When I first started I was really excited and made spreadsheets, charts and lists.
I found out that my spreadsheet was great but I got to where it was too much trouble to open it, put all the info in and change the colors. Copy/paste from the job detail page did make it quicker but it wasn't for me.
I did better printing a blank spreadsheet with only 5 columns for the basic info. I kept it in the first slot of an accordian folder. I use it to organise all my assigned shops, guideline and my shop-only calendar. I take the folder with me and use one slot for each job. When I'm through, my guidelines, business cards and receipts go back in that same slot and it's all there when I am ready to write the report. The following is what I enter into my spreadsheet:
1. Start and end dates and the date you chose to shop. I do this as soon as i apply for a shop. (5 seconds)
Read the guidelines carefully or contact your scheduler to see if they allow you to complete the shop early. Sometimes I find myself in that area before my date. It saves you gas and time by not having to go back just for the shop.
Some shops allow it and some don't. The majority of mine don't care as long as you stay within the date range and submit it within the specified time. Some shops must be submitted by midnight on the day you shopped, some are 12 hours, 24 hours, etc.
2. I write the name of the place I've applied for such as Bank of America or Exxon. (3 seconds)
Instead of writing out the address, I just click MAP. Once the map opens, I label it (Bank of America), click save, and choose the folder I named APPLIED. I also check mark or strike through the job on my chart Before you apply for a job, you have to check the location anyway so why not click SAVE? You can see where all your applied shops are located at a glance (30 seconds).
If you are assigned several in in one area, you may decide to only apply for future shops near there to cut down on gas and driving.
Once I'm assigned, I save it to my other folder ASSIGNED and remove it from my APPLY folder. ((10 seconds) You can go between the maps in two clicks.
As you're assigned, you may see that several are on one side of town. If you see you've been assigned 6 on one side of town, and only 1 on the other side, you can focus now on only applying near the one. Make sure you only choose future shops you can do on that same day or you've accomplished nothing.
3. Write the type of shop but simplify it. You can just put 'Open Checking', 'Phone Shop' 'Oil Change' (3 seconds).
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY, write the mystery company name like Ipsos, Maritscx, etc, so you know exactly where to look for your applied or assigned jobs when you need to look at the specifics (3 seconds).
5. I jot down the fee and reimbursement limits. I just use forward slash like 15/5/2 (fee/gas/store).
I've made it sound more complicated than it is but it works for me.
Good luck shoppers!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2019 02:41PM by ngodwin1.