Hi,

I am new to this group. Actually, I have never participated in any forum before. The reason I joined was to look for ways to improve the shopper experience in my department. If you have any questions I may answer, or if I may help, please do not hesitate to ask. I began working for EPMS after 12 years in property management, and have been with them for 10-11 years. My experience includes having been shopped, shopping others, and being on the report submission side. Happy to be here!

Welcome to the Board!
You want to improve the Shopper Experience?
Thats simple -
Shorten your companies turn around time for pay...

Ha! I wish I had control over pay schedules!

wants2work,
It is the local custom to expect anyone affiliated with a mystery shopping company to create a permanent sig line stating their name, position, company and contact information. To do this, please visit your "profile" and creat a sig line. It will be automatically added to all of your existing posts as well as future ones.

If you want to know more about the attitudes of your shoppers, please do a search in EPMS and "all dates", pour yourself a stiif drink, and read, read read. We are not a timid bunch around here, but we also include some of your most active shoppers.

walesmaven,
Thanks for the tips! In reading, I have not seen anyone else with their information listed. Was I not supposed to give the name of my company at all?! It will still be possible for me to be helpful, without my information posted. Anyone needing specific help with an Ellis issue could PM me.

I have been reading a tremendous amount for the past two days regarding the thoughts of shoppers. Each person has a valid opinion. My thought is that if I know some of the bigger issues, I can perhaps bring them to the attention of others for resolution. (However, some things are not within my control.) Gaining and retaining quality shoppers is important to me!

Yes, you were absolutely to say the name of your company! Thanks for the new sig line. You are very welcome here but shoppers like to know who is "in the room."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2012 11:48PM by walesmaven.

I hate that you can only deal with some of the schedulers by email at EPMS and even then, they're not brilliant at responding. When I did call the phone number and spoke to someone else she couldn't have seemed less interested.

My first time posting here but I would like to say, if you want to improve the shopper experience - remove the section in your reports that ask for "identifying information" to actually prove you performed the shop!

To clarify, I recently completed a shop with your company in which I had to shop a "specific person". Well, in completing my report, I had the individual's business card, recorded messages, brochures from the property, emails thanking me for my visit, a description of the individual (which I also think your company goes a bit too far on), descriptions of others I came in contact with, etc.

It was my understanding that my observation was to assess the skills and customer service of this ONE individual and that is where I put my focus.

Well, when I got to the section of the report that then asked me to describe the layout of the desks in the rental office, the color of the carpet, where other people sat in the office, what things were in the parking lot, the color of the agent's eyes, the color of the cabinets, etc., in all honesty, I was quite resentful. Here I am spending quite a bit of time on this shop (over a week trying to connect with the agent, a cancelled appointment by the agent, telephone calls, the actual shop, filling out the paperwork, and then the follow-up afterwards) and you have the nerve to waste my time asking these types of questions???

While I realize there are some mystery shoppers who are not as honest and who may take advantage of the system, there are some of us who take pride in what we do, actually enjoy what we do, and have way too many shops to perform for other companies to go through this.

My suggestion is that you are worried about the integrity of the shopper is to invest in some sort of tracking software or request a photo or some other form of verification.

I was really looking forward to performing more shops for your company, especially since there are so many available in my area, but this one section of your reporting system has totally turned me off from ever wanting to perform a shop for your company again.

@jpgilham

It can be frustrating to only deal with people over email. I think the reasoning behind that is with the quantity of reports that we deal with, it is much easier to obtain large amounts of information via email. Another reason for that is we all work at different times of the day/night. I will let the director of scheduling know that they need to be quicker to respond, to the best of their abilities. As for the lady answering the phone, I never call the office but I will definately tell them there have been some complaints.

@cmfreeman67

In terms of the actual forms for the reports, those are individually client based. Meaning, even if we find a form redundant, overly long, or highly particular...we do not have much say in the matter. The clients provide us with our work. While we may sometimes make suggestions, which I know have been made, we cannot really require that they alter a form. In terms of having to be highly descriptive, I think that is a case of a few people (not really performing shops) ruining it for the rest of us. Could you clarify what you mean regarding tracking software? Do you mean rating the shoppers? Thanks for your input!

@wantstowork

The software I was referring to is some sort of software that may be "similar" to the GeoVerify used by some of the companies who are on the sassie system. Also, since so many of us use smartphones, what about using your cellphone to "check-in" to a location. While I don't like using that kind of application in my personal life, I certainly have no objection to using it for mystery shopping (especially if it saves me 30-45 minutes in time trying to put the information in a report). I don't advertise my status as a mystery shopper in any social network but wouldn't mind checking in on a MS company's FB page or twitter to prove that I'm actually where I say I am and at the time I say that I'm there.

cmfreeman

Clever idea! I have no idea how much that would cost, if clients would go for it, etc...but I will pass that along. What will probably happen is I will type up a list of findings from the forum and then pass them on to the powers that be. We are all for anything that will save us time!

Personally, I don't and won't use Geo-verify. It has been administered by a third-party with no guarantee that any personal information gathered will not be sold. Besides that, it is way too much big brother. While the extra questions are a PITA, to me they are preferable in some circumstances. I find it beyond absurd they are not removed from reports for video shops. How much more proof can anyone provide than a video of the agent and the property?

@Lisa

You have a valid point. I do not work on the video side, but will try to find out why they have that in there. It may just be the case of an outdated form. It also might be that they do not watch the video shop unless something really amiss shows up on the paper shop. Every client is different and often people do not stop to ask themselves why they keep doing something one certain way.

Hi wants2work and everyone else!
I used to do a lot of shops with EPMS, but have taken a long hiatus after I started doing apartment shops for other companies. The pay offered is similar to EPMS, but the reports are much more realistic and they make it so much easier to reach a target. As far as the reports go, I don't mind answering a lot of questions, but it seems like the exact same question is asked over and over again - just decorated a little differently. Some of the questions seem silly and irrelevant to the shop like where the bathrooms are in the model, what the color scheme and decor is of the clubhouse, etc., etc. These items are visible on their website with pictures and diagrams of floorplans, so I have wondered why there is a need to write narratives on the two topics. That is just my opinion though and was not the major reason I have not worked with EPMS in awhile. The biggest reason and aggravation has been chasing the target. I have spent more than a week and countless phone calls trying to reach a target assigned by EPMS. When I log it into my schedule to do the shop on a certain day based on the date given to me and then have to keep chasing a target, it can really throw the rest of my shopping schedule for the week in the toilet. I take pride in not flaking on shops so I eat the inconvenience, but it can get really exhausting when it becomes a common scenario. Some of the other companies give you the days of the week the target is not working which makes catching them tremendously easier.

Hi All !!!

Nice to meet you. I am a new member here. I've been a regular watcher to this forum since a month ago, and learned so much since then. I have a lot of knowledge about Business Litigation Attorney, Business Attorney California, Business Litigation Lawyers, Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers. Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I will answer for you. Now I want to catch more knowledge in this community, decided to join with other members of this forum. Please excuse my bad English. I hope all friends will cooperate with me.

I am waiting for your answer,


Thanks and Regards.
Johny Lee

Welcome to the forum, Johnny.

cmfreeman67 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My first time posting here but I would like to
> say, if you want to improve the shopper experience
> - remove the section in your reports that ask for
> "identifying information" to actually prove you
> performed the shop!
>
> To clarify, I recently completed a shop with your
> company in which I had to shop a "specific
> person". Well, in completing my report, I had the
> individual's business card, recorded messages,
> brochures from the property, emails thanking me
> for my visit, a description of the individual
> (which I also think your company goes a bit too
> far on), descriptions of others I came in contact
> with, etc.
>
> It was my understanding that my observation was to
> assess the skills and customer service of this ONE
> individual and that is where I put my focus.
>
> Well, when I got to the section of the report that
> then asked me to describe the layout of the desks
> in the rental office, the color of the carpet,
> where other people sat in the office, what things
> were in the parking lot, the color of the agent's
> eyes, the color of the cabinets, etc., in all
> honesty, I was quite resentful. Here I am
> spending quite a bit of time on this shop (over a
> week trying to connect with the agent, a cancelled
> appointment by the agent, telephone calls, the
> actual shop, filling out the paperwork, and then
> the follow-up afterwards) and you have the nerve
> to waste my time asking these types of
> questions???
>
> While I realize there are some mystery shoppers
> who are not as honest and who may take advantage
> of the system, there are some of us who take pride
> in what we do, actually enjoy what we do, and have
> way too many shops to perform for other companies
> to go through this.
>
> My suggestion is that you are worried about the
> integrity of the shopper is to invest in some sort
> of tracking software or request a photo or some
> other form of verification.
>
> I was really looking forward to performing more
> shops for your company, especially since there are
> so many available in my area, but this one section
> of your reporting system has totally turned me off
> from ever wanting to perform a shop for your
> company again.


Yes - I agree 100% with you. I loved the apartment shops that EPMSONLINE had in my area and the pay was actually fair...until I sat down to do the crazy reports. I spent two hours total on some of those reports! The same questions asked fifty different ways. I didn't mind completing the shops, even chasing down a target agent, but I refuse to spend two hours on an all narrative report for any MSC. In the time it takes me to complete one EPMSONLINE shop, I could have made triple that with several easy burger shops with NO narratives. EPMSONLINE will eventually lose almost all of their shoppers because of those crazy long reports...

New to the forum. My first post here. As a current EPMS shopper I have to agree with the longevity of the reports and the difficulty in contacting a target. I can only work shops on weekends so I typically do not take Target shops because of how long they take to reach. The video and audio reports should be shorter. At this point it takes me about an 1-1.5 hrs to complete a visit and about 2-3 hours to complete the report.

But on the positive, the video dept is awesome and response to my emails have always been timely.

Welcome to the forum, kymills!

kymills Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> New to the forum. My first post here. As a
> current EPMS shopper I have to agree with the
> longevity of the reports and the difficulty in
> contacting a target. I can only work shops on
> weekends so I typically do not take Target shops
> because of how long they take to reach. The video
> and audio reports should be shorter. At this
> point it takes me about an 1-1.5 hrs to complete a
> visit and about 2-3 hours to complete the report.
>
> But on the positive, the video dept is awesome and
> response to my emails have always been timely.

Does your timing reference, "1-1.5 hrs to complete a visit and about 2-3 hours to complete the report", refer to traditional or video shops? While I don't video, I'm in and out of the onsite in less than 45 minutes, unless something unusual occurs. The MSP encourages a timely experience also, in consideration of the agent's schedule. I'm picky with my reports, and don't really time how long they take. However, generally, mine take me no longer than 1-2 hours.

My onsite visit, regardless of video or traditional, ranges from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on how thorough the leasing agent is. Report takes about 1-1.5 hours.

I'm also at the upper end on the reports, but my time on site for apartments averages about 30 minutes. This is after 4 years and probably 100 shops for various MSCs. My first few took longer, but in those days I was letting the agent show me apartment after apartment. I've always found it best in a sales situation to make up my mind quickly because I want them to have an opportunity to close the sale.

jpgilham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I hate that you can only deal with some of the
> schedulers by email at EPMS and even then, they're
> not brilliant at responding. When I did call the
> phone number and spoke to someone else she
> couldn't have seemed less interested.

Wow!! Here it is January 22, 2013 ... And, the concerns with Ellis (Irving, TX) office has not changed. I, too, found the person at their Irving office to be very rude, smug and disinterested in what questions I had to ask or how she might assist me.... Wow, some things never change!!!

I also find it very frusterating that they won't pay even a little for an unworkable shop. I called this company for weeks trying to get someone then they finally let me ask for the target. She didn't work there anymore. So they gave me a new target who it turned out I had shopped at a sister complex. I told them and they removed the shop. I put it a ton of time and wasn't even paid $5 for my trouble. During that same time I had picked up another shop for them which they gave me the incorrect number. It took me weeks to get a hold of the actual target at the actual complex. The first number was an international number of someone's residence, I was charged for it!!! No one ever answered this number until one day after days and days of calling I caught someone and he was like this is a residence when I asked what time they closed. The next number they gave me was for a same named complex in another state. I finally figured this out when I asked instructions bc I didn't get the target and they started saying highways I never heard of. I finally got the right number but by this point I'de been doing this shop for weeks. The pay was not enough at this point. I did the shop but it was my last one for them. I would consider doing a video shop for them again but they rarely have them in my area. I'm not done with the company, just frustrated. Also, they pay significantly less in my area.

I did only one shop for EPMS and called it quits. The time it took to reach my target was very frustrating. The report...ridiculous. It should not have to take almost 2 hours to complete a report. Some of the questions were crazy. I am a former Leasing Specialist, so these shops are right up my alley....just not with EPMS.

wow thats is great i like

So, Carrie, what changes are you going to make?

Is it interesting to anyone else that there has been no further replies from Carrie for three months now?

There is one editor/follow-up person there with a non-Anglo name who needs help with communicating. After one or two emails, I have to call the office and ask for help: What exactly does she want we to say, comment on or do?

I occasionally work for Ellis. My main problem is arranging 3-4 jobs on the same day in a city 70 miles away. It almost cannot be done when you have to call the agent the day you visit. I cannot plan when that is the case. I live in a small community which does not have many apartments Ellis lists. By the way, I would appreciate names of other companies like Ellis that shop apartments, subdivisions, etc. I live in AL.
To the lady who works for Ellis: I have worked 2 Ellis apartments where I could not reach the agent for many, many days... in fact, I got NO answer at all, only voice mail. I finally found the management company, called them and said I wanted to rent an apartment and could not talk to anyone after repeated calls. I said I could not leave a phone number. I was given the name and number of a man who was apparently the owner or worked with the company who owned the complex. I reached him and told him the same scenario. He could not figure why there was no answer. He thanked me. I called the complex again awhile later and, what do you know, I got to talk with my contact..... amazing. By the way, when I visited the complex to shop them, I saw that there was someone else working in the office, maybe a secretary, who also did not answer the phone. They apparently had decided it was easier to have voice mail answer than take the time to pick up the phone. Their boss did not like that, I think. Another time, the management company or corporate person that answered the phone said that the manager of the complex was at a training meeting, but would be back on Thursday. Bingo..... on Thursday, she answered the phone.