Informa Research Services

Does anyone know why Informa Research Services requires both a scanned paper copy of the handwritten survey to be completed as well as an electronic copy of the survey? I've just spend several hours on the paperwork for a phone shop for them and I have two more scheduled and I'm about ready to cancel the other two...I just don't think $30 is worth the amount of time I've had to put into this job...

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Their client requires it.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Yeah I'm thinking I will cancel the other two shops I have. $30 is definitely NOT worth this much work. Probably put 3.5 hours into the first report...on top of the 30 minute call. I think my time is worth more than $7.50/hour! But I wonder if all their clients require it because they have some good paying jobs so I definitely don't want to burn this bridge!

Their bonuses for in person shops are terrific.

Also, once you get into the rhythm of those reports, they are a snap. Like you, I spent a looong time on my first one. The second took half as long and the third was done in 20 minutes or less.

I just did a $75 shop for them and the report took about 20 minutes,. It was long because it was very negative, which required a lot more thought and more words. I was on site 24 minutes.

I will do two $50 on site shops for them one day next week, while I am being paid by another MSC to park my car in a garage between those two bank branch locations. That's my favorite way to do center city shops, lol.

I actually preferred it when we could mail in the hard copy; the survey refused to upload the scanned copy today and I had to email it, page-by-page to the scheduler. That was a real PITA.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

@walesmaven, I have stayed away from their shops because of the scanning requirement. I do not have a scanner and would have to use the one in the library. I don't think there is a way to scan more than one page at a time there. I'm curious, if you had a scanned document, why wouldn't you just email the scanned document? Why would you have to email it page by page? Just asking to see if maybe there actually was a way I could do these shops.

@walesmaven wrote:

Their bonuses for in person shops are terrific.

Also, once you get into the rhythm of those reports, they are a snap. Like you, I spent a looong time on my first one. The second took half as long and the third was done in 20 minutes or less.

I just did a $75 shop for them and the report took about 20 minutes,. It was long because it was very negative, which required a lot more thought and more words. I was on site 24 minutes.

I will do two $50 on site shops for them one day next week, while I am being paid by another MSC to park my car in a garage between those two bank branch locations. That's my favorite way to do center city shops, lol.

I actually preferred it when we could mail in the hard copy; the survey refused to upload the scanned copy today and I had to email it, page-by-page to the scheduler. That was a real PITA.

I had 22 written pages to upload so I created a PDF Batch Merge into one file. Notwithstanding, the survey didn't accept it. My scheduler was very responsive. He emailed a prepaid FedEx label for the written materials and that did the trick! The flow of the shop itself, as well as the follow-up written and online reports, gets easier. Walesmaven, You are a veteran shopper and see the bigger picture with bonuses. My advice for the uninitiated is to stay with it. In the process you will not only test your patience but you will learn a lot substantively.

One trick you need to know is that the narrative parts of the "handwritten" survey can actually be a Word document appended to the survey. So, run through the hard copy, checking off all of the check-list answers. Then open a Word document to write the narrative and then paste them into the online version.. Print out the word document and insert it into the hard copy. The write: see addendum into the "Event 1" space and into the one question that requires a narrative on the latest long form that I have seen. No more laborous printing by hand into inadequate hard copy spaces! Cuts input time by at least half!!!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I completely agree with walesmavin. My thoughts exactly. After a while the reports are easier and quicker to fill out( 20-25 minutes). Multi shops in one day... HELL YEAH! that's the way to do it and the money is good especially their bonus shops.

Roxi, ask them if you can mail in the paper version of the shop and/or use your camera to scan the documents then merge them with their merge link. It works and they will accept it so ling as the images are clear.

Walesmavin, you wrote "One trick you need to know is that the narrative parts of the "handwritten" survey can actually be a Word document appended to the survey" Does that really work. I had thought of doing that myself but was afraid that my shop would be rejected so I always hand print. Does Informa approve shops like this? If so I'm jumping on the band waggon.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2016 05:07PM by B4bladez.

I asked about this about 2 years ago and was told that it was fine. Have probably done 12-15 shops that way and all have been paid without any questions.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2016 08:07PM by walesmaven.

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