Phone Shops

A lot of people do not like to do phone shops.  I guess there are various reasons why someone might not like them, but one of the reasons I hear most is, "They don't pay enough."  That makes no sense to me.  Most phone shops pay anywhere between $5 and $15 per shop, depending on what is involved.  This morning I did seven phone shops.  It took me about two hours to make the calls and complete the reports, and I made $41.  I did not have to drive anywhere or work on anyone's schedule but my own.  And of course, my favorite benefit, I worked in my pajamas.  I still made over $20 an hour.  In an economy where around 10% of the population claims to not be able to find work, I can't find a thing to complain about.

So what is involved with phone shops?  Just like any mystery shop, you evaluate an employee on the service provided.  In phone shops, however, a little bit more acting skill is required.  You might call various hospital departments or doctor's offices to ask about a medical problem you don't really have or a procedure that you don't need.  Sometimes this requires a small amount of research so you are not caught off guard with unexpected questions.  It might be important to know where your gallbladder is located if you're calling to schedule an ultrasound for gallstones.  That way, when the attendant asks about your symptoms, you'll know not to say you've been having pain in your ear.  Likewise, if you're calling a hospital in Missouri, be prepared to name a nearby town when the attendant asks where you are coming from.  It might be a giveaway that you're a shopper if they find you are calling from Jupiter (the city in Florida, not the planet).  Dead air is even worse ... believe me, I know. 

Another popular phone shop is for senior living facilities - not necessarily the same thing as a nursing home.  Apparently, senior living facilities have come a long way.  Many are like cruise ships on land.  They offer everything from Bingo to wine tastings.  There are so many activities going on every day, I'm exhausted reading the schedule.  The dining rooms offer meals that rival some of the finest restaurants.  They actually have "chef wars" with rival communities.  Perform enough of these shops, and you will find yourself saving your pennies for the day you can finally move in.  Except pennies aren't going to be enough because the good ones are $4000 a month or more.  You might as well rent a hotel room and order room service.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic.  The point is there are a plethora of phone shops out there, and companies need people to do them.  Even if you don't love acting, even if you think you are going to get caught without the right answer, it's worth doing.  The shops are not as difficult as they sound, and the worst thing that can happen is you mess up.  So what?  The person on the other end can't see you, they don't know your real name (unless you gave it to them), and you hopefully blocked your number before making the call.  So if you mess up, wait an hour or a day and try again.  Be someone else.  It's your opportunity to be whoever you want to be. 

I recently received a call from a lifestyle advisor at a senior living facility I called a couple of weeks ago.  She had been told that I was her "shopper," and she called to tell me how disappointed she was that my Aunt Grace would not be coming to live with her!  She actually invited me (and Aunt Grace, who actually passed away a long time ago) to come and stay with them (on the beach) for a couple of days to visit AFTER she found out I was the shopper!  So have fun with it!  I do.

Some companies who offer phone shops are www.a-closer-look.com, www.baird-group.com, www.bareinternational.com, www.intellishop.com, www.coylehospitality.com

The Best Laid Plans

I had a great weekend planned.  I looked forward to it for weeks.  A three hour drive, dinner at my favorite upscale steak house, two hotels in two different South Florida seaside towns, and another dinner at an upscale pizza place.  A weekend with my husband alone.  In my mind, the weekend was perfect, or at least perfectly planned.

The first thing that happened was the pizza client decided to move the shop to the following week, and could I complete it then?  Sure, let me just get in my car and drive 212 miles each way to eat pizza on your schedule.  One shop gone.

Then my husband sliced his arm open.  Half the point of going to the beach was because he loves to swim.  Sliced arm, 17 stitches, not so great for swimming.  Suddenly he was not so thrilled about the weekend.  Too bad.  I wanted my 22 oz porterhouse.  We were going!

Then came Emily or at least the idea of Emily.  Three days before my perfect weekend, I was glued to the weather channel, trying to determine if a little tropical storm could deter me from great steak and excellent wine.  First she's coming, then she isn't.  My husband, who drives to work in hurricane force winds tried to use Emily as a good excuse to skip the weekend.  Fortunately, God smiled on me and Emily cooperated.  The weekend was on.

Finally, at noon on Friday, I'm all packed and ready to go.  My husband was coming home from work early, a rare occurrence, and we would soon be on our way.  My mouth was watering in anticipation of our 8:00 PM reservation.  And then the phone rang.  "The well broke at work," my husband said.  "No one else can fix it."  GROAN.  "How long will it take?"  I asked.  "Can someone else go with you?" was the reply.  Huh?  This was not looking good, especially since 98% of my friends live 800 miles away.  No, someone else could not go.

To make a long story short, the well repair took forever, and I had to reschedule my steak house shop for Saturday night.  Unfortunately, the hotel on Saturday was 30 minutes away while the hotel on Friday was one block away from the restaurant.  But whatever, no way was I cancelling the main reason for my trip.

We finally arrived in Palm Beach at 8:30 PM on Friday night.  I decided to try the Yard House for dinner since they were open late and it was close to the hotel.  I had heard good things about the restaurant.  Unfortunately, their sign was out, and even though we were literally ten feet from the place, it took us over an hour to find it.  My husband was grumpy and hungry, not a good combination.  I had just driven over three hours, and all we were doing was fighting.  What happened to my perfect weekend?

I did end up getting my perfect steak dinner on Saturday night, and the weekend improved, but the next time I plan the perfect weekend getaway around mystery shops, I think I'll have a back-up plan in place.  Also, a back-up guest.  Anyone out there available on short notice?