Mystery shoppers sure do spend a lot of time on the road. This time is not entirely wasted, though. After all, mystery shoppers are able to deduct business miles traveled as a business-related expense on their personal tax returns. However, even a decent tax deduction doesn’t make up for the hours and hours a week most mystery shoppers spend driving between their house and various assignments. This is time when you aren’t working and when you are away from friends and family. So how can you maximize your time on the road and really get the most out of this time?
Use a SmartPhone
If you don’t have a phone with wireless capabilities, you really need to get one. Of course, it is entirely dangerous to read email and surf the Internet while cruising down the road. However, there are plenty of opportunities for you to maximize the benefit of a smart phone while on the road. For example, you can take a few minutes of your time to read and respond to emails while sitting in a parking lot between assignments. If you have down time during a specific day, you can also browse job boards and sign up to work on more assignments even when you are far from home.
Read Your Assignment Requirements
You certainly do want to read through your assignment requirements at least once or twice before completing the site visit. You can spend your free time at home doing this, or you can bring your printed out requirements with you in the car. During your down time between assignments, you can refresh your memory about the requirements for a specific assignment, read through the requirements for new assignments you just requested and more. You can even contact your providers via your cell phone’s email capabilities right then and there if you have any questions about the requirements.
Scheduling Strategy
Another option o consider is to apply sound scheduling strategies when requesting assignments. Look for assignments that can be done back-to-back and that are relatively close to each other. Avoid having to drive across town or having to drive in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic if possible. This tip can help you to avoid spending so much time in the car at all.
As a mystery shopper, your income will reflect the number of assignments you can successfully completed during the day. The more assignments you can complete, with quality work of course, the higher your income should be. However, there are only so many hours available to you each day when you can work on mystery shopping assignments. Much of this time is spent driving between assignments rather than actually working on assignments. By following these tips, you can work to maximize the time you spend on the road to the fullest. By doing this, you can benefit from enjoying additional free time at home, additional time to work on other assignments and the ability to become more effective at your job. Consider putting these tips into practice today, and start enjoying the benefits they can provide to you.