Do you have anything about your process that you consider to be a hack - or just a particularly efficient behavior? I always love the discussion threads here and get a kick out of reading them.

Maybe you have an app you like to use or a special way you set up spreadsheets. Maybe you use MS to offset other travel or expenses. Maybe you have a way of doing things that makes your life a little easier. Anything you feel like sharing about your way of doing things would be fun to read.

I like the way you think!

Sorry, nothing in particular comes to mind at the moment, but overall, I think I need to become better at record keeping. Whether it be as soon as that day or on some reoccurring basis. Once the shop is over, I forget about it and move on to the next one. The more time that passes, the more likely that I will never come back around to doing it.

I'm going to focus more on recording mileage, making notes about special shops, and tracking payments. Also, do more an analysis of which shops to weed out and be more selective about.

I keep notes in "One Note" of my narratives at places that I go on a repeat basis. Sometimes, a little, copy, paste, and edit saves a lot of time

Neither of these are a actual hack, but for iPhone users, I set the new "action" button got open up my note taking app, and got a screen protector where you can only see what's on the screen if you are looking dead on at the phone. I feel like that limits the option for servers to peer over my shoulder and see what I am writing.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Neither of these are a actual hack, but for iPhone users, I set the new "action" button got open up my note taking app, and got a screen protector where you can only see what's on the screen if you are looking dead on at the phone. I feel like that limits the option for servers to peer over my shoulder and see what I am writing.

Could you clarify what you mean about the action button?

Love the screen protector idea. I usually lower the brightness but still feel concerned sometimes.

None of mine are hacks either!

Some good habits I have are putting everything into a screenshot right away. I tend to use that kind of like my calendar. I have gotten lax on tracking payments on it but I also do that.

I'm still using the time keeper app but it's no longer supported. That has probably been the biggest help so far for me.

I started using voice dictation for some parts of narratives. I always have the timeline down but answering all the oddball questions like was the employee well groomed and not wearing sneakers, was the glassware free from defects, etc. I end up answering using dictation. If I remember, I'll also try to do that with the dishes for dining shops on the way home. I feel like that's just one less thing to do in the morning.

I also use the notes app or take screenshots to remind myself of photos or critical details I need to get. I also developed the habit of taking a photo when I arrive somewhere regardless if it's required just to set the time for the shop.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Could you clarify what you mean about the action button?

I upgraded recently to the iPhone 16. It has a programmable "action" button on the side that defaults to ringer on/off, but you can set it to do a number of things. I have set it to open the notes app instead.

I also went completely paperless 6 or so years ago and have never looked back. Everything gets saved in organized folder groups, and that has really helped my workflow.

I don't know if this would be considered a hack, but I pretty much record audio for every shop I do. Helps with remembering things and getting timings accurate.

@shopnyc wrote:

I don't know if this would be considered a hack, but I pretty much record audio for every shop I do. Helps with remembering things and getting timings accurate.

I have wondered about this but then wondered about the legality of it. I did do it once for a long shop at kind of a health clinic. I had to be interacting with the practitioner the entire time so there was no way I could use my phone for notes. I did feel a little bad about it later but it really did help me get all the details.

Since I don't share the recording with anyone, use it just to help me remember, and delete it after the shop has been approved, I don't worry about the legality of it. I also state the mileage on my odometer at the beginning and end of each recording, to help myself keep track. It's solely for my own use and I don't mind being a little bit of an outlaw to make my life easier.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2024 11:20PM by shopnyc.

my son covertly takes pics of the folks that he needs to remember for a description, and sometimes to get their name tag so that he can spell their name in a report. He never shares the pics without permission, and deletes them immediately when he's done, but most don't ever even know they've had their pics taken.

I often call someone by their name when I am unable (or unwilling) to take notes at the time. It helps a lot in remembering it later. This is mostly on revealed shops, where calling them by their name would not be as awkward.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

I have wondered about this but then wondered about the legality of it.

If you don't share the recording with anyone, no one would ever know or care that you recorded it.

@JimmyP wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

I have wondered about this but then wondered about the legality of it.

If you don't share the recording with anyone, no one would ever know or care that you recorded it.

I see your point but that doesn’t change the legality of the recording. Laws differ state by state so it is not illegal everywhere.

I use sheet cheats for shops i do repeatedly such as gas station brands and USPS. They help to zip through the shops w/o missing anything. I add/delete info as shop guidelines get updated.

I also love the beach which is about 50 miles away one way. I schedule around $100 worth of quick jobs on my way there and home and relax on beach for 3-6 hours sometimes doing reports on my phone while there. I call it my work and play day.

@Morledzep wrote:

my son covertly takes pics of the folks that he needs to remember for a description, and sometimes to get their name tag so that he can spell their name in a report. He never shares the pics without permission, and deletes them immediately when he's done, but most don't ever even know they've had their pics taken.

I do the same thing

For payment tracking:

I track all of my completed shops on a Schedule C Excel worksheet. As payments are received, I enter them throughout the month. I have a calendar reminder every month to look at the shop from three months prior to that one to see if all the payments were received.
Each calendar year gets a new sheet. It helps at tax time.

@MMMM wrote:

For payment tracking:

I track all of my completed shops on a Schedule C Excel worksheet. As payments are received, I enter them throughout the month. I have a calendar reminder every month to look at the shop from three months prior to that one to see if all the payments were received.
Each calendar year gets a new sheet. It helps at tax time.

That's smart. I have several income streams and this year I starting tracking all income as it comes in, month by month. It helps me see where I am for my targets but I really did it for tax planning. I include financial income too like interest and dividends. With ACA healthcare and taxes I feel like l need a bigger picture to do some planning. Hopefully it'll help the end of the year and tax time be less stressful.

@Nikki21 wrote:

I do the same thing

I often try to as well. Or if it's a dining shops, I'll try to assign that to my guest. Sometimes the guest will seem to forget it's a shop (surprising since it's the same guest for years!) and just want to chat the whole time. I have to remind them that I also need to take notes and get some critical timings and info.

Just a note to insert my pet peeve of having to report every individual for dining shops. I'm sitting there thinking are they are runner, busser, both? I'll realize I just saw a guy with short black hair and glasses and then another guy with short black hair and glasses. Anyway, those are the thoughts swirling through my head while also wondering why the entree I'm eating costs $78 lol.

For hotel stays, not necessarily a hack, but an opportunity for further value and convenience. Having membership loyalty status through credit cards. SteveSoCal and others can better speak to this.

On two overnight stays with chains, I was able to get a complimentary room upgrade and guaranteed late checkout with membership status. It depends on the report. But sometimes the question asks if the check-in associate offered you a room upgrade if you're a certain level loyalty member. Some shops do seek shoppers who are loyalty members and have questions focused around that. And it will also allow for a late-checkout. This helps to plan to do certain things during that period of time between official checkout and late checkout.

Not specifically for shops, but personally having a checklist for a packing list helped me pack light with only essentials and not having to think about it.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@shopnyc wrote:

I don't know if this would be considered a hack, but I pretty much record audio for every shop I do. Helps with remembering things and getting timings accurate.

I have wondered about this but then wondered about the legality of it. I did do it once for a long shop at kind of a health clinic. I had to be interacting with the practitioner the entire time so there was no way I could use my phone for notes. I did feel a little bad about it later but it really did help me get all the details.

This topic came up a while back.

With one caveat you are allowed to record any conversation that takes place in a PUBLIC setting, even in states that require two-party consent. Conversations that take place within ear shot of others are NOT private and are not subject to two-party consent laws. Some states have additional exceptions; such as, will allow you to covertly record conversations with public officials. If there is clearly a group of people in a public setting attempting to have a private conversation, you could be breaking the law. I say could because court rulings differ on how they treat that situation, and it will frankly come down to a judge or jury should you be charged. Unless you are planning to extort someone or use the recording in some other creepy way, you are not likely to be charged. Even if you were charged, it would not be for the recording, it would be for whatever illegal way you were trying to use the recording. (The recording would be evidence to support the greater crime.)

To make you feel more at ease, think about people who video record their child at a baseball game. Obviously audio is also being recorded, but the two-party consent law does not apply since this takes place in a public setting. Most mystery shops also take place in a public setting where there is no expectation of privacy. You mention recording in a healthcare setting. I presume this was back in the room you were in. I would not feel guilty about that. A lot of times nurses are going to be in the room as well, which would no longer make the conversation private. Although the nurse is medical staff, they are generally not a part of the conversation. In the past year in my private life, I've actually had doctors encourage me to video record things like CAT scans and X-Rays as they go over them with me. When my ENT put a camera down my throat, he had me to record the playback on the screen as he pointed out what was going on with my vocal cords.

Happy recording!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2024 06:54PM by ServiceAward.

I attempt to audio record my shops but have limited success. I hear myself on the playback, but the subject of my MS often gets lost in the ambient noise, such as music, PA announcements, etc.

I keep my smartphone in my hand (not my pocket) with the bottom of my phone (where the mic is) pointed in the direction of my subject.

The other hiccup is that the audio gets paused when you take a picture and you have to remember to manually resume recording.

Is anyone getting decent enough audio quality to review later and use it on the report?

Yes. One shop I do occasionally has to be audio recorded and uploaded. Taking pics does not interrupted the recording. I keep the phone in airplane mode during the shop, in my hand, with the mic in the direction of the target. The background noise is minimal. There might be a setting in some recorders for that.

Thanks sestrahelena, I found a couple of parameters in my voice recorder app setting that I look forward to trying out.

I'm hardly as seasoned as many of the wiser sages here but, I always always keep my voice recorder *on* on my phone. Five Guys, Kia, Mattress, whatever I just keep it on. Costs nothing and.....in the odd even I forget a rep's name, or I'm a bit fuzzy on whether the Kia dude talked about the tech features ...I like to refer back to it so I know I'm not missing something OR i'n not dinging a good worker without precise info. Also, I feel it sort of covers my bum bum. Once the Kia dude said nothing .(what some know as a Covid salesperson. Got into the business post internet and during Covid when no selling talent was needed. Just have a pulse tattoos, and know how to look at your phone) ) as in not even a cough during test drive and not a word during the product presentation. NOT a word. Shop was short. So I reported it honestly and the MSC asked me to clarify. I emailed back and attached the recording.....shop was paid and 10 rating.

Hm, interesting to read how popular and common recording is used in helping with the shops.

I found recording very useful when starting out. But after a certain point you find you are spending too much time going back and listening to the recordings and spending way more time than the shop pays. You either learn to do the shops without the recordings, or avoid those types of shops when possible.

Agree. I've used the recording perhaps twice in 60 shops. But - those two times I'm glad I had it.