I'm getting a new cell phone, as my old one is being phased out. I have never gotten an app to work on my old phone, and I have tried plenty (Sinclair Customer Metrics, EyesOn, Customer Impact, to name a few), but they just don't work.

I have been told they will work on my newer phone, which is an iPhone 7.

So, which MSCs have apps that actually work on site?

Any help appreciated.

It would be so nice to get home from road trip without facing tedious hours and hours of inputting reports!

Did you get a car!?

No. I made an arrangement to pay all expenses and pay 1/2 of my profit to the driver. So she took me to do 3 shops for $155, I spent $60 on gas for the trip (gave her a full tank when we got back), and paid her $47.50 for her share of the profit.

Sucks, but it is what it is.

I did get food stamps. $16 a month. Never qualified before.

It’s not just the phone but your carrier that will determine whether the apps will work. I have TMobile, which I like, but in certain areas the coverage is weak. I have been in stores trying to do an app shop but could not complete it due to a poor signal. I now now where these areas exist and do not attempt app shops there.

@ceasesmith wrote:

No. I made an arrangement to pay all expenses and pay 1/2 of my profit to the driver. So she took me to do 3 shops for $155, I spent $60 on gas for the trip (gave her a full tank when we got back), and paid her $47.50 for her share of the profit.

Sucks, but it is what it is.

I did get food stamps. $16 a month. Never qualified before.

$155
-$60 gas
-$47.50 paid to driver
-$38.75 taxes

Net is $8.75

Your time is better spent doing 2 phone shops for $5 each. Can you see why people here (and your daughter it seems) are frustrated with you?

It doesn't really matter if phone shops are hard for you. It is what it is. You are old enough and have been there and done that. You can do them. Have confidence in yourself! I'm fairly certain that you have tackled bigger obstacles in life than fear of phone shops. Schedule 2 a day. Maybe start with one a day? Your expenses are exactly zero for a phone shop and you won't get physically worn out. Spend some time with the old ladies and the cats.

You can do this. Go out there and kill it!

Taxes? What taxes?

I spent over 100 hours on phone shops in August. I just got paid for them. $35. Not enough working hours in a month to make a living at less than $.50 an hour. Also, they demand skills I just DO NOT have.

Truth is, I SUCK at phone shops. You should read the e-mails from the editors! Believe me, the editor(s) were fed up with my efforts long before I gave in and told them to cancel the rest of the shops.

I know everybody says "suck it up and just do it" (around here, we say "put on your big-girl panties and git-er-done", but the truth is, I'm very (very, very) good at some things, and I suck at other things.

I understand how frustrating it is to help someone who seems they will not help themselves.

Someone even said "throw what you need in your car. Lots of homeless people live in their cars!" Probably true. One big difference, they HAVE a car. I COULD move somewhere that has available subsidized housing, true. How do I get there?

I just thought if I could find some phone apps that work, I could do MORE shops on a trip, increase my net by completing the shops on-site.

I have Verizon. I've only even TRIED the apps when I have "five bars" of coverage, but they still don't work.

@kenasch wrote:

It’s not just the phone but your carrier that will determine whether the apps will work. I have TMobile, which I like, but in certain areas the coverage is weak. I have been in stores trying to do an app shop but could not complete it due to a poor signal. I now now where these areas exist and do not attempt app shops there.

The place where we buy our phones has very helpful staff. And the local library has technology sessions evrn 1 to 1 sessions.
Might be other options to find someone to help with the phone in person.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I have Verizon. I've only even TRIED the apps when I have "five bars" of coverage, but they still don't work.

@kenasch wrote:

It’s not just the phone but your carrier that will determine whether the apps will work. I have TMobile, which I like, but in certain areas the coverage is weak. I have been in stores trying to do an app shop but could not complete it due to a poor signal. I now now where these areas exist and do not attempt app shops there.

You need to adjust your settings.
I helped my 70 year old uncle do this over the phone, as he could not figure out how to watch his dog from his phone once he left his house. You can do this!

For Field Agent (just an example)

On an iPhone 7
Got to Settings (it's a gray icon on your home screen that looks like gears
scroll all the way down until you see Field Agent
open Field Agent
you will probably see 5 choices, the last one is Cellular Data
You must select that you will use cellular data (touch it and be sure it is green - ON)

Repeat for any app you are using. If you try to get it to work using wifi, good luck. It probably won't work. I learned this the hard way.

As far as moving somewhere with subsidized housing, you seem to not be thinking it through. I don't blame you, you must feel very overwhelmed and change is scary under even much better circumstances. That being said, first find the subsidized housing. Qualify for it and make sure you have enough money to move. Then you can rent a vehicle and move. There are lots of different ways to rent a vehicle. If you don't have a credit card you could always rent a friend or neighbors vehicle to make the move and when you return it catch a bus or pay your friend to take you back to your new home. Everyone needs a little extra money from time to time so I'm sure you could find someone who would appreciate it.
If you don't start trying to change your circumstances I'm worried that you will be homeless, at worst, and freezing in the winter, at best.

Enough money to move? LOL! I'll get rid of everything. Yep, even the stuff I'm attached to.

Sure will miss my bed. Not worth moving.

I didn't realize it even costs money to APPLY for subsidized housing! $35 just to apply.

And I don't have the $35.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2019 08:34PM by ceasesmith.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I know everybody says "suck it up and just do it" (around here, we say "put on your big-girl panties and git-er-done", but the truth is, I'm very (very, very) good at some things, and I suck at other things.

I understand how frustrating it is to help someone who seems they will not help themselves.

You said you were good at eBay. What's the status of that?

When I was in a bind, I found plenty of stuff to sell that normal people would not have considered:
Clothing (used, vintage, etc)
Books (used from my shelf)
Purses and wallets (I emptied out my purse and sold it.)
Jewelry (vintage from my deceased mother)
China, flatware, seasonal dishes, retro glasware from the 1960's
Anything with a searchable name brand can be sold (store samples, cosmetics, etc)

Any amount of money brought in was more than I had when it was sitting around in my house. My co-worker thought that it was funny that I sold a book for $3.99. I thought that it was funny that I made $3000 that year on eBay, and she floats her checks.

I have nothing left to sell, only my Mother's ring my daughter gave me for Mother's day a few years back. I would, frankly, go homeless before selling it, anyway. I don't have purses or handbags. I don't have china or flatware (just mismatched stuff purchased at garaged sales and thrift shops for a nickel or a dime).

More tech stuff keeps me from selling on e-bay. I used to do it easily, but the last few times I tried, I couldn't get my photos onto the site. I think there were updates to the site and also to Windows that I just don't understand.

I still have a couple dozen pairs of Ferrogamo (spelling) shoes that I bought to resell. Guess they can go in the dumpster, along with 2,000 VHS tapes and 3500 cassettes!!!

@ceasesmith wrote:

I have nothing left to sell, only my Mother's ring my daughter gave me for Mother's day a few years back. I would, frankly, go homeless before selling it, anyway. I don't have purses or handbags. I don't have china or flatware (just mismatched stuff purchased at garaged sales and thrift shops for a nickel or a dime).

More tech stuff keeps me from selling on e-bay. I used to do it easily, but the last few times I tried, I couldn't get my photos onto the site. I think there were updates to the site and also to Windows that I just don't understand.

I still have a couple dozen pairs of Ferrogamo (spelling) shoes that I bought to resell. Guess they can go in the dumpster, along with 2,000 VHS tapes and 3500 cassettes!!!

eBay has an app. You can upload from the phone.

I sold my VHS tapes in lots. You can still sell them. There are over 600,000 listings for VHS tapes. 92,000 listed under "sold."

Ferragamo shoes are not worthless either. 12,000 listing up currently for them.

74,000 listings for cassette tapes....

I sell single pieces of china all day long. I have never sold a complete set of china.

My friend in Florida had two young boys, 3 and 5, when her husband up and left her for another woman. He was worthless and didn't pay any child support. She was destitue and didn't have a car but got a friend to help her out by driving her around to estate sales and yard sales. Having a good eye for things of resale value, she bought stuff to resell on ebay. She was able to make ends meet, feed and clothe her kids, and buy herself a car, eventually. You can do this!

The Ipsos app will let you input the survey and upload it later. I do it all the time on my tablet. Just don't go past the last page by clicking "Done" or it will try, and try, and try, to upload. I use Android, but iPhone is probably the same way.

I will pray for you, Cease. You sure have your hands full it sounds like.

Thank you, Panama, for actually answering my question.

Do you mean, input the info, then when I get home (where I have the wi-fi), just hit "done" then?

And can you do more than one shop for IPSOS and upload all of them later? Will it let you go on to the next shop to input without hitting "done"?

@ceasesmith wrote:

Thank you, Panama, for actually answering my question.

I answered your question hours ago.
Virtually EVERY app works if you have your settings adjusted properly.

There is no reason to not fully submit an IPSOS job on site, but yes, you can do some of it and then abandon it for later.

I have done 100's of their shops on the app. It takes me 5-6 minutes tops to enter it. It might take you 20 minutes at most. With an iPhone7, you can voice text any long string of numbers by just hitting the microphone and saying the numbers.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Thank you, Panama, for actually answering my question.

Do you mean, input the info, then when I get home (where I have the wi-fi), just hit "done" then?

And can you do more than one shop for IPSOS and upload all of them later? Will it let you go on to the next shop to input without hitting "done"?

Yes, it will let you go to the next stop without hitting done. The assignment will just sit on your home page until you submit it. The nice thing with their reports is that you can jump around in the report as you're going along if your order of doing things is faster for you (make sure you use the next and previous buttons in the app, not your back arrow or you will wait for all of the outstanding assignments to upload which takes a lot longer). It also allows you to move on to the next area if folks are blocking pumps (and, after I've been on site for 20 minutes, they will allow you to shoot a side shot of the pump. I run into this a fair amount that a customer doesn't move but rather spends a bunch of time on the phone, scratching off lottery tickets, etc). Their schedulers (at least mine) are also really great about working with you on the due dates since you're building a route.

Market Force, if they allow you to schedule them again, works fairly well on the app. Maritz does, but only for the yellow brand. Blue still requires you to do it from a PC. That being said, you don't need to shrink or rename the pictures which does save a lot of time. The way that I do it, which makes it easier for me, is to download the pictures to my PC then look at them on my phone for details, then delete the pic off of my phone when I'm done with it. I've found that the detail is much easier to see that way. Maritz also allows you to take side pictures if the pump continues to be blocked when you are done. Don't waste any extra time waiting for customers - if they don't move they don't move but don't limit your income waiting for them to move.

SCM, I didn't mean to disparage your reply. The only companies I know with apps is IPSOS and Marketforce. I do understand about settings, but I can't do that until I actually have the phone. I was hoping to learn of other MSCs that have apps for submitting on site.

Thanks for all the helpful info, and I will put in effect as soon as I get the phone!

Customer Impact and Maritz also have apps.

Thanks! I'm making a list!

IPSOS app is Mobi Audit, and it is the app used for most Shop Metrics companies, including Alta 360, Mercantile, and Coyle. I usually input the information on the app in the parking lot and save it, then submit on my desktop, especially if there is any narrative because I hate typing on my phone (I'm doing that right now).

OK, stupid question 1,318,423: so, if you save it on your phone, when you get home and go to the website on your PC (or laptop, or whatever your device at home is), the report will be there, already filled it, with photos or anything else that you submitted on site?

This does not require "synching" or any other tech stuff that's over my head?

And I'll be able to voice enter the long strings of numbers? I don't need a mike or anything, it's like (OK, dumb question 1,318,424!) no additional peripherals?

Thanks, guys. This is a steep learning curve for me.

(Oh, yeah, as for the e-bay and Amazon thing, yes, I sold on them for years. In 2005 I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I do not have health insurance, so I could not get treatment for it -- and I wouldn't have been able to pay the deductible and 20% if I did have health insurance, so it's moot, anyway -- and by 2015, my hands had gotten so bad I could no longer package and ship my sales. Yes, I can still do USPS shops, because the packages are small and light, and I only do a few each month. I did enjoy it; I still have pen pals in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe because when I shipped overseas, I always put a handwritten letter in, inviting correspondence! But I am no longer physically capable of professionally packaging and shipping up to 30 items a day. But for years, I double-dipped by hitting every thrift shop I could find when I was route shopping, and reselling the items I bought. They worked very nicely together! I could often make several hundred dollars on a route, and resell finds for another $100 or so!)

I don’t suggest that anyone ship 30 items a day. I would suggest you ship 30 items in a month.

Five or six a month is more what I'm physically capable of handling.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Customer Impact and Maritz also have apps.

What is the Customer Impact app called? Is it available for Android? Haven't found any apps for CI or other Sassie companies.

iSecertShop has an app, as does MarketForce. If any of you are going to continue doing mystery shopping, learn to use cell phone apps and get a newer phone.

@boridi wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

Customer Impact and Maritz also have apps.

What is the Customer Impact app called? Is it available for Android? Haven't found any apps for CI or other Sassie companies.

I've done shops on the Go Spot Check app for them.

Presto Insta Shops has an app that shows all of the SASSIE shops available in a particular area. Some shops are also entered on the Presto app. I have done maybe 500 that way?

@johnb974 wrote:

iSecertShop has an app, as does MarketForce. If any of you are going to continue doing mystery shopping, learn to use cell phone apps and get a newer phone.

OP is getting an iPhone 7.

I suppose you are rocking the new iPhone 11?