For mystery shoppers who complete just a handful of assignments each month, it’s not too difficult to stay on top of the paperwork involved in mystery shopping and stay organized. But for mystery shoppers who complete several assignments per day or even per week, the paperwork can quickly become overwhelming. Consider the many pages of assignment requirements, a printout of the driving direction to the job site, the questionnaire or report, and your own notes you took during the assignment. For just one assignment, you can accumulate a rather large stack of papers.
With some persistence and daily effort, the busy mystery shopper can stay on top of the paperwork:
Print The Necessities. Busy mystery shoppers may automatically print out paperwork without taking a look at it. This can result in more paperwork being printed out than is necessary, and this paperwork can quickly mount up to a stack of paperwork the size of the phone book. Instead, take a look at the information you are printing first rather than automatically print it out. Determine if it’s something you can commit to memory or if it’s something that you legitimately need to print out in order to best complete the assignment.
Get Into A Daily Routine. Spend some time each evening before you turn in for the day going through your assignments and organizing your paperwork for that particular day. Print out the pages you need for the following day and organize the pages for each assignment together with a paper clip or binder clip.
For assignments you already completed that day, take a few minutes to file your paperwork away in a “to be paid” file folder or some other filing system that works for you.
Create A Filing System. There is not standard filing system that works for all mystery shoppers. But the fact is that you will generate a lot of paperwork as a mystery shopper. Some paperwork you only need to keep until you get paid on the assignment. Other paperwork you will want to keep for a full seven years, in conjunction with the IRS’s suggested time frame for keeping tax-related paperwork. The most efficient filing system for a busy mystery shopper will take into account both the temporary and permanent filing needs you have.
Consider a filing system with hanging folders with dividers for “Assignments To Be Done”, “Completed Assignments To Be Paid”, and “Paid Assignments.” Each day, keep up with your filing system and move paperwork as the assignment progresses from one category to the next. You can remove paperwork from the file as it becomes unnecessary with each stage.
Each mystery shopper will develop a slightly different and unique filing system that works for him or her, based on work and organizational preferences as well as the workload involved. When you keep on top of your paperwork on a regular basis, doing a little each day, you will be able to better manage the paperwork and stay organized.
As for keeping track of assignments, their due dates, fees, expenses, amount paid and payment was received, I developed a form I keep in a binder. I indicate on the form the date I received payment, how the payment was made, such as Paypal, check/check number, or direct deposit.
Getting and staying organized are most important. The best system I found to use (after using a truck load of paper) is a ledger book. I have columns for who I am doing the job for, to be paid, etc. It find it easier because it keeps all of the pertinent information centrally located.
One last thing, keep up with your paperwork. Procrastionation can be detrimental to your business.
I use a spread sheet in Excel. I keep track of the date I got the acceptance letter, the company, address, date I perform the shop, mileage, fee + extra; total amount and the rating, if they give one out. This spread sheet serves as a record and also used for my taxes; so it’s really a two-fold spread sheet. This is what works for me.
Love the emails.
My Girl Sno
I have gradually developed a system but every point mentioned above with certainely be helpful. I just wish that I could see a sample spread sheet. Any pointers? I plan to copy and paste this whole section. Thanks!
When I first started MS I was so lost in paperwk mainly due to the fact I was unsure of what to print, what I would need to keep, what I would need for the assignment…etc just lost, even though I had run a successful business for 17 yrs this was totaly new to me. This article was great and I do feel I have a better hande on it I would love more suggestions. I pretty do everything mentioned [except the excell] but still feel it could be better.
Yes OCD when it comes to paperwk.
the paper ork has to be done on every job and in a tiomely manner. any job….
I keep an assignment log with 7 columns: Company – Assignment Date – Location – Amount Spent – Amount Paid – Mileage – Date Paid. I also keep files similar to the Mystery Shop Maven.
I enjoy reading these snippets of mystery shopping news. You have certainly done Mystery Shopping justice by compiling the info you provide in one place but always right on time. I would have been lost in my beginnings without these timely tips that you give so freely~ Thank you and for the record keeping records not only is a efficient way to stay up with all the activities going on but a way to not have to pay for mistakes along the way. You can actually backtrack a lot of entries that you make from day to day~ that’s what I do folks…