News and Alerts

How to update your report
Posted on November 22, 2011

Even the best Mystery Shoppers make mistakes when they are filling out the reports- it is very easy to forget to make a comment about a required item. If you do leave something out, you can count on our awesome proofreaders to catch it- they are really good at what they do! They will try to call you for updates, but if you can’t be reached by phone, they will send you an email. Here are a few tips to make updating your report easier! 

1) Do not reply to the email. Your update may be a simple “yes” or “no” answer, and it would be easy just to reply to the email, however; IntelliShop Proofreaders cannot accept incoming emails. Why? They are working hard on getting through the thousands of reports we do every month!  
2) Go directly to your report. Each email will include all of the information needed to complete your report. You can login to your IntelliShop account, click on the “Finish Shop” link, and take care of the updates. 
3) “But I don’t understand a request!” Ask your scheduler! We are here to help! Login to your IntelliShop account and click the “Help” link, which will allow you to email the appropriate scheduler for the specific shop you are working on. 
4) “It says I need to upload my receipt, but I already did that.” We must be able to read all of the information on the image you upload. If you take a picture of your receipt from far away, and we can’t verify the price you paid or the location you went to, we will not be able to “finalize” your report. The BEST way to get a receipt to us is to scan it. If you don’t have a scanner, faxing also gives us a very clear copy of the image. 
5) Don’t give up! We know it can be frustrating to have to return to make updates, but we ask you for them because we WANT to pay you for your work!! We want the great employee you interacted with to get credit for your work. We want the less than perfect employee to learn from their mistakes! If you don’t update your report, everyone misses out on a great opportunity. 
 
We always appreciate the great reports we get from all of our shoppers! If you have any questions on how to make your report perfect, just ask your scheduler! Thanks for everything you do for us!

Don’t you deserve a high-class dinner and night out?
Posted on November 16, 2011

Wouldn’t it be great if you could also be reimbursed in exchange for your feedback of the overall dining experience?

Top 5 Tips to Perform a Perfect Fine Dining Shop:
 
1. An eye for detail - You must understand what you are required to order, evaluate, and observe.  This is very important, and crucial to your overall dining experience.  You should always review your shop instructions before performing your shop.
 
2. Preparation - Review the restaurant’s website and menu before your shop. Most fine dining shops require you to make a reservation 24-48 hours prior to your shop. 
 
3. Understanding of Menu Offerings - Take the time to review the restaurant’s menu before going to your assigned location. By reviewing the menu and website prior to your shop date, you will have some insight into the style and ambiance of the restaurant you will be evaluating.  This is especially helpful if you have never dined in the restaurant you are evaluating.  
 
4. What to order? - As you and your guest review the menu, tentatively pick out your meals. Keep in mind that this is not the time to be adventurous, or go overboard. Pick items that you are relatively familiar with, and items you would normally order.  
 
5. Reporting - Fine dining establishments have high standards for service and the reports can call for a lot of details. Worried you won’t remember all shop requirements or that you will forget employee names?  Solution – split the duties with your guest! Go to the restroom once or twice during your shop to take notes (secretly); write down delivery times, and/or employee names (smart phones are great for this).  The more descriptive and specific you are when reporting your experience, the better!

Mystery shop in November, pay off that Holiday debt
Posted on November 2, 2011
By now, the schedulers here at IntelliShop have posted our mystery shops for the month of November. As you likely know, our shops are paid bimonthly, which means shops performed in November will be paid in January. I encourage you to perform a few extra shops in November for a reason that may not have crossed your mind yet – paying off your Holiday debt!

Even if you are not the type of person that spends extra money on your friends or family during December, you may find yourself caught in the spirit of the season and overspend. Come January, you may have amassed a big credit card bill. Just when you’re wondering how you will dig yourself out – surprise – your payment for your November shops for IntelliShop arrives!

Imagine the possibilities – you could mystery shop a car dealership in November to help pay off the Matchbox car you bought for your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew, or even the new car you bought for your spouse. You could mystery shop for a TV at a retail store, and have it help you pay off the flatscreen you bought yourself in December. Or, you could mystery shop a convenience store / gas station to help pay for all the gas you used in December sitting in Holiday traffic around the mall!

Head on over to the Job Board and pick up a few November shops!

Make Some Extra Cash for Christmas Shopping!
Posted on October 17, 2011

Are you looking for ways to make holiday shopping easier this season? Have you thought about picking up some shops during the month of October?!

IntelliShop pays our shoppers every sixty (60) days for the shops that they have completed successfully. Our shop payments go out on the 20th of every month!

If you want to make some extra cash in time for holiday season, October is the month to do it, since October shops will be paid on December 20th!

We have a variety of shops ranging from car service shops (having an oil change paid for can help lower your bills around the holidays), customer service evaluations at a variety of retail stores, and many other shops that are even available to do by phone!

You could pick up some shops and receive payment just in time for some last minute shopping, and you could even have certain items paid for! IntelliShop offers several shops that require you to purchase an item of YOUR CHOICE, and we will reimburse up to a certain amount.

Start planning your holiday shopping now, and let IntelliShop ease the stress of last minute shopping!

Please visit your Job Board and/or contact a Scheduler for available shops in your area. We still have a wide variety available!

A Guide to Shopping for IntelliShop
Posted on October 6, 2011

As a scheduler at IntelliShop, I'm always happy to hear when a mystery shopper is willing to take on a shop assignment. However, our schedulers don't just need any shoppers willing to give an assignment a try; we need shoppers that can do the shops correctly! With that in mind, I offer this short guide on the preparation shoppers should put in before heading out and performing a mystery shop.

1) Confirm the shop. Besides enabling the "Guidelines" link, confirming a shop serves as an extra assurance that you will perform the shop. If you haven't confirmed a shop, your scheduler will know that you have not yet read the guidelines and will likely become concerned that you either 1) aren't planning on performing the shop, or 2) will not perform the shop correctly.

2) Read the guidelines, even if you've read them before. Reading the guidelines for a shop is clearly the most important step in correctly performing a shop. This is the case even if you've performed the same shop before, or at a different location. IntelliShop and our clients are constantly working to improve our mystery shopping programs, and thus often alter the rules for a given shop and the forms you fill out. To make sure your shops are acceptable and eligible for a "10" score, you should always make sure you know the most current rules for the shop. If you have confirmed the shop but the guidelines link isn't working, try refreshing your browser.

3) Read the "Comments". For each shop on your Shop Log, you will also see a "Comments"; link. For many shops, it is very important that you read this section as well. For example, in many car dealership shops, you will find the particular car model you are assigned in the shop comments.

4) Read the survey/form before the shop. Most shoppers read the guidelines and comments before performing a shop, but do not look at the form/survey itself. Of course, it always helps to know the specific questions you'll be asked in advance. We suggest that you read over the survey itself via the "View/Submit"; link on your Shop Log before performing the shop. However, if you look at the survey in advance, do not submit or save the report! This may confuse your scheduler, as it makes it appear in our system that you have already performed the shop. If you have read the guidelines but the "View/Submit" link isn't working, try refreshing your browser.

5) Double-check the location's address. Many shoppers see a shop and think, "I know that place!"; However, it's always important to double check the shop address and write it down. The particular store/location may have more than one location in the town, or may have moved. If you want to be very thorough, you can Google the location as well to double check the address we have in our system. We do our best to keep our location records very accurate, but occasionally a business changes locations without us knowing.

6) Fill out the survey immediately after the shop. Even shoppers with the best memories may forget some key details over the course of 12 or 24 hours. The best shoppers fill out their surveys as soon as they get home from the shop, while the memories are fresh in their minds.

I hope this guide helps you perform great shops! Do you have anything you do to prepare for a shop that you think should be shared with other shoppers? Let us know by leaving a comment!