Is there any secret to getting the ones that the scheduler has to approve? So far I have done 3 self-assign shops, and gotten a 10/10 on all of them. But anytime I request one that is not self assign, I never get it! Is there a magic number of self assign shops I need to do before the other ones get assigned to me?

Reach out to the scheduler proactively and kindly inquire about it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2017 06:34PM by Tarantado.

I self-assign for three different restaurants but there is a three month rotation, so even with self-assigning I may not get it due to rotation. You may want to write and ask about getting self-assign, or you may not have worked for them long enough...remember all jobs are not self-assign.

The self-assign ones aren’t an issue...I know there is a three month rotation and I don’t try to self-assign them more frequently than allowed. It seems like every time I apply for a job that is NOT self-assign, I NEVER get it! I’m starting to take it personally Next time I will try to reach out to the scheduler as suggested above.

The ones that are not self-assign are in GREAT demand. Unless you apply very quickly and have a great track record (as in working for them for years with many shops), you are not going to be high on the scheduler's list. Your post sounds as though you have only done three shops, all self-assign, for CI, and you got a 10 on the reports. Getting 10s with some companies would be a wonderful thing, but it depends on how many other shoppers get 10s. CI grades easy so I'm betting everybody gets a 10 on their reports, as compared to Confero and Service Check, who grade much harder, and not everybody makes a 10. So 3 reports with 10s for Service Check would be a great track record; for CI, not so much. I've been working for CI for 8+ years now, and I get assignments for a good percentage of things I apply for, but I don't get everything I apply for. And, it took me a couple of years to build my track record. As a newbie, it took a while before I was assigned.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of other shoppers and that these shops are very popular - everybody wants them. How many shops have you done for them? How long have you been registered with them? How long have you been mystery shopping? I would say be patient and work to build your track record. You can't expect to compete with shoppers who have worked with them for years until you've been with them for a while.

@roflwofl wrote:

The ones that are not self-assign are in GREAT demand. Unless you apply very quickly and have a great track record (as in working for them for years with many shops), you are not going to be high on the scheduler's list. Your post sounds as though you have only done three shops, all self-assign, for CI, and you got a 10 on the reports. Getting 10s with some companies would be a wonderful thing, but it depends on how many other shoppers get 10s. CI grades easy so I'm betting everybody gets a 10 on their reports, as compared to Confero and Service Check, who grade much harder, and not everybody makes a 10. So 3 reports with 10s for Service Check would be a great track record; for CI, not so much. I've been working for CI for 8+ years now, and I get assignments for a good percentage of things I apply for, but I don't get everything I apply for. And, it took me a couple of years to build my track record. As a newbie, it took a while before I was assigned.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of other shoppers and that these shops are very popular - everybody wants them. How many shops have you done for them? How long have you been registered with them? How long have you been mystery shopping? I would say be patient and work to build your track record. You can't expect to compete with shoppers who have worked with them for years until you've been with them for a while.

I respectfully disagree with the bolded... Sometimes it's really just a combination of luck, relationship with scheduler (or project manager), your approach with the scheduler (or project manager), your location and obviously not having any red flags under your name.

I find their restaurant shops to be very narrative intensive. And the restaurants I've done have varied from fine dining to buffet. The reimbursement is nice, but if I have drinks, it will usually put me over. The shop pay isn't very good for the time I end up putting in. I think it's funny that the reports seem to be the same requiring the same effort on my part.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the meals, but I also realize that if they don't accept my shop, I'm out a bit of money.

It took a while for me to get shops with them. I finally took one that they had trouble filling by traveling a bit. Luckily I was headed there anyway.

After that, the scheduler will let me know when that shop is coming up for me, so it is somewhat of a relationship deal.

Keep picking up the shops that you can and eventually, you'll get the ones you want too.

mtsackach, Don't get discouraged and don't take it personally. Perseverance and patience. You're doing everything you can to increase your chances. Maybe you are in an area where competition is fierce. If so, one of these days, rotation will (eventually) work in your favor. Hang in there.

@mtsakach wrote:

Is there any secret to getting the ones that the scheduler has to approve? So far I have done 3 self-assign shops, and gotten a 10/10 on all of them. But anytime I request one that is not self assign, I never get it! Is there a magic number of self assign shops I need to do before the other ones get assigned to me?

mtsakach - Please send me an email at dprice@customerimpactinfo.com and I can help get you some of the shops you're looking for.

There are some fantastic replies on this thread...and depending on any specific situation, client, region of the country...a lot of what was already offered up could be why you are struggling to get assigned the shops you're hoping to get.

If you can reach out to me I can look and see what your specific situation is, and I'll do my best to get you set up with one you want in the near future.

Thanks to the rest of this thread for giving great explanations.

Daniel Price
Vice President, Operations
Customer Impact, LLC.
dprice@customerimpactinfo.com

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2017 03:23PM by dprice.

You gotta love it when there are positive and helpful posts from company reps in the forum!!!

Love that Daniel and great to see that he is now an Operations VP!

Just checked the CI site and no jobs around unless I want to travel 80 miles for 3 or 4 jobs for $11 each. Um maybe if I could line up other jobs from other companies but that has never worked for me.

I love Customer Impact. And their client is building another casino and several other restaurants in the area which means more shops for me!!!!

Customer Impact, one of my fav's, my turn for your sandwich shop next month...

Customer Impact is a great company to work for! They are professional and friendly. While their restaurant reports take me an hour to complete on average, I consider it a free night out for my husband and me.

I love them. I had my 3 month hold and really wanted to do a take-out which I couldn't get on site. I emailed scheduler and she assigned it to me overweighing the 3 month wait. They are so easy to work with...have been with them 10+ years, never a problem that they don't help fix.

My two cents, YMMV......I have found CI to be largely not communicative, and sometimes downright cold. I have routinely sent emails to them over the last two years and no responses, as in zero, none. I KNOW that their clients have used my input from bar integrity observations to terminate employees, but I didn't get paid fully for that bar work! . I just stopped looking for shops/jobs there even though I play golf with one of their clients' CEO's! They have some good clients and fun/rewarding shops, but they are neanderthal in their approach to scheduling and communication.

Surprised by above post and sorry to hear that. i just did a job for them yesterday, they do require a different report, but spell it out with their sample reports....after 10 years, I had one problem and they worked with me, not hard tor reach. I couldn't disagree more,love this company...in fact, I complained I wanted my restaurant job, but had to wait another month, Scheduler assigned it to me wishing me a happy holiday...couldn't have been more responsive.
Edited: I know, I know, I repeated myself....bear with me.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2017 06:08PM by Irene_L.A..

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

Surprised by above post and sorry to hear that. i just did a job for them yesterday, they do require a different report, but spell it out with their sample reports....after 10 years, I had one problem and they worked with me, not hard tor reach. I couldn't disagree more,love this company...in fact, I complained I wanted my restaurant job, but had to wait another month, Scheduler assigned it to me wishing me a happy holiday...couldn't have been more responsive.
Edited: I know, I know, I repeated myself....bear with me.....

Irene, consider the source. Winemaker has issues with MANY companies.
If you may recall, this person had ALL of their shipping shops rejected for weigh issues and claimed that it was due to the clerks and the scales. Craziest post I have read here. I recall it well.

Not sure if this link will work, but I'll try:
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]