Question from a mystery shopper:

I did my first shop the other day, and the hardest part was getting the timings. This was a fast food shop, and they wanted times down to the second! My watch has a second hand, but it was kind of hard to see without staring at the watch. Do other shoppers use stopwatches, or digital watches or what? I think there must be some secret way to do this that I do not know about.

There are many ways to get accurate timings. Some secret shoppers use digital voice recorders. They record the shop, then use cues in the recording to verify the times. Some shoppers use small stopwatches they can conceal in a pocket. If you want to use a wristwatch, there are many that will make it easy to get the timings you need for your report. Your best choice will probably be a digital sports watch.

Many sports watches come with a stopwatch feature that includes split (or lap) timing. Split timers can capture a series of timings that you can retrieve after the shop visit. Note the time you are starting the shop, and start the stopwatch. When each thing that you are to time occurs, you press a button to capture the time. When the shop is complete (or at least the parts you have to time) you can stop the timer. Here is how it might work on a fast food shop: You get in line, note the time and press start. When you reach the counter, you press the button to capture the elapsed time. At each point you need a timing, you press the button again, so you press it when they tell you your total, when they count back your change and when they give you your food. After leaving the restaurant, you look at the watch and note that it took 1 minute 7 seconds to reach the counter, they gave you your total 42 seconds later, counted back your change 31 seconds after that, and you got your food 1 minute 56 seconds after that.

Before using any kind of timer on a shop, practice with it. You need to be able to operate the timer without looking at it or drawing attention to yourself. Know where the buttons are and how to quickly find them by feel.

Digital sports watches are not expensive. You can find several models at Amazon.com or at your local discount or department stores.

Even though there is much to remember, you should never take the report form with you to do the mystery shop. Instead, make a “tip sheet” you can refer to during the shop to remember all the things you are to do. For example, it might be helpful to have reminders of which departments you are supposed to visit, the things you need to time and the employees for whom you need to get names.

Your tip sheets may be paper or electronic. The type of tip sheet you use will depend on the nature of the shop. It is critical that you not draw attention to yourself, so don’t do anything that would make you stand out or make employees notice you.

You may want to make a few notes you can discreetly refer to during the shop. These notes could be on an index card tucked in a pocket or purse, buried in your shopping list, or on a sticky note stuck in your check register.

If you use a personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone, you may make some notes using the memo function, or perhaps even download the entire form to the PDA or phone.

Another way to use an electronic tip sheet is to record a voice mail message for yourself with reminders of what you are to do on the shop. During the shop, use your cell phone to check your voice mail. Listen to the message you left for yourself, and you will be reminded of what you need to do.

If you are doing a restaurant shop by yourself, you could take a crossword puzzle book with you. Hidden in the puzzle can be reminders such as, “manager,” “server,” and “hostess,” to remind you of the names you need for the report.

Whether you are shopping by yourself or with a companion, you might have a day planner, travel brochures, or classified ads. Make your tip notes discreetly in the materials, and you can refer to them during the shop while making it appear you are working on a project, planning a trip or looking for an apartment.

Many times, your tip sheet will also serve as a place where you can make notes during a shop. Of course, you must always take care not to be observed making notes about the shop.

Used properly, tip sheets are a tool that will ensure you never forget to obtain the information needed to complete the report, and will help you remember the details of the shop.

What sort of tip sheets do you use when secret shopping?

The mystery shopping company will state in the shop guidelines how they prefer to have receipts submitted to them. These days, most prefer to receive them electronically. They may ask that you upload an image of the receipt when you complete your report, or that you send the image as an email attachment.

Of course, you should always follow any guidelines you are given by the mystery shopping company. If they say to use certain settings when you scan a receipt, or to keep the file size below a specified limit, do so. Also follow their guidelines regarding how they prefer to receive receipts and other documentation. Here are some general guidelines and tips for submitting receipts.

General – Put your name on the receipt, or attach it to a piece of paper with your name on it. This is especially important if you are mailing or faxing your receipt. Or you can attach your business card.

Keep your original receipt for at least 60 – 90 days, in case the mystery shopping company requests it. Keep the digital copy as long as you keep other tax records and receipts.

If you must send the original receipt to the mystery shopping company, always keep a copy, either a photocopy or a scan.

Scanning receipts – When you scan a receipt, set the resolution to 150 – 300 dpi. The receipt may have to be printed, and a lower resolution may not give the quality needed to make a readable printout of the receipt.

When the printing on the receipt is light, you may be able to make adjustments to the image to make it easier to read. Your scanner may have software that allows you to adjust the contrast, or you can use image editing software. I like IrfanView, which is free image editing software.

Cropping the image may reduce the file size. A larger file not only takes longer to send, it takes up more space on your hard drive.

Give the file a name that makes sense. Do not name it receipt.jpg. A better way is to name it with the client name and location, and the date. bigbox_jacksonms_021609.jpg. That is a long, but descriptive, file name that tells exactly what is in the file.

When you email receipts, do it as soon as you have submitted your report. Do not wait even 24 hours. Do it immediately.

Digital photos – Another way to create a digital image of a receipt is to take a digital photo of it. The suggestions for scanning apply here as well.

When taking the photo, keep the receipt as flat as you can. Avoid using the flash, if possible, as it may cause glare that will make the receipt hard to read.

Faxing receipts – Always tape cash register receipts to a piece of paper before faxing. Narrow receipts can get jammed in the fax machine and destroyed.

Mailing receipts – If you have no way of submitting receipts electronically, the mystery shopping company may accept a mailed receipt. You will also have to mail receipts if the company requires that you submit the original.

Always mail receipts promptly. They can not bill the client or pay you until they have the receipt.

Your mystery shopping assignment is not complete until you have submitted all required documentation including, in most cases, a receipt.

Computers sold on eBay or donated to charity often include confidential information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, financial data and more. Simply erasing the files, or even formatting the hard drive, may not be enough to remove all traces of data. There are programs that can be used to recover files that have been erased.

Here is how you can avoid having your data fall into the wrong hands.

Tech expert Leo Notenboom recommends doing multiple “unconditional” formats. Although it is still possible to recover data after this, it is difficult. Someone would really have to want your data to devote the resources necessary to get at it.

There are also free software programs available that will wipe your hard drive clean. Running such a program will make it difficult to impossible to recover data from your disk.

Of course, another option is to physically destroy the hard disk. If you are planning to sell or donate the computer, this is not a good choice. However, if you are going to recycle it, destroying the disk protects the data.

Once you have removed your files, what will you do with the computer? You can sell it on eBay or with an ad on CraigsList or other classified sites. Many charities will accept donations of computers, for the use of the charity, for resale, or for recycling. Additionally, many communities have recycling programs for electronics. In general, electronic equipment should not just be put out in the trash, as they may contain hazardous materials that should not be disposed of in a landfill.

Enjoy your new computer, without having to worry that your old one may be telling your secrets.

When going someplace unfamiliar, put in the address to get the exact location. One of the options you may see on the map or in a pop up box is “Street View.” When you click on Street View you will see photographs of the buildings on each side of the street. You can drag the cursor to move to another place, or click on the arrows to look left or right.

Using Street View can help you determine what the exterior of the business you are going to looks like, as well as finding nearby landmarks that will make it easier to navigate.

Although Street View is not available everywhere, you may be surprised at how much coverage there is, even in residential areas.

Did you know that you can override route that Google Maps suggests? For example, when going through Houston, Google often routes me on the West Loop freeway, where traffic is awful. I change the route to one I prefer, and still have detailed directions and mileage, as well as a useful map.  To change the route, put the cursor over the route. A small circle will appear, and a text box that says, “Drag to change route.” Just drag the circle to your preferred route, and the map will instantly change.

Google Maps can be useful when planning mystery shopping trips, or just going somewhere unfamiliar. Becoming better acquainted with its features will help you get more out of it. You can access Google Maps at http://maps.google.com/

The specific ways you may use a cell phone on a shop will depend on the shop requirements and guidelines. Never do anything that will look out of place or make it obvious that you are the shopper. Because it seems that everyone has cell phones and they use them everywhere, you can probably use your phone on many of the shops you do. Of course, if the guidelines say not to use your phone at all during the shop, you should follow the shop guidelines.

If you are not going to use your phone in one of the ways described here, it is best to turn it off completely or not take it with you.

Here are several ideas for how to use your phone on mystery shops.

Record reminders.

Record a voice mail or memo to yourself with reminders of what you are to do on the shop. Which departments are you to visit? What timings are you to get? What questions do you need to ask? Play back the recording immediately before doing the shop, or even during the shop to be certain you get all of the information you need.

Record shop notes.
Leave yourself a voice mail message or record a voice memo. There are apps available for smart phones the will convert your spoken words to text. Search the app store for “voice to text” to find one for your phone.

Use text messages.
Send yourself a text message before the shop with notes about what you are to do on the shop. It is easy to glance at the message during the shop to remind yourself of the mystery shop requirements. You can also send a few quick text messages while you are doing the shop with observations that will go in your report.

Send emails.
Many phones allow you to read and send emails. You can use email instead of or in addition to text messages for reminders and shop notes.

Cover note taking by talking on the phone.
Pretend you are getting your voice mail messages or talking to a friend while taking notes. For example, you could be pretending that you are getting driving directions to meet a friend while actually writing down the name of your server, timings, etc.

Get timings.
All cell phones show the time, and many have stop watches and lap timers built in. You may be able to use the timer function to get and store needed timings during the shop.

Take photos.
Early cell phone cameras did not have the resolution needed for digital photo shops. Many now do. Even if you are not doing a shop where you are required to upload digital photos, you may want to snap a couple of pictures for your own reference as you do the report. When taking photos, make sure you can do so without being observed.

You probably already have a cell phone, so why not use it to make mystery shopping easier?

As a mystery shopper, you should also have a shopper emergency kit. These are the supplies you may need when you are out on the road doing shops.

The specifics of what will go into your emergency kit are up to you and will depend on the types of shops you do and how you work. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Batteries for your camera, digital recorder, etc. (Change the spare batteries in your kit out from time to time. They can lose power over time.)
• Memory cards. Have you ever gone to take photos and discovered that your memory card was back at home, still in the card reader? Extra cards are inexpensive and having a spare can save time and aggravation.
• “Disguises.” Simple changes can help you stay incognito. Glasses, something to pull your hair back, hats, a sweater or jacket and other accessories can modify your appearance just enough that you are not recognized as the person who was there a couple of weeks ago.
• Paper and pencils. Having a notebook or two on hand is always a good idea. And pencils do not run out of ink or leak all over your pocket or purse.
• Other office supplies. Envelopes (for receipts and other paperwork), a stapler, paper clips, and anything else you may need.
• Stopwatch. I have had watch batteries die suddenly on more than one occasion (but fortunately not on secret shops). Having a spare watch or stopwatch on hand can be a lifesaver.
• Car charger and/or AC power inverter. Buying a car charger for your cell phone is a must. You might also consider an adapter that you can use to convert power from the car to AC power you can use just like a wall socket at home. In a pinch, you can plug in your laptop or other equipment.
• Contact information for mystery shopping companies. If something goes wrong on a shop, you should let your scheduler know immediately. You can store phone numbers (or email addresses) in your cell phone or laptop, but it is also a good idea to carry a printed list.
• Change of clothes. You do not want to have to go back home to change clothes if a zipper breaks or you spill something on yourself. Keep a spare outfit in the car.
• Change. You may need quarters or other change for parking meters, tolls or other small expenses.

You may not need all of the things on this list, and there may be things you carry that are not on this list.

What is in your secret shopper emergency kit?

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We have noticed a substantial increase in the number of evaluations we must return to shoppers because they are incomplete, have poor explanations, or just don’t make sense. I think in most cases we pay well, but we can’t seem to figure out why the quality has gone down – other than the influence of text messaging.

Do you think this is an exaggeration? Judging by the email I sometimes receive, I do not believe that it is.

Because my company belongs to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, I get emails from people who want to be mystery shoppers and think I may be able to hire them. (Note: Regular MSPA membership is limited to companies actively providing mystery shopping services to clients. I am an Associate Member, because I provide services to the MSPA and member companies. Mystery shoppers are not currently eligible for MSPA membership.) Although many of these emails are written in proper business English, others are loaded with errors and are very difficult to read and understand.

Here is one email I received, in full, exactly as written:

I HAVE A VAST PAST EXPERIENCE IN THE RETAIL BUSINESS AND KNOW THE IMPROTANCE OF HAVE RETURNING CUSTOMERS AND MYSTERY SHOPPERS IS THE TOOL TO PROVIDE TO THE COMPANIES THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE DOING AND WHAT YOU AS THE OWNER OR OPERATORE OF THE COMPNAY NEED TO DO TO GET SALES UP AND CUSTOMERS HAPPY.

Let’s see . . . could this use any improvement? Aside from the three spelling errors, the fact that it is one run-on sentence, and the poor grammar—oh yeah, it is written in ALL CAPS.

I have honestly been impressed with the quality of the comments I receive on this blog. They are not only thoughtful, but well-written. I know there are lots of mystery shoppers with excellent writing skills. However, you might be surprised by the number of emails I get that look like the one above.

Another common writing error is using sentence fragments:

“Any help you can provide. Would be appreciated.”

We all make writing errors from time to time. Yes, that means me, too. I hear the complaint that mystery shopping companies expect us to write well, but emails from schedulers often contain errors. That is not the point. Emails from schedulers to shoppers are not the same as reports we shoppers are submitting that will go to clients. And if you think I am too picky about errors such as the sentence fragment in the last example, you should know that an email that includes errors such as that one typically has several other errors, too.

Keep in mind that many of the errors I see are in emails where someone is asking me to hire them. I don’t know about you, but when I am seeking a job I try to put my best foot forward. That means wearing a nice, clean outfit to the interview, arriving on time, being responsive to the interviewer’s questions, and thanking them for considering me. If all the hiring company knows about me is what is on my application or in an email I sent, I will always make it my best work. People who are careless in writing an application are not going to be better writers when it is time to do a mystery shop report.

What is the reason for all of this bad writing? Well, the rise of texting and emailing is probably a factor. These casual forms of communication encourage speed and immediacy, not quality writing. Have educational standards declined? It has been said that we are graduating students who are unable to read their diplomas. If true, that is tragic.

Some people maintain that the language is evolving, and people who insist on proper spelling, grammar and sentence structure are behind the times. Language does evolve, and you can find proof by reading something that was written in American English 100 years ago. However, the standards for business writing have not yet evolved to, “C U L8R.” Or perhaps I should have said “devolved,” as I do not see text-speak as a forward progression.

If you believe your writing skills may not be up to par, take action to improve. Sign up for a business writing class at your community college. Take a one-day grammar workshop. Read books on grammar and writing.

Learning proper writing does not have to be deadly-dull. Listen to the Grammar Girl podcast for short, entertaining lessons that will make you a better speaker and writer. Or pick up one of the books listed below to laugh out loud while you learn about grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Microsoft Streets and Trips includes a GPS you can use with your PC. Great for mapping mystery shopping routes.

We spend a lot of time on the road, so an Auto Club membership or other roadside service plan provides great peace of mind. It is nice to know that someone will come running when you have car trouble or a flat tire, or just lock your keys in the car.

A digital voice recorder is an indispensable tool. It makes writing reports easier and helps you to add those details that mystery shopping companies and clients love.

A digital watch or stopwatch with a lap timer or split timer to capture several timings, one right after the other. Even many inexpensive digital watches have this feature.

And, of course, I believe that no secret shopper should be without a copy of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual.

I hope Santa brings you everything you need, and even some of the things you want. ;o)