@ShopperSavvy wrote:
I just signed up with Ellis. It's a lot of information and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Anybody have experience with Ellis and have any tips or tricks for me?
Thanks
Yes!! I hate trying to get a particular target, especially since you're not allowed to just hang up if the target doesn't answer. I'm running out of excuses for ending the conversation...@iShop123 wrote:
Targeted shops are not worth it unless highly bonused.
@chrisg0619 wrote:
Yes!! I hate trying to get a particular target, especially since you're not allowed to just hang up if the target doesn't answer. I'm running out of excuses for ending the conversation...@iShop123 wrote:
Targeted shops are not worth it unless highly bonused.
@tstewart3 wrote:
Unless you are a shopper who can do one shop run home and input the report on the computer, don't bother with them. If you're the typical shopper who is away from home and inputting forms remotely on portable devices, it's almost impossible.
They only accept uploads in certain formats. If you do screenshots for the follow-ups and they're in .PNG, they won't upload. If you do recordings and they're not in the proper format they won't upload either. If you want to do a video shop, you have to watch a video on how to unpack a box of video equipment before you can even apply. By that time the job is gone.
You think when you see their fees and you think you'll spend an hour, hour and a half on the on-site visit. An hour, maybe an hour and a half on the report. And maybe all tolled an hour reaching a Target. Add the time up and divided into the fee and you think you're making a decent hourly wage. When you do reach Target, you have to be able to be at the site within a couple hours so your schedule has to be open. You can't have anything scheduled before because if it runs over and you may miss the appointment. Some of the reports don't allow you to actually make an appointment, you have to reach the Target and then be there in a couple hours.
Do you have Prince Albert in a can?@2stepps wrote:
Is your refrigerator running? Well, go catch it.
Great ideas! Thanks!@MFJohnston wrote:
I try to make sure that I have questions that will get me off the phone real quickly....
1. When calling an community well north of the city, "I'm looking for a place south of the city. Is that you?"
2. When calling a more expensive community, "Do you offer subsidized housing?"
3. When calling a senior living center, "I'm looking for a new place for my self and four kids."
4. When calling a community I know to only have smaller apartments, "What do you have for four bedroom apartments?"
5. When calling for a target named "Rick," "Hi, is Sandra available?
6. "I am looking for a place walking distance from <name a really well-known landmark that is nowhere near the location.>
@LisaSTL wrote:
Virtually everything you wrote is wrong.
Let's start with the time, especially the time on site. Out of hundreds and hundreds of apartment shops, I have spent over an hour on two or three. In every case they were walk ins on long video routes. No targets, but no appointments and returning later was not an option. My average is right around 30 minutes. I can't imagine how many phone calls you are making for it to take an hour to reach the target. Ellis requests shoppers make 3 to 5 calls a day. Five calls isn't even ten minutes. To reduce wasted time there is a simple trick. I try on my on to reach the target for a couple of days. I then have someone else, preferably of a different gender, call to ask for the target.
Ellis will absolutely allow you to make an appointment with a target. I rarely make contact and visit the same day. The only requirement if the appointment is another day is to call that morning to verify the target is there. I frequently schedule them into other routes and don't hesitate to schedule shops before and after.
I don't understand why you think the report needs to be entered immediately. I think the website has been changed from 24 hours to 12, but if my visit is late in the day the report gets entered the following day.
As a video shopper with my own equipment, I don't know anything about the process of watching a video because it is based on having them loan the equipment.
Most MSCs only accept uploads in specific formats. The vast majority require JPG while some also allow PDF. I have never had to submit a screen shot to Ellis for the follow up, but when I do create one I have the option to save it different formats.
@tstewart3 wrote:
Unless you are a shopper who can do one shop run home and input the report on the computer, don't bother with them. If you're the typical shopper who is away from home and inputting forms remotely on portable devices, it's almost impossible.
They only accept uploads in certain formats. If you do screenshots for the follow-ups and they're in .PNG, they won't upload. If you do recordings and they're not in the proper format they won't upload either. If you want to do a video shop, you have to watch a video on how to unpack a box of video equipment before you can even apply. By that time the job is gone.
You think when you see their fees and you think you'll spend an hour, hour and a half on the on-site visit. An hour, maybe an hour and a half on the report. And maybe all tolled an hour reaching a Target. Add the time up and divided into the fee and you think you're making a decent hourly wage. When you do reach Target, you have to be able to be at the site within a couple hours so your schedule has to be open. You can't have anything scheduled before because if it runs over and you may miss the appointment. Some of the reports don't allow you to actually make an appointment, you have to reach the Target and then be there in a couple hours.
@tstewart3 wrote:
RE: appointments:
Do NOT ask to set an appointment over the telephone. If the agent asks you to set an appointment, do NOT readily agree to visit at a specific time, unless the Shop Contract Instructions for the shop or the Special Property Instructions for the shop indicate otherwise.
@tstewart3 wrote:
RE: Onsite visit on the same day:
Remember, you must call and visit on the same day, unless the shop contract instructions state otherwise. If you do not visit the same day as your call, you MUST call briefly before going out to ensure your target is there.