Thank you so much for all the info provided Wassim!
I'm glad you mentioned metadata, such as timestamp or geotag - I'd like to elaborate even further on that.
Whenever you take a photo with your smartphone (wether by just using your ordinary phone camera, or the iSecretShop app, or some other camera app), the exact time and date, as well as the location where it was taken, are recorded in the photo information.
When you upload that photo to your shop report, if the date/time do not match the date and time of your shop, or if the location does not match, you will usually see a small error message under the photo. You will still be able to submit it of course, but this serves for editors to check if the photos that had to be taken at the time and place of the shop (photos of the location exterior/interior, or photos of the specific items inside the location) have indeed been taken at that time and location.
This is a very important part of verifying that the shop is valid, so you can consider this to be proof that everything is legitimate, that you were there and did the shop. Removing this metadata will raise suspicions with editors that are checking the shops, and might lead to the shop being declined, or even result in restrictions or bans, so I strongly advise against it.
In any case, trying not to be bias or subjective (and admitting I personally haven't used some of those apps), but I do think that the iSecretShop has all the functionality you need for completing and submitting all shops in the iSecretShop system - browsing and taking on shops from anywhere, filling out reports on the go, receiving notifications of interesting shops or needed actions, taking photos, recording video and audio from within the very question itself in which they are required, Geo-location options, payments, direct way to contact the support at iSecretShop via the Ticket button, and many other things.
And again - thank you so much for everything you shared, this is some very useful stuff!
Tammy,
That is indeed one of the more...unusual shops I have encountered. :) But I'm sure there are very solid reasons it exists - there are matters such as integrity that need to be verified 24/7, and that many companies check by creating shops like that.
And Susan, even though this forum is only a few months old, the community is amazing, it's growing by the day, and there is some pretty useful stuff you can find here, so please feel free to spend some time exploring, and don't hesitate to ask whatever you want!
You can also use the Ticket button on the iSecretShop website to ask any questions about the system itself or for any clarifications on the general concept of how everything works. If you have some questions about any specific shop, you can always reach out to the MSP that posted it and they will be happy to assist you.
I hope this helps!
Hi everyone,
To my best knowledge, that is the only test on iSSPrep that has a fee, all others are entirely free. Of course, as all other tests, it is completely optional.
It can be useful both to new shoppers, and those willing to engage in mystery shopping more actively and professionally.
It's there to give shoppers an introduction to (and an overview of) the fundamental concepts applicable to collecting business intelligence from the field, as it provides insights into the the Mystery Shopping concept, complements the knowledge gained in the iSS 101 test, and gives a larger points reward than any other test, ultimately equipping shoppers with the knowledge and shopper score increase that can be helpful in understanding more about the industry itself.
It was designed as a way for the people at iSecretShop that have been in the industry for over a decade and interacted with dozens of Mystery Shopping Providers, to share their knowledge and insights with shoppers that are really interested in fully understanding the entire concept, expanding their knowledge, and taking the "professional" approach to Mystery Shopping.
It is in no way a requirement for anything, nor promoted anywhere in particular, nor are the shoppers who take it favored over others - it's rather an optional "boost" to a shopper's knowledge, understanding of the industry itself, and their score, and can be handy for all shoppers that are eager to "dive into" the entire experience more and know more.
I hope this helps!
Hi Tammy,
Doing recorded phone call shops is quite easy - you simply dial the number provided in the guidelines and enter the shop ID number when prompted. The call will automatically be recorded and uploaded in the shop report, so no additional equipment or software is needed.
Good luck on your shops!
Hi everyone,
I agree with everything you said, and would like to add one more thing to keep in mind - Badges!
When you submit your request for a shop, you can count on the fact that several more shoppers will do the same, and the schedulers will see at a glance which shopper has experience in those type of shops, which shopper has a good reputation rank, who has made other contributions, etc. So as you start doing more shops and engaging in the whole experience, your chances of getting your requests approved will also increase - and schedulers will always give a chance to new and inexperienced shoppers, but it is up to you to be active and do a good job on your reports.
As Wassim said, there are things that editors and schedulers will take note of - the quality of your reports, your reliability, and someting that will make you really stand out - good grammar. Having your reports well written and grammatically correct can bring you the Grammarian badge, which will tell schedulers that you are a person that does a damn good job and actually saves the editors time and effort durng the review of your shop.
Good luck in your shopping!
Hello,
If you did not receive a badge for a particular shop you did, please feel free to contact the the MSP responsible for the shop, since it is their responsibility to set their shops up to award specific shop category badges. Also, make sure the shops in question were completed after the badge program went live, as the badges are not rewarded for shops done prior to that.
As for the Weekly Leaderboard badge, you are right, you get it when you are at the top of the list for that week, and as you repeat that success in the future, your progression towards the next levels of that badge will increase.
The Recruiter badge is received when someone uses your referral link to register at iSecretShop, and starts completing shops. You will however, not be able to see the exact persons that did, only the Badge itself. If there are people that have used your referral link to register and started doing shops but you still don't see the badge, please feel free to open a support Ticket and send their shopper ID number, so the badge will be awarded to you.
Regarding the response times, please note that our support tickets have an average first response time of under three hours (it may vary depending on the time of day), and if you have any questions at all - the tickets (not the forums) are the best place to get prompt attention.
I hope this helps!
Hi Adrian,
In those cases, as soon as your shop is approved, you will automatically receive a Badge that the MSP has set for those shops to give. They usually try to be specific when assigning badge types to their shops, so dental or physical therapy phone call shops will more likely be set to give shoppers Healthcare badges than Phone Call badges, but ultimately, it will depend on the way the MSP has set their shops.
As more and more shops and shop types are added to the system all the time, plans are in place to add additional categories of badges as needed, to most accurately reflect the shopper's experience in specific fields, so generic badges such as "Phone call", "Retail" or "Service" should start being less common (and less relevant to schedulers) than industry-specific badges, like Healthcare, Adult Stores, Automobile, Casino, Casual Dining, Fast Food, etc.
I hope this answers your question!
Hello Jessica.
Please click the home button twice then swipe up on the iSS app so it completely shuts down. You should then be able to open a fresh copy no problem.
The app is currently experiencing issues on some devices due to the latest update,and the developers are working on resolving them.
For any future technical issues you may have, please open a support ticket for iSecretShop - that will ensure you get the fastest possible response.
Thank you!
Hello Barbara,
The number of shops you can self-assign depends on your shopper score on iSecretShop.
As you receive more points, your score will rise, and with that, the number of shops you can self-assign.
You gain points by successfully doing shops, by doing Opinion Polls on iSecretShop, and by completing courses on iSSprep.com which also grant you certifications and provide valuable insights into the iSecretShop system.
Please note that this limit only applies for self-assigning shops - you can always request an unlimited number of shops directly in the system, and the schedulers can assign any number of them to you at the same time.
Thanks!