What do you do when a report is returned and you're asked to answer questions not on the report?
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@TeriW wrote:
The problem is that there is often no way to know whether they can or cannot communicate with us. How is a shopper to know that a scheduler cannot reply to an email? We are just left hanging in that case.
You're right; if we don't know that an editor can't reply to us, we're left in limbo. It would be nice if MSCs would state in their T&C's that editors aren't allowed to respond to shoppers, and that shoppers should contact so-and-so with questions about report reviews. Or, editors could have an auto-generated e-mail that sends when a shopper replies to an editor's e-mail. That could explain that "Mystery Shopping Company XYZ's editorial staff is not allowed to respond directly to shoppers' questions. If you require clarification about our requests, please contact your scheduler."
That might go a long way toward easing the frustration caused in these situations. You get a shopper who doesn't understand why his or her report is being questioned, and who then can't get any response to his or her own requests for clarification. It's not a good situation. Lack of good, two-way communication seems to be a big issue in this business, anyway, and stuff like this doesn't help! Sadly, I suspect that many MSCs simply don't want to deal with shoppers questioning their editors. They don't want to spend the time and/or don't have enough staff to be able to take the time, and/or think their editors can't possibly make a mistake (so why bother responding?).
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2016 01:08PM by BirdyC.
@BuffaloNY101 wrote:
Now what I personally want to say is quite different and may be more along the lines of-- Perhaps you should read the guidelines before asking questions that I would not have a reason to know the answer to.
LOL! My feeling, tool. Jay asks why get angry? Because we're expected to read our shop materials thoroughly, make our observations carefully, and report them meticulously. Why shouldn't the editors be held to the same standards?
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2016 04:54PM by BirdyC.
@Hoju wrote:
I'd push back and specify that the guidelines do not ask for names of those employees. I would do it nicely. A lot of times the editors forget that something is not in the guidelines and only ask because they THOUGHT it was. If you point out that it's not in a nice way, you'll probably just get a "Thanks for clarifying. Was hoping you had this info but it's ok that you don't."
I wouldn't jump on that and point it out, unless asked why the information wasn't obtained though it was outside the shopper's scope. Instead, the shopper should just answer to the best of their abilities. If the information wasn't obtain, just state that. If they penalize the shopper for it, that's when the shopper should point out the fact that it wasn't stated in the guidelines, but they'll keep this in mind in case future shops for this same client / project is taken again.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
The best course of action may be to escalate the issue to a manager to ensure payment as well as clarify the expectations regarding the procurement of names. I always try to work with the editor amd scheduler however sometimes it is mot possible to resolve. I believe that a shopper should be paid if they follow the guidelines. Good luck
@ddeblois wrote:
The best course of action may be to escalate the issue to a manager to ensure payment as well as clarify the expectations regarding the procurement of names. I always try to work with the editor amd scheduler however sometimes it is mot possible to resolve. I believe that a shopper should be paid if they follow the guidelines. Good luck
Why escalate it to a manager? From what I read, it was only a clarification asked from the editor. That doesn't necessarily mean payment for the shopper's work is in jeopardy. The shopper should just answer it to the best of their abilities, obtain clarification if that's something they should look for in future shops, then move on.
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
I don't understand why someone asking a questions in a professional setting would "tic" you off. It's not personal. It maybe a misunderstanding. No doubt, the situation has been all of us misunderstanding something. Why not simply inquire and respond professional and politely? It makes me think of road rage situations. If someone makes a mistake driving, and I have the opportunity to save an accident from happening, I'm not mad. I'm happy that I had the opportunity to prevent an accident. Because every single person on this earth that drives could have, at one time or another, been the cause of an accident. Being mad in a professional setting, to me, seems a little unprofessional.
Yes, it's unprofessional if you let your anger get out of control and you go overboard with it. But I don't think it's wrong to get mad or frustrated, who among us hasn't been totally PO'd at a coworker or employer in the past or present?
I think if one tries to respond to the question that was asked about a question that wasn't required validates the editor's question. And if you don't know the answer, you risk having your shop rejected--which then leads to a possible quagmire. I don't see the problem in stating that the question you're being asked was not in the guidelines, and asking to be shown where it was. Not in an angry way, but professionally. But I certainly wouldn't be all nice about it. I can be ticked off, but not write a nasty note!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I would reply, because I never, ever ignore an e-mail from an editor, and tell her honestly what I saw. The person bussing the table never turned toward me so I did not get his name, but he was <insert height, hair color, clothing). Perhaps you saw one of the servers bussing tables - I would mention that, with as much description as I can give. You can't be penalized for failing to get info that was not required, but the editor may have been trying to find out if you were really there, and giving additional information voluntarily cannot hurt your case.
I have a company that obviously has a new reviewer. I've always gotten 10's and now I'm getting that same issue. They contact me for information that wasn't asked, then knock down my grade because they had to contact me. I wrote and complained to the company itself. I also dropped them down on my list to shop for.
Someone said it would tick them off. What's being said now is the correct way to handle the situation. I just know that when the main form of communication is email or text mssg, it's hard to get a tone or a vibe and often times that leads to miscommunication. In the two years I've been doing this (It's my only source of income. I am a full-time shopper) not one time has any scheduler been rude or short or not responded to me. and I think it's inappropriate to get mad because someone may have overlooked something and then asked a follow-up question. There have been many many times that I've been thankful that someone wasn't "ticked off" because I read the instructions or guideline incorrectly. My point is this; just be polite. Make the world a little easier to be in by having a little bit of tolerance.
Of course, I have been irritated with a co-worker before. But that's working a 40 or 50 hour work week in an office. This profession is very much different.
Of course, I have been irritated with a co-worker before. But that's working a 40 or 50 hour work week in an office. This profession is very much different.
Here is a term I learned while working in the legal field. "I stand by my report with 100% accuracy." I've used this phrase two times and my report was accepted both times and I received payment.
I bristle when details are asked of me, post report, that were not mentioned as requirements of the shop. I sent a chicken entree back to the kitchen because it was bone dry. I was asked the name of the runner who served the re-prepared dish. He wasn't my server, and I recalled only that he was male with brown hair. Aggravation, and a donation of my time. What time did I visit the restroom? Nowhere in the guidelines was that listed as a requirement. However, I had looked at the report, prior, and saw that it was a question. Another time, I did a shop with reimbursement for one, though guests were allowed, on my dime. I was asked to describe my guest's entree. Guest entrees were not reimbursed, and guidelines did not require that guest entrees be reported. On that one, I diplomatically replied, stating such.
The first assignment included a fee. The last did not. The tone of my responses was couched accordingly. However, my responses pointed out that the additional information requested was not in the requirements. Regarding the restroom question, we need to read not only the guidelines, but the report itself, prior to doing the on-site.
The first assignment included a fee. The last did not. The tone of my responses was couched accordingly. However, my responses pointed out that the additional information requested was not in the requirements. Regarding the restroom question, we need to read not only the guidelines, but the report itself, prior to doing the on-site.
@cordener wrote:
I would reply, because I never, ever ignore an e-mail from an editor, and tell her honestly what I saw.
Nobody's suggesting to ignore the editor!
But if you try to answer a question you didn't need to (thus wasting your time), I can see a situation going from merely inconvenient to bad. You don't have the answer the editor's looking for, because you didn't need to make that observation. If you try to be accommodating and don't point out that the information isn't required, the editor is likely to think he/she is justified in asking the question. The shopper is then the one who's made the mistake, in the editor's eyes. So, say your shop gets rejected or you get marked down significantly for it. That's not the time to address the original problem. It's easier and less time consuming to fix a problem upfront than it is to fix it later. Editors make mistakes, the same as shoppers do. They tell us when we've made one; what's the problem with telling them, in a professional (even if not nice) way that they've made one?
You can be polite and professional and still let the editor know that he/she is asking something you didn't need to address in your report. Nothing wrong with that. You don't have to kiss the editor's posterior by putting yourself in the impossible position of trying to answer a question that you don't really have an answer for.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
@Mert wrote:
Regarding the restroom question, we need to read not only the guidelines, but the report itself, prior to doing the on-site.
I agree with everything you said, except the quoted excerpt. I always read the report and the guidelines, so that I can see if there are additional requirements. Sometimes something's in the guidelines and not in the report, and vice-versa.
Often, the shop instructions specifically state to read the report first, as well as the guidelines. It's a good idea to, anyway--whether instructed to or not.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
BirdyC, maybe I've had too much coffee, but I think we said the same thing. Read guidelines and the report, right?
LOL Yes Mert...Birdy hasn't had hers I think!
Duh. Wow--did I ever not have enough coffee before reading! Yes, indeed, Mert, you said what I said, only I didn't read it that way. Where's that paper-bag icon when you need it?
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
This is one of my pet peeves. If you want an observation, you're going to have to put it on the survey or I'll have forgotten it by now 
Kona Kathie
I know the one type of shop used to ask for those names, but doe not currently ask for them. I wonder if you got one of the editors who had been used to that system and forgot what is currently being asked for.
@Mert wrote:
Regarding the restroom question, we need to read not only the guidelines, but the report itself, prior to doing the on-site.
It took me 6 months before I realized this. For all my shops before that, the guidelines described the shop correctly. This next shop had questions in the report not in the guidelines. Very recently, I had a shop where the printable form of the questions and the guidelines BOTH left out a question that was in the live version of the questionnaire. It was a detail that I was used to capturing (timing) so I had it, but it bugs me. I've found that some companies skimp on the guidelines quite a bit, sometimes to the point that the guidelines are 3 pages, but the report questionnaire is 16 pages. Just yesterday, I had a question on an on-site inspection that said simply "Exterior square footage?" It wasn't in the 30 pages of guidelines, only on the report and had no other explanation beyond the question itself. The lesson learned was the same as you pointed out: Read the entire guidelines again (even if you have done the shop recently) AND the entire questionnaire at least a day before you do the shop if at all possible.
Additional questions that drop down as you answer are killers, even if you think you read through the whole form ahead of time.
U had to know exterior square footage? That's totally ridic. R U supposed to take a tape measure or what? If they want me to do math they need to show me the $$$$!@fuzzymo wrote:
Just yesterday, I had a question on an on-site inspection that said simply "Exterior square footage?" It wasn't in the 30 pages of guidelines, only on the report and had no other explanation beyond the question itself. The lesson learned was the same as you pointed out: Read the entire guidelines again (even if you have done the shop recently) AND the entire questionnaire at least a day before you do the shop if at all possible.
I do a business verification which requires an estimate of interior square footage. I have seen many site inspection shops which require that you arrive with a 100' foot tape measure to measure exterior dimensions. Those site inspections do pay more than the standard business verification shops.
Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
I would have to put that on my 100 foot pole, since I have a hard enough time measuring the length of a 4' shelf when I do merchandising assignments, LOL! But by now I can pretty easily tell the difference between 3' and 4' shelving units; it's the measuring vertical space between shelves that gives me fits now.
@MSNinja wrote:
U had to know exterior square footage? That's totally ridic. R U supposed to take a tape measure or what? If they want me to do math they need to show me the $$$$!
I think they wanted the building square footage based on exterior wall measurements, but on a Saturday, there was no one to call to clarify.
@myst4au wrote:
I do a business verification which requires an estimate of interior square footage. I have seen many site inspection shops which require that you arrive with a 100' foot tape measure to measure exterior dimensions. Those site inspections do pay more than the standard business verification shops.
That's the kind of business verification I was doing.
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