If you are a mystery shopper, chances are that you have thought your job would go much faster if you just didn’t have to sit down and type out your reports. Mystery shopping assignments generally are a two part process. The two parts include the site visit and writing out the reports. Once the report has been submitted and approved, the processing of your payment will begin. While many mystery shoppers seem to fly right through their site visits, the reports can be a speed bump that slows them down. As a mystery shopper, you may be wondering what steps you can take to improve your report writing skills.
Take Notes
One of the best things you can do to speed up your report writing process is to take notes. You may be able to secretly take notes while on your site visit, such as by pretending to jot something down on a shopping list or sending yourself text messages on your phone. You can also take notes after the site visit while sitting in your car. When you take notes, you do not have to waste time trying to remember all of the various details of your site visit. Instead, you simply have to refer to your notes while typing your answers.
Practice Writing
Some people love to write, but others absolutely detest it. Those who fall into the latter group may find that writing is not a natural process for them. However, just as with most things in life, practice does make perfect. You can take time to practice writing on your own. This may include writing a few short stories, typing out the events of your day, writing in a journal and more. There is no right or wrong way to practice writing, although you should consider paying attention to your grammar and spelling as you practice. As you grow more accustomed to writing, you will be amazed at how quickly you can complete your mystery shopping reports. This step can drastically improve your speed and perhaps even your enjoyment of writing.
Proofread Your Work
Writing reports may take up valuable time, but correcting and revising work at the request of your provider can take up even more time. If you want to minimize the number of revisions you are requested to do, consider proofreading your work before you submit it. You can look for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors that your provider may catch and ask you to revise. On the plus side, taking time to proofread your work may also help you to keep your mystery shopper rating high.
For most mystery shoppers, writing out the reports for their assignments is the least favorite aspect of their job. However, it is a required part of each assignment, and the reports must be reviewed and approved before you can get paid. With this in mind, it does make sense that you would take steps to speed up the process of writing your mystery shopping reports by taking notes, practicing your writing skills and proofreading your work.