Steve, I seem to recall that you stated that you were a scheduler for Coyle.

I'm curious -

1) How many evaluators, would you say, apply for the really high end "inspirational" shops? You know, the ones that offer a private 5 bedroom villa, and a personal chef, or one that offers a multi-night stay in an overwater bungalow in a tropical location. On average, how many apply per shop?

2) How many of those who apply are really qualified and are considered for each assignment?

3) What would you say the pool is for really qualified/capable evaluators is for these high-end shops?

Many thanks in advance.

@Professional Guest wrote:

Steve, I seem to recall that you stated that you were a scheduler for Coyle.

Well....it was a long time ago when I was a scheduler. I've been out of the MS business (except as a shopper) for the past 10 years or so...but I do have good communications with the existing team.

I know they are always trying to find more good candidates for the high-end shops. Most of the applicants in my experience were newbies who had never even completed a hotel shop.

I'm not going to guess at the actual numbers because Coyle is a much bigger company than when I ran things, and I don't really think that's information they would specifically want out in the public.

Fair enough.

Thanks for the insight.

Round Two.

I put in a lot of time and effort writing my narratives - as I'm sure all of the evaluators do who work with Coyle, often going beyond providing the required information, and providing insight, sometimes subjective, but nonetheless insight I think the client would appreciate, and might benefit from.

I'm wondering if the information I provide is ultimately being forwarded to the client.

Is the additional information I provide helpful to the client? Is it included in the package of surveys provided to the client? If not, I'll refrain from including the information on future surveys.

I've posed these questions to editors in the past and have not received a response, nor have they requested that I refrain from including the information on future surveys.

Thoughts?

@Professional Guest, I'd say that could only be answered on a case-by-case basis.

I can tell you this. A lot of evaluators seem to feel that they have insight into what the clients might want to know. More often than not, they are wrong.

All MSC's are contracted to supply specific information and in most cases, the client only wants that information. For example; One particular chef-driven restaurant client had a large influence on how Coyle collects and reports data about food. The client was very specific about the fact that they did not want a critique of the cuisine, but instead information about how service may have affected the experience. Many evaluators, after having been assigned to this restaurant, would offer flowery descriptions of the presentation and ingredients, and subjective comments about the preparation, many of which I was required to remove as an editor.

If the client is a celebrity chef and their restaurant is hugely successful, there is a very good chance the chef feels like they have a handle on the menu. They don't want subjective input from an anonymous shopper unless their staff have somehow sullied the dining experience. If there's a hair in your food or the rare steak arrives well done, mention it. If you don't like the choice of peppers utilized in a dish or feel like foie gras is overused in high-end cuisine, you are better to keep that opinion to yourself. It will not be included in the report. There actual food critics who go to the restaurant the chef could visit Yelp if he wanted public impressions of the cuisine. Shoppers are sent in to measure very particular data points. I think you make the best impression with an MSC is you stick to those points unless an extenuating circumstance presents itself.

As, always, your insight is appreciated.

Thanks, Steve!

It's a closed shop. Barron Hilton would have a tough time getting assigned a hotel.

@winemaker, it seems like every hotel gets assigned to someone and I just took 6 months off, so they are not going to me.

They also do not repeat hotels for shoppers, so most of the hotels are seeing between 4 and 12 different evaluators a year.

That said, you are probably right about Barron Hilton. They don't like evaluators who come from the hospitality industry

@winemaker wrote:

It's a closed shop. Barron Hilton would have a tough time getting assigned a hotel.

Oh, I get assigned hotels, just wanted to know the pool of actual QUALIFIED evaluators.

It's probably a lot more than you think. Like Steve, I've taken some time off their hotel shops, mostly because my travel style has changed. But I do get most of what I request... but that's due to maintaining an average score of 99.90% after all these years. I just do a restaurant here and there now to stay active.

Every tine I'm on one of their hotel stays, I keep wondering why I don't spend all the energy writing a book or something! I could make $$ and travel to all these places my damn self!!

@LindaM wrote:

Every tine I'm on one of their hotel stays, I keep wondering why I don't spend all the energy writing a book or something! I could make $$ and travel to all these places my damn self!!

Yes, this is reason one has to be selective. While I do complete some assignments at their request for goodwill (multiple and concurrent one-night assignments in foreign countries that make me feel like I'm on a sales junket), I apply for those once-in-a-lifetime experiences at exceptional properties, because if it's going to feel like I'm writing a book, I'm going to pretend that I got a huge advance from my publisher.

Edited to correct "bacause".

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2017 07:46AM by Professional Guest.

My question is regarding Coyle hotel shops that require precise labeling of photos.

The client evaluation lists all the photos I need to take (somewhere between 50 with a max of 80) and discusses labeling them in a certain way using Coyle's photo editor. I have re-read all the Coyle resources and watched the tutorial video again. I cannot find a link to this photo editor. What do you all do?

Thanks!

Hi. I label my photos in the system once I've uploaded them. It allows you to go in and edit the name. I have never received an inquiry about the photos of any evaluations. They have been approved without any problems. Good luck!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2017 04:36PM by interested.

...and if your photos have the correct names, you can simply drag them into the uploader and the system will apply the names for you.

Unfortunately, you are limited to uploading 10 at a time. It's also helpful if you drag them into the uploader in the order you want them to appear. Then, nothing more needs to be done with the photos.

The photo editor in Shopmetrics is very basic, but easy to use. Occasionally I might draw a circle around a particular defect or add an arrow pointing to it if it's not obvious.

Thats a good idea...arrows and circles to emphasize defects. I've not done that yet. Thanks!

To confirm then, this "photo editor" is not a separate piece of software, but rather the editing/naming tools in the upload portion of the evaluation Shopmetrics form itself?

@laur371 wrote:

To confirm then, this "photo editor" is not a separate piece of software, but rather the editing/naming tools in the upload portion of the evaluation Shopmetrics form itself?

Correct. It's a script that runs in your browser.....very basic stuff

Hi everyone I just joined the forum because I joined Coyle and wanted to learn more about the company and everyone's experience with them. I am, as mentioned previously by someone, a perfect candidate for Coyle (MS is not my full time job and my household income and credit limit is high). I also enjoy traveling, luxury shopping and dining, etc. I was recommended Coyle by a restaurant owner who mentioned that he has used their services in the past- and thought I would enjoy doing a few shops here and there.

I am now realizing that this industry is also based on experience. Does anyone have tips on how I can make myself more noticeable to schedulers? Is it frowned upon when contacting them directly via LinedIN or other channels?

I am based in the Toronto area in Canada. I can travel to NYC, Miami and other destinations if the shop is a hotel or a fun restaurant. Any fellow Canadians on here?

Hi Docle6, I first recommended you read the entire 10 pages of this thread as most of your questions will be answered. Also, Coyle has a detailed video and pages of examples and rules you need to read. The thing about Coyle is that a restaurant evaluation may take you 3-4 hours to write and a hotel may take you 8-12 hours to write, so you need to know what you are getting into. If you don't follow their rules, you won't get paid (which is a problem for the dinners that may cost more than $300!). That being said, for those who follow their rules and are willing to do the task, it is easy to achieve perfect scores. To get experience, you need to start with phone shops or more casual restaurants that they have posted. After they assign you a few of those, and you get high scores (90%+), you will get the better restaurants. After maybe 5+ of the luxury restaurants, with high scores, you may get a hotel. They typically don't assign a shopper more than one a month and even that frequency is rare. Others can chime in, but I don't think contacting via Linkedin or other channels will help. Coyle, moreso that other companies, care about using someone with a proven high score. You are going to have to "wait your turn" until a phone shop near you becomes available and you prove your high score. Also, if you are willing to travel to parts of the US with less shoppers (I think someone mentioned Arizona), you may have an easier time getting a first restaurant shop there. Good luck!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2017 04:09PM by laur371.

So I stumbled upon this post right after I had completed my first assignment for Coyle, and as a new shopper, I was worried that I had not done the report correctly. I have seen it mentioned a few times that Coyle likes a very particular type of narrative, and I wasn't really sure what that was. I just got my report back this morning, and it looks like I got "Yes" answers or 100% for everything, other than "Comments provided for 'No' and 'N/A' scores; 3 - 5 words only", which I got 0% for. That one thing dropped my score down to 94.44%

My question is, did I miss something in the guidelines about providing no mare than 5-word comments for "No" and "N/A" answers? It this requirement specific to just the Client I performed the assignment ofr, or is this a standard requirement for Coyle? If they give me another chance to work for them again, I would like to make sure I don't screw it up again!

Thank you in advance.

Your score is great. But the 3-5 word comment is standard across all their reports and in their instructions.

@laur371 wrote:

Your score is great. But the 3-5 word comment is standard across all their reports and in their instructions.

Ok thanks. I guess I just missed it! Good to know though! That would have made my report take much less time!

I really feel like this is a stupid question, but I am going to ask anyway. I did my first restaurant shop for Coyle, but can't figure out where to see my score. I haven't received an email either in Shopmetrics or in my email account, and can't find it anywhere in the Shopmetrics system. I asked my scheduler for any feedback or score and she just sent me a few points to improve on but I still don't know my score. What am I missing? Thanks!

You should receive an email when the shop is completed that lists the percentage score and where deductions were taken. Sometimes it doesn't come, though.

It will be factored in and included in your average on the next shop if you didn't see it this time, but don't get too hung up on the score. Just follow the guidelines and feedback you were given.

Coyle seem to have a bunch of high-end hotel shops which are 'checklist only'. Is it really only a checklist or is there a lot of work involved in these jobs?

Thanks in advance.

@moosehoose wrote:

Is it really only a checklist or is there a lot of work involved in these jobs?

Lot of work....checklist plus many pics

You can download the instructions from the shopmetrics portal without being assigned a shop. The shops gets easier as you do more of them. It does give you some free time. I like that the food requirements are minimal too.

Simple inquiry....I get an email from Coyle to call a resort and make a reservation providing a deposit, which will then be reversed upon cancelling...all for 5.00. I'm chuckling, two calls, leaving a credit card. Has anyone done these, or is it a joke? I've done a few phone calls for 10.00, one call, no credit card involved.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

Simple inquiry....I get an email from Coyle to call a resort and make a reservation providing a deposit, which will then be reversed upon cancelling...all for 5.00. I'm chuckling, two calls, leaving a credit card. Has anyone done these, or is it a joke? I've done a few phone calls for 10.00, one call, no credit card involved.

I deleted that right away as well.

@moosehoose wrote:

Coyle seem to have a bunch of high-end hotel shops which are 'checklist only'. Is it really only a checklist or is there a lot of work involved in these jobs?
Thanks in advance.

Never have seen a checklist only for Coyle. Even their supposed quality check ones require a book of narrative.

regarding the checklist-only shops; "NO" answers in the checklist will require more detailed answers since there's no narrative section...but you do not have submit any extensive narrative. These are probably good shops for people who are detailed, but don't like all the writing.

You do have to be VERY careful to perform each test in the checklist, however, and it's a bit of a puzzle to find them all. There's not a master checklists of tests and they vary between property types, and amenities at the hotel. I read through the entire manual a few times and took a local hotel before hitting the road with these shops...and still missed a few things. By the time I got to my third property I had it down pretty well, but got into it with editorial because of how I answered based on the wording of a particular question.

I have two more coming up in this next round and hoping they go smoother. I like that there are not heavy eating requirements because I'm stepping away from dining shops for dietary reasons....and there really is time to enjoy the property on those shops without having two days of writing upon my return. I also find it goes much faster if you have a partner with you. One person to do the scavenger hunt and take pics, and another to call out the components and score the shop in Shopmetrics. My GF and I could get through the majority of the in-room tests in about 2 hours working as a team.

What irritates me is that I get the "Overdue" notice when it's not nearly close to being overdue. I did a restaurant shop on Thursday and Friday evening I get the "overdue" notice. I have till Saturday to finish it.