Hi. I am still feeling my way around the video shops and trying to understand this huge secret industry. Do the clients watch the videos? I do not understand the amount of narrative involved in an apartment mystery shop which is to have a phone call and video shop, and then still a complete report with I think it said 8-10 paragraph detail of the event. It seems excessive, and even more puzzling is how wide the range of requirements are for video shops. I have seen questionaires as brief as time, place, person talked to and thats about it all the way up to a 50 question/narrative report for an apartment shop. The pay seems to vary widely as well, for what seem to be similar shops at comparable apartment properties and car lots. I do read here frequently and did search for answers but I still feel like I am missing some big part. I apologize if this is in the wrong place. I am still figuring the forum as well.

Wait!! Is it so we have total recall of the event? I just started voice recording my visits and it was so so helpful. I am horrified I typed a report before doing it as I feel I may have missed information because its hard to remember everything people say. I didnt think how much better my reports would be if I had video. I could expand on things that were non-verbal. Is this the idea? I am not a slow person but I do miss things most folks seem to consider common sense. I like this industry and I try to always do well whatever task I have, whatever job I have. I would like an idea from anybody willing to share so that I can continue my little journey here. Thank you folks again for your time.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2017 02:42AM by Tyescas.

There is no single answer to your question. Some clients watch the video in it's entirety, some will watch segments and others will only watch if there is some sort of dispute over the report.

The MSC will look for any inconsistencies between the video and report. Bear in mind the report may also cover things not readily seen on video.

I'm assuming you are talking about Ellis as one of the MSCs because of the reference to eight to ten paragraphs. My reports for their video shops are cursory at best. Whatever minimum number of characters will get that puppy to submit is what they get I do go into more detail about things the video will not pick up, such as the condition of the property.

I appreciate your answer. I think my focus is better on finding companies whose focus or need I understand and trying to work for them? I just realized in your response the variance of client needs. I continue to work dilligently to seperate my thoughts and opinions of what they should care about from what they actually do care about. I had an exchange with a scheduler the other day which was super helpful. I questioned why have me go through a line being as simple and suggestible a consumer as possible when I do not think that happens as often as retailers and franchaisers would like to believe. She told me they would like to get a curve of idealized times and figure +/- from that. Oh. I understood immediately. I see I am not the sole authority on consumers I thought I was and its super interesting every day to me. So, in this same idea, am I better off to try to get to know companies before I take their important shops? It seems like there are only some categories which require video like apartments, car lots, assisted living are the main ones Ive read about. So I figure there is a limit to the companies doing them and clients wanting them or do you think the video section will continue to expand? I do appreciate your time, I know I have many questions.

Please note: i use a chromebook which answers to some call i cant hear and refuses to help spell or things like that. I am aware of my spelling and grammar. I like the discipline required to transfer visual observations to written format, but I really struggle with spelling and honestly feel my limited head space is better used elsewhere so please overlook to the extent you can

In some cases, the client has some people who will see only the written report, and others who will have access to the video. What I LOVE are the MSCs that require little more than the video and then have their well trained editors compile sales/leasing agent's scores based on the video. This better serves the clients' needs to have their own standards imposed on the scoring of their employees, IMHO.

EPMS is about the only MSC that has a really onerous report for apartment videos, btw.

There has been at least one other company whose video apartment report was just as onerous as their non-video. I've also been finding as many jobs requiring a full report as those requiring just the basics, even within the same MSC which makes me think it is client-driven. I will do Ellis reports all day when compared to a certain German sports car manufacturer.

Any business owner is wise to focus on their client needs and wants, whether they understand them or not. We are not in healthcare where it would required to tell the patient what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. We are in the marketing business. The client knows how they want to market their business and to whom. We are simply there to evaluate their methods.

Personally, I don't need to understand the why as long as I understand the how. I am in this business to make money and nobody is going to die if the client misses out on opportunities.

"I think my focus is better on finding companies whose focus or need I understand and trying to work for them?...................... I continue to work diligently to separate my thoughts and opinions of what they should care about from what they actually do care about."

Lisa,
I'm with you on those German car shops! Oy Vey!
Edited to add: I am referring to the non-Porsche shops here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2017 01:14PM by walesmaven.

I did my first Ellis non video shop today... YUCK! I do not like their format and the fact they ask the weight, ethnicity and eye color of the person you shopped. I also did not like the please tell us how do we know you were there section. The repetition was annoying, I mean come on can you not get the time and date I did the shop from the first page? Why do I have to type it in your personal page? Maybe it gets less annoying the more I do.

I'm really glad you posted. I am trying to develop a tolerance for tedious but it's a real struggle. I like it when they schedulers agree to send you the guidelines first. It is just business though. I can block out a lot to get paid. I had to think quite a bit on what LisaStL had said and it has given me a sharper focus. Get paid and think on my own town while I'm spending it.

If your patience with those shops has worn thin, why not just move on? There are over 200 MSCs and you can quickly work your way up to exceed what EPMS pays for nonvideo (amd even video) if you apply yourself to the "starter" shops for almost and MSC. Reading about MSCs, in advance, here will help you to easily spot the ones that will seldom, if ever, provide better paid shops.

Is there a list of MSC's that do other video shops, separate from the general MSC list?

What is so terrible about the German car shop? Are there a ton pf narratives?

JaMES,

The non-Porsche German car shops were a PITA as far as I was concerned.

iF YOU MEAN THE Porsche SHOPS, i FOUND THOSE RATHER EASY SIMPLY BECAUSE THE SALEs PEOPLE WERE UNIFORMLY LOW PRESSURE AND VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE. ooops! Sorry about the caps. Anyway, those sales agents are real pros with a product for which there is limited supply and far more demand than supply. None of the many that I shopped were arrogant or pushy. It was more like consulting a mentor about the brand than it was like getting a sales pitch. I think that I did every dealer in the Mid-Atlantic region a few years ago. At that time the compensation and travel bonues were very nice, indeed. YMMV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2017 01:15PM by walesmaven.

The one Pirsche shop I did was a PITA.

Did the salesperson mention the sunroof? No
What did the salesperson say about the sunroof? The salesperson did not mention the sunroof.

Follow up. Did the car have a sunroof? Yes

Second follow up. They talk about the sunroof right after the navigation. Maybe they're supposed to but she didn't.

Third folliw up. The client is going to need more detail than this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2017 01:38PM by bgriffin.

My problem with those was never the onsite. The reports are written by the client, so someone to whom English is a second language. As bgriffin stated, they have expectations and the report doesn't deal well with exceptions.

I believe Business Observations is just as bad - or worse.