Welcome aboard Theresa, we're glad to have you with us!
Feel free to browse the Available Shops page on iSecretShop for any shops that you'd like to do, and don't hesitate to explore the forum and ask anything - the community here is relatively your, but growing fast, and can be supper helpful and informative.
Good luck with your shops!
Denzal - you can check the Available Shops page on iSecretShop for any available shops in that area, just type in the city or zip code in the search bar, above the map. You should also be able to see which MSP posted which shops.
Curtis - a lot of shops in the system are done weekly or monthly, so there will be new shops for the same locations every week/month, but new locations and types of shops are also regularly posted, so make sure to chek out the Available Shops page from time to time.
Thanks for joining guys, and good luck!
Hi guys!
Danielle - on your last attempt, you got one answer wrong - to question: 12 Q: Will your work save if you close the app? - if you revise your answer there, you should pass the course.
Zachary - you got 2 answers wrong - to questions 7 and 10.
Once again - I suggest opening support ticket to iSecretShop - that will ensure you get your answers in the fastest possible way.
Thanks!
Hi Matt,
Welcome aboard! Let's see what I can help with :)
- Certifications provide you with the knowledge that is very useful to have in certain areas, or the entire system. In addition to that, completing courses on iSSprep and getting certifications will earn you shopper points, which makes them a pretty quick an easy way to "jump start" your shopper score, and with that, your reputation rank as well. Finally, some certifications are necessary in order for you to be able to do certain shops - for example the alcohol compliance shops require a matching certification.
- Food shops are very common (among the most common shop types), which is why wherever you are there is a good chance you'll see some of them, but new shops of all types are posted all the time, so make sure to check the Available Shops page from time to time, and feel free to tweak the search setting a bit too - change the search radius to see more shops in a wider area around you, or enter a specific city or zip code to search the shops in that area.
- I personally am not a full-time shopper, but I have encountered people that are, and here are some strategies/things they do that make them successful - I'll divide them into a few categories:
Scheduling shops:
-Check the Available Shops regularly - A LOT of shops gets grabbed within hours of being posted, especialy the easy/cool ones, so don't be late for the Awesome Train
-Request various types of shops - don't be afraid to try different assignments, different shop categories, etc. Every new experience makes you personally richer, and a nice side effect is that you get a new badge for every new type of shop you do, making you stand out to schedulers as someone who is experienced and versatile.
-Request shops for the soonest available dates - if a shop is available for any day next week, requests for Monday will be the first ones the schedulers see, and the first ones they approve (as they want their shops done as soon as possible), so requesting for the earliest date increases your chances of getting a shop
-Read emails from schedulers/MSPs and from iSecretShop - these are often sent when new shops are available, giving you a heads up so you can request them early on
-Do weekly shops - weekly. - there are shops that can be done every week, and if you have them in your are and don't mind doing them, keep hitting that request button every week, and keep doing them. Pretty soon you'll be very proficient at them, and schedulers WILL notice, and keep giving them to you.
-If you can't do a shop on the date you're scheduled to do it, let the schedulers know on time - letting them know a day before, or in the morning of the day of the shop will prevent your shop from expiring and you from loosing points, and will make the schedulers appreciate you as they have the time to reschedule you for another date, or assign to someone else if you can't do it at all.
-When in doubt - ask. If there is any part of the shop instructions or guidelines that seems confusing to you, shoot an email to the MSP and ask them.
Doing shops:
-Before going, read the guidelines. Read the shop instructions, read the attached guidelines, read the scenario, read all there is. Seriously - read the guidelines. It will save both you and the editors a lot of time and trouble by making you understand the shop requirements exactly, so you can avoid having your shops ever being declined. Even if you have done a certain shop before, check the guidelines again, as they sometimes get updated/changed. Have I mentioned reading the guidelines? :)
-Read the questionnaire before doing the shop - this will ensure that you know exactly what to pay attention to during the shop, making things a lot easier for you later on.
-Pay attention to details - of course, the more you notice, the more useful info you'll be able to provide, and the easier it will be to fill out the shop report. If it helps, take notes on your phone/tablet.
-Take photos during your shop - when a photo of the location interior/exterior or items in the location is needed, it needs to be taken at the time of your visit, as it serves as proof you were there. This does not apply only to documentation, such as receipts, brochures, flyers, invoices, etc.
-Enjoy the role - you are shopping by pretending to be a customer, or a potential one, so keep that in mind, don't sound scripted. At the time of a shop, I like to think of shoppers as world-class actors, or secret agents. BE the role you play, and you'll have tons of fun doing it. :)
Completing shop reports:
-Always complete your reports by midnight of the day of the shop - almost all shops will expire if you don't start doing them by then. If you can't complete the full report by midnight, at least start filling it out, and finish in the morning. That way you avoid having your shops unassigned.
-Use good grammar and the editors will LOVE you - whenever you submit a report, the editors will review it, and they will also have to correct all grammar/semantics before it's sent to the clients, so by keeping that in mind and using good grammar, you save their time, and potentially yours if they choose to send it back to you for grammar corrections. Do this consistently and you can get the Grammarian badge, which will make you really stand out.
-Keep your reports objective, and on point - there is no need to write entire essays in your answers, you'd be wasting both yours and editor's time Simply make sure to answer the asked questions in an objective, informative way, covering all requirements of the question and providing good info.
-Read the ENTIRE question - shops are often returned for more information to shoppers that only answer a question partially, or don't directly answer what was asked, so save yourself the trouble and make sure to read the entire question before answering it fully.
-Be professional - imagine you're reporting your experience directly to a CEO or a VP of Marketing - so in your report use politically correct language, be objective, precise, etc. - it will take the experience of reading your reports a pleasure, and you will be greatly appreciated for it.
Troubleshooting and communication:
Just like with your shop reports, when communicating with MSPs or with support at iSecretShop, try to be as precise and informative as you can. State clearly what your problem is, what would you like to know or need help with, which shop (or page) are you referring to, are you using a PC browser or the iSecretShop app, etc. The more info you provide, the less chance that you'll spend a lot of time sending emails back and forth in order to get assistance. If you want to reschedule - state the exact shop ID and the date you'd like to reschedule for. If you can't upload a photo, state the exact shop ID, which photo is it, are you getting any errors, and attach the photo in the email. The examples are plentiful, but the principle is the same - anticipate what may be required, and provide it proactively.
I hope this helps!
Hello fellow shoppers!
I have compiled a list of tips and advice for shoppers looking to be the best, to get most shops, watch their reputation levels and badges soar, avoid the most common mistakes, save a ton of time, and make mystery shopping a more enjoyable, more professional experience. I've divided them into categories to make it easier to read and put into context.
Scheduling shops:
-Check the Available Shops regularly - A LOT of shops gets grabbed within hours of being posted, especially the easy/cool ones, so don't be late for the Awesome Train
-Request various types of shops - don't be afraid to try different assignments, different shop categories, etc. Every new experience makes you personally richer, and a nice side effect is that you get a new badge for every new type of shop you do, making you stand out to schedulers as someone who is experienced and versatile.
-Request shops for the soonest available dates - if a shop is available for any day next week, requests for Monday will be the first ones the schedulers see, and the first ones they approve (as they want their shops done as soon as possible), so requesting for the earliest date increases your chances of getting a shop.
-Read emails from schedulers/MSPs and from iSecretShop - these are often sent when new shops are available, giving you a heads up so you can request them early on.
-Do weekly shops - weekly. - there are shops that can be done every week, and if you have them in your area and don't mind doing them, keep hitting that request button every week, and keep doing them. Pretty soon you'll be very proficient at them, and schedulers WILL notice, and keep giving them to you.
-If you can't do a shop on the date you're scheduled to do it, let the schedulers know on time - letting them know a day before, or in the morning of the day of the shop allows them to review if the shop can be rescheduled rather than cancelled, which may prevent the shop from expiring and you from losing points. Plus, the schedulers appreciate you as they have the time to reschedule you for another date, or assign to someone else if you can't do it at all.
-When in doubt - ask. If there is any part of the shop instructions or guidelines that seems confusing to you, shoot an email to the MSP and ask them.
Doing shops:
-Before going, read the guidelines. Read the shop instructions, read the attached guidelines, read the scenario, read all there is. Seriously - read the guidelines. It will save both you and the editors a lot of time and trouble by making you understand the shop requirements exactly, so you can avoid having a reason for the shop to be declined. Even if you have done a certain shop before, check the guidelines again, as they sometimes get updated/changed. Have I mentioned reading the guidelines? :)
-Read the questionnaire before doing the shop - this will ensure that you know exactly what to pay attention to during the shop, making things a lot easier for you later on.
-Pay attention to details - of course, the more you notice, the more useful info you'll be able to provide, and the easier it will be to fill out the shop report. If it helps, take notes on your phone/tablet.
-Take photos during your shop - when a photo of the location interior/exterior or items in the location is needed, it needs to be taken at the time of your visit, as it may serve as proof of visit to validate the shop. Also, when taking onsite photos, always take back up photos, even if you use the app - stuff happens and a missing required photo could cause the shop to be rejected or declined.
-Enjoy the role - you are shopping by pretending to be a customer, or a potential one, so keep that in mind, don't sound scripted. At the time of a shop, I like to think of shoppers as world-class actors, or secret agents. BE the role you play, and you'll have tons of fun doing it. :)
Completing shop reports:
-Always complete your reports by midnight of the day of the shop - almost all shops will expire if you don't start doing them by then. If you can't complete the full report by midnight, at least start filling it and email/contact the scheduler letting them know when you will have it in. That way you can try to avoid having your shops unassigned or points deducted from your rank.
-Use good grammar - Proper grammar, sentence structure and punctuation is required when leaving any comments on a report. Editors will LOVE you for taking the time to enter grammatically correct responses. Many Editors will return your shops for this to be done by you, and doing it initially will save the Editor from having to return to you and delay the shop being decisioned. Do this consistently and you can get nominated for the Grammarian badge by the Editor, which will make you really stand out!
-Keep your reports objective, and on point - there is no need to write entire essays in your answers, you'd be wasting both yours and editor's time. Simply make sure to answer the asked questions in an objective, informative way, covering all requirements of the question and providing good info.
-Read the ENTIRE question - shops are often returned for more information to shoppers that only answer a question partially, or don't directly answer what was asked, so save yourself the trouble and make sure to read the entire question before answering it fully.
-Be professional - imagine you're reporting your experience directly to a CEO or a VP of Marketing - so, in your report, use politically correct language, be objective, precise, etc. - it will take the experience of reading your reports a pleasure, and you will be greatly appreciated for it.
Troubleshooting and communication:
Just like with your shop reports, when communicating with MSPs or with support at iSecretShop, try to be as precise and informative as you can. State clearly what your problem is, what would you like to know or need help with, which shop (or page) are you referring to, are you using a PC browser or the iSecretShop app, etc. The more info you provide, the less chance that you'll spend a lot of time sending emails back and forth in order to get assistance. If you want to reschedule - state the exact shop ID and the date you'd like to reschedule for. If you can't upload a photo, state the exact shop ID, which photo is it, are you getting any errors, and attach the photo in the email. The examples are plentiful, but the principle is the same - anticipate what may be required, and provide it proactively.
I hope you found this informative and helpful, and if you have some pro tips of your own - don't hesitate to add them in this thread!
Best of luck to you all!
Hi Walter,
Thank you for your thoughts and for your feedback! And you are most certainly right - shoppers are the definitely the backbone of this industry, so we at iSecretShop are always doing our best to attract new shoppers and engage the existing shoppers.
By making our platform widely available and accessible we are striving to expand our shopper base, and to provide those shoppers with a plethora of opportunities and adequate resources - thus, registering with iSecretShop is completely free and most courses and other resources are too, with the exception to this one course, which focuses on multiple aspects of the entire industry rather then only training shoppers in shopping itself.
As an example of sharing insights and knowledge with shoppers, without any requirements whatsoever, we've recently created a thread on this forum, that represents a summary of some "pro tips", advice, rules of thumb, etc - that can help shoppers make the most out of the whole experience.
You can check it out here: https://www.secretshopforum.com/thread/1/2/94/pro-tips-for-those-who-want-to-be-the-best-shoppers
Thank you again!
Hello Edith, and thank you for your questions!
Yes - there is a direct correlation between the earned points and the percentage of advancement towards the next rank. Here is how it works:
With every successfully done (and approved) shop, or completed course on iSSprep or Opinion Poll on iSecretShop - you gain points. They add together to form your shopper score (along with negative points from declined or canceled shops), which is directly reflected in your reputation rank.. Every Reputation badge level is set to be achieved when a certain score is reached - and the displayed precentage is the percentage of points gained in the current level towards the next one. The exact number of total points needed for each level is not publicly displayed to shoppers or schedulers simply because those numbers are susceptible to change, as the entire reputation system is tweaked and perfected over time, to provide the best and most realistic depiction of shopper's ranks - therefore, those numbers are internal company info.
What is obvious is that the first couple of levels are relatively easy to get, and get progressively more difficult with each new level (more total points needed), but nigher levels also yield higher rewards in the means of increasing your "self-assigned limit" - the number of shops you can assign to yourself at any one time without even having to request them. At the highest levels you'll be able grab dozens of shops without submitting requests for them.
As for those bowling shops - there are 2 things to keep in mind:
- The specific shop category badges are not rewarded until the shops are reviewed and approved by the editors, so if it's still pending review, give it a few days. :)
- The specific shop category badges are entirely the responsibility of the MSPs that post the shops - they are the ones that should set their shops to award a certain badge type each time they are completed, so if you have any questions about any of those, please don't hesitate to contact the MSP(s) and ask them.
I hope this answers your questions!