problem with. If you try to cover your rear to get a perfect score you'll spend hours. If you take a gamble and do things mostly right, you may get a few point deductions: it's up to you if your time is that valuable or not. Personally, I work for coyle the most out of any MSC because they have so many enjoyable assignments in my area, but now that I've stopped being a college student and have a "real" job I'm starting to feel fatigued from writing for them.

The score of the evaluation for the client is irrelevant to the score received by the evaluator. The only time client scoring is taken into consideration is if the shopper uses very subjective language, shows bias, or makes himself memorable as a guest. The easiest way to score perfect 20's:

- write each narrative in a blow-by-blow manner, incorporating every possible observation and staff interaction
- be sure that ALL standards scored as YES are specifically written into the narrative for that section, even if they seem redundant or obvious (such as: glassware appropriately handled, server was accessible, etc)
-provide a brief 3-5 word explanatory comment for ALL standards score NO or N/A
- include the exact opening and closing quotes of each staff interaction
- include time stamps for all important events, including staff interactions, ordering, delivery, etc
- follow the client requirements to the letter
- follow the Coyle format (see [coyleapps.com])
- when in doubt, email Support with questions - someone will usually responded within one hour and no question goes unanswered
- if you disagree with a score from an editor, email Support and a manager will review and could possibly change the scoring

Shoppers score 19-20's all the time, and an occasional score of a 16 or 17 won't negatively impact the ability to be assigned.

Where do you see your scores?

(heart)