Hello all-

I have one of my first shops upcoming at a semi-fine dining venue for dinner. It is with one of the companies known to require the most detailed reports (yes, I realize they may not be the best MSC for newbies). My question is how do seasoned mystery shoppers make sure to capture the 100+ items required to be remembered? I have read the instructions and samples 10+ times already. I plan to have the timer on my cell phone set to capture times, and I also plan to make a bathroom trip halfway through the evening to take some notes on my cell phone.

Any other tips and tricks for remembering everything?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2014 04:49AM by laur371.

Get the "Shop it" app for your phone. Any details that you're afraid you'll forget you can stick in the notes. Throughout the dinner you "text" notes to yourself. It's made by a shopper for a shopper so it captures all the timings and everything without looking like you're taking notes. It just looks like you're rude and have no consideration for the person you're dining with.

I like the 'ducking into the bathroom' principle, but do you risk that you won't capture necessary interactions with the staff--to what extent are you allowed to get help from your dining partner?

I highly recommend getting a digital voice recorder for some of those first dining shops, that way you capture everything. Once you get used to the flow of them, it gets easier to remember the details. I use my cell phone for timing, and I text myself notes. No one looks conspicuous texting at a table anymore.

shopsuey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I highly recommend getting a digital voice
> recorder for some of those first dining shops,
> that way you capture everything. Once you get
> used to the flow of them, it gets easier to
> remember the details. I use my cell phone for
> timing, and I text myself notes. No one looks
> conspicuous texting at a table anymore.


I also recommend the digital voice recorder. I bought a cheap one on amazon for a recorded educational compliance shop I did early on. My plan was to use it as a back-up recording just in case the recording on my smartphone failed. It has become my best friend.

I take it on all almost all of my shops. The sound quality is not really good enough for recorded shops, especially in a location with lots of ambient noise like a restaurant. But it helps me in case I space out on a detail of the shop or have an issue with my timings. I also like that it provides me a permanent record of my shop in case any issues pop up later.

There are lots to be found on amazon the quality varies so check the reviews. The one I have is the flashdrive with the silver casing and I have not had a single problem with it. It is pretty inconspicuous. You could wear it on a lanyard around your neck in most casual locations or attach it to your key ring for more upscale locales. No one has ever questioned or even noticed it. Most of the time, I don't even listen to the recording, but if I'm unsure of a certain detail, I can quickly fast forward to that part of the recording to reconfirm.

Oh! I forgot to note something important, though. If you are going to use a digital recording device, make sure you check the laws in your state and any state where you will be shopping. In some states it is ILLEGAL (read: criminal) to record another party without their knowledge. This is addressed elsewhere on the forum.. I'm pretty sure the link to check your state's laws is on the sticky post about audio and video shopping.

Thankfully, I live in a state where it's not an issue :-)