A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BARE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGER
We interviewed five of BARE’s Project Managers to see what their day-to-day looks like! Read on to see what it takes to juggle multiple projects and work with hundreds of people throughout the BARE community!
WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP?
MICHAEL: 7:36 a.m.
ANN: 5:00 a.m.
JEFF: 7:40 a.m.
CRISTINA: 6:30 a.m.
LISA: 6:15 a.m.
HOW DID YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
JEFF: No coffee for me! I wake up with sheer willpower.
LISA: With cream and sugar
MICHAEL: With a Chocolate Premier Protein shake as “creamer.”
WHERE DID YOU SPEND YOUR DAY?
LISA: Working in the corporate office! So far…
MICHAEL: At my desk in the study, surrounded by books and two sweet kitties!
ANN: In my home office
WHO DID YOU SEE/CALL FIRST?
ANN: A shopper to give her the opportunity to pick up missions before I posted them.
JEFF: My fellow Project Managers in the Ops Room.
CRISTINA: My husband and two little girls are who I see first in the day. For work it depends who emailed or called me and I return phone calls based on the time difference, I don’t like to call anyone until it’s after 9am their time.
PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF ONE CLIENT INTERACTION YOU ENCOUNTERED TODAY?
JEFF: I had to contact a client to clarify a shop request that includes a bus ride, a train station visit, and a train ride.
LISA: Provided screenshot updates to my client contact for the Canada Digital Banking study.
MICHAEL: Corresponding with a shopper with a 10/(10) rating about a past-due shop. They wrote in after I sent reminder/waring notifications that they had been sick in bed but that he could complete the shop today as soon as the store opened. I updated the shop date and responded to the shopper’s e-mail to confirm the shop.
AS OF TODAY, HOW MANY SHOPS DO YOU HAVE TO GET COMPLETED THIS MONTH?
MICHAEL: The short answer is 74. However, this depends as my retail client project includes re-shops when the assigned targets aren’t reached, which are desired, but not required. So, it depends on how many re-shops are necessary and whether you count re-shops as shops that “have to get completed.” If so, I estimate between 80–85 shops.
ANN: 1410
CRISTINA: Currently I am working on my ‘Hard to Book’ locations and each month is different. The last time I checked all of my numbers, I had 80-90 open shops.
LISA: 975ish
IT’S 5 P.M. …WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?
MICHAEL: Most likely still working to finish out tasks for the day and catch up on things I didn’t have time to get to, like a client report that must go out tomorrow.
LISA: Getting ready to leave for yoga
CRISTINA: At 5pm I am usually at the gym taking a group fitness class. I love Zumba, Body combat, Bodypump and have just gotten into Cycle.
WHAT DID YOU ACCOMPLISH?
JEFF: I completed four different training calls and started scheduling three new large-scale audits.
ANN: Creating sessions, removing past due shoppers, citing, posting, emails, finalizing missions, seting up new evaluators in an app they can use to complete shop on-site.
HOW MANY EVALUATORS FORGOT TO DO A SHOP FOR YOU?
MICHAEL: Light day today—there were only six. There were a whole lot more yesterday.
ANN: 63
CRISTINA: Today, none and I am so thankful. I did have some cancellations but I appreciate the advanced notice.
DID YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC, IF SO WHAT?
MICHAEL: I do sometimes—usually classical or electronic, but occasionally other things as well. Right now, I’m working my way through a four-disc set of Maurice Ravel’s most famous compositions.
CRISTINA: The only music I have listened to today is from the Kids bop 36 album since my kids have taken over my car radio. Their music includes Bruno Mars and Demi Levato. I usually like to listen to a mixture of things like 90’s hip hop and R&B, Soft Rock or 2000’s pop when I am working.
EXPLAIN SOME DETAILS SURROUNDING A CLIENT REPORT YOU CREATED TODAY?
JEFF: That’s top secret!
CRISTINA: Today I received some reports but it is not time for my client reporting just yet. Since I have a few projects ending this week, next week will definitely be filled with some client reports.
MICHAEL: I have to summarize the ‘Quarter 3, Wave 1’ data for one of our retailer client programs, comparing the data to previous performance, point out trends, and highlight key questions and important data points.
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE DAY?
CRISTINA: The best part of my day was being able to wake up and work. I honestly enjoy the people that I work with and the job. It can get crazy at times but we always get through it.
ANN: When shoppers complete their shops as scheduled.
JEFF: The serendipity of all my scheduled shops somehow actually getting done on time.
WHAT WAS THE WORST PART OF THE DAY?
LISA: Finalizing 53 retailer reports – whew!
MICHAEL: That afternoon slump when the coffee’s no longer fresh and hot and doesn’t seem to be working anymore. I guess it’s time to switch to tea!
WHAT IS A COMMON QUESTION THAT YOU GET FROM EVALUATORS ON A DAILY BASIS?
JEFF: “Can I do this on another date?”
LISA: “Can I do this shop tomorrow?”
MICHEAL: “Can I get an extension on this shop?”
In some cases, it’s possible to have an extension. Each program is set up differently so it would depend on when the client expects the reports. It’s always best practice to request for an extension as soon as you know you won’t be able to complete it by the original due date! Also, be sure you can 100% complete the job within the extension if it’s granted. If you cannot get to the shop, it’s better to email the project manager to let them know and Cancel it through your Evaluator Profile!
ANY SURPRISES TODAY?
CRISTINA: There are always surprises in my day and they usually happen when my work day if almost over. For example: An evaluator that was assigned a pricing audit at a grocery store called me to tell me that the location was closing so, of course, we could not have her complete it as it would not be accurate information for the client. I had to find another location that was nearby, repost it to the job board, and send it out.
MICHAEL: That two different shoppers with past-due reports got in touch saying they would be completed today. I wasn’t expecting that as shoppers usually do not respond to the late-shop warnings I send through Apollo. It was a pleasant surprise!
WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO AN EVALUATOR?
ANN: Do not take more work than you can complete by the deadline. If unable to complete a shop/mission let me know ASAP so I have enough time to get it completed to meet my deadline.
JEFF: Communicate any changes of schedule clearly, don’t hesitate to ask questions, and be responsive.
LISA: Please communicate with us! We often take time to reach out to evaluators regarding overdue shops, report inconsistencies, etc. We often do not hear back until the shop is removed or excluded.
MICHAEL: Carefully read the guidelines and review the survey form for each shop; even if you’ve completed before, check to see if anything has changed—often they do.
CRISTINA: Please don’t hesitate to call or email your project manager if you have any questions or concerns. Even if you can’t get in touch with your project manager for a specific project, you can call another; we are always happy to assist when we can.
Are you looking to become an evaluator for BARE International? Are you already a BARE evaluator and have questions? Check out our dedicated evaluator section of the website here where you’ll find everything you need to know!
