As one year changes over to the next, people are often inspired to make some changes to improve their lives in various ways. As a mystery shopper, you may be considering different ways you can find greater happiness in the job while perhaps even working less and making more money in the process. There are a number of changes that you can indeed make, and here are a few of those changes you may consider implementing for 2012:
Get Organized. First and foremost, you will want to take a few minutes at the start of the year to really get organized. Many mystery shoppers find themselves consumed by paperwork around midway through the year, and this can really become a source of stress. It can also waste some of your valuable time as you try to keep on top of assignments amidst an ever-growing stack of papers. Taking time now to get organized is key. Of course you want to separate last year’s paperwork from this year’s, but you also want to take steps to set up an organizational system that will minimize the clutter as 2012 progresses forward.
Clean House. A new year is a great time to really take a step back and look at the issues you have had in the last year so you can make changes to prevent those issues from becoming on-going problems. Many mystery shoppers today have complaints about their providers, and if you find that your last year was plagued by slow payments, constant requests for revisions to reports, and other such provider issues, you may find greater success in the coming year by simply cleaning house. Make the decision today to stop working with those bad providers who are giving you so much grief and find a few others to work with.
Site Visits. It’s a good idea to spend a few moments now to reflect on how your site visits have progressed over the last year as well. Consider which aspects of site visits tend to give you the most trouble, and then brainstorm some ideas to counteract those issues. If you cannot come up with any solutions yourself, by all means post a question on a mystery shopping forum online to get some fresh ideas from your fellow mystery shoppers. Some common issues mystery shoppers have with site visits are remembering all of the site visit requirements, and keeping track of details like times, employee names, and more. You will find that when you resolve these issues that you may have with site visits, you can complete site visits faster and with less stress in many cases.
It’s hard to have a fabulous mystery shopping experience with each and every assignment you complete, but the fact is that most mystery shoppers do find certain aspects of the job to be time drains, stress creators, and more. If you have some recurring issues with your mystery shopping gig, now is the perfect time to make some changes so that you don’t have to walk through 2012 with these same issues.
Dear Maven: Thank you once again for your tips. YES, organization is extremely important – and without it, is a great waste of time. Keep up the good tips you are sending us. We appreciate them.
Organization is a biggy! After shopping for a while I soon realized that I needed a ‘system’ to keep track of scheduler contact details, location details, passwords, hours of operation, management info, etc. Smart phones are an asset for this. Just as I am always updating scheduler lists, I keep adding the accompanying contact details to my phone. Don’t leave the data until later! Enter it when you get it! Alphabetized file folders, one for each scheduling company, helps for quick reference even months later. When the calendar year is completed, I set them all aside in a box for the accountant at tax time, freeing up my file drawer for a new year.