The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

I have a list of 200 legitimate mystery shopping companies on my web site, and I get calls and emails all the time from new shoppers who want me to tell them which mystery shopping company is best. “I don’t want to apply to all of those companies. Can’t you just give me the names of a few companies that are best?”

Well, no, I can’t. The companies that I think are the best might be useless to you. Here are some of the things to consider when deciding which mystery shopping companies are the best for you. …continue reading The Best Mystery Shopping Company

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Elaine Buxton, President of Confero answered some questions for us about mystery shopping for them. Confero provides mystery shopping services to a wide range of industries, including retail, banking, automotive and food and beverage. Confero is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). Elaine was involved in the formation of MSPA and has served on the Board of Directors.

Here is what Elaine had to say about mystery shopping for Confero. …continue reading Confero Mystery Shopping Company

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Earlier this year, the American Medical Association took up the question of whether or not to endorse the use of medical mystery shoppers. Although they did not take a position on whether or not to endorse it, medical mystery shopping has been going on for a long time.

Jodi Manfredi, President of Examine Your Practice, recently shared information with other MSPA member companies about the ins and outs of medical mystery shopping. The information she presented about healthcare mystery shopping, and what secret shoppers need to know about it, is summarized here with her permission. …continue reading Medical Mystery Shopping

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Kathy Doering, of Ann Michaels & Associates Mystery Shopping, answered some questions for us about mystery shopping for them. Ann Michaels & Associates provides mystery shopping and market research services to a wide range of industries. The company is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, and Kathy and others from Ann Michaels have attended the MSPA’s Shopper Educational Conferences and several Gold Workshops.

Here is what Kathy had to say about mystery shopping for Ann Michaels & Associates. …continue reading Ann Michaels and Associates Mystery Shopping Company

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Dennis Richard of Ritter Associates Mystery Shopping, answered some questions for us about mystery shopping for Ritter Associates. Ritter Associates is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, and Dennis and others from Ritter have attended the MSPA’s Shopper Educational Conferences and many Gold Workshops.

Ritter has been in business since 1974.

Here is what Dennis had to say about mystery shopping for Ritter Associates. …continue reading Ritter Associates Mystery Shopping Company

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Peter Thorwarth, President of BMA Mystery Shopping, answered some questions for us about mystery shopping for BMA and his thoughts about the challenges facing the industry today.

BMA is a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, and Peter was one of the presenters at the MSPA’s recent Shopper Educational Conference in Pittsburgh.

BMA’s clients are well-known retailers, manufacturers and other businesses, and they perform mystery shops across the United States and in Europe. They have been in business since 1991.

Here is what Peter had to say about mystery shopping for BMA. …continue reading BMA Mystery Shopping Company

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Renee DeSantis, President of GameFilm® Consultants, answered some questions for us about mystery shopping for them, and shared her thoughts on some of the challenges facing shoppers and the mystery shopping industry.

GameFilm® Consultants is headquartered in Austin, TX. The company is a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, and Renee is on the board of the MSPA. You may have seen Renee recently in the Good Morning America story on mystery shopping.

GameFilm® Consultants offers a variety of programs to measure the customer experience, including both written (online) and video mystery shopping. They have been in business since 1992, and perform more than 60,000 mystery shops each month, across a variety of industries.

Here is what Renee had to say about mystery shopping for GameFilm® Consultants. …continue reading Game Film® Consultants Mystery Shopping Company

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Mystery shopping industry veterans Scott Hiller, Mike Green and Clay Tarro, formerly of Speedmark/Market Force Information, have formed a new secret shopping company called Customer Impact.

You may recall that Market Force Information purchased Speedmark in 2007. The new company spins off some of the former Speedmark clients and employees to form Customer Impact, so you will see several familiar names associated with CI.

You may have met Mike Green at a Gold Certification Workshop (especially when he was president of MSPA). Mike took some time from his duties establishing the new company to answer some questions about mystery shopping for Customer Impact. …continue reading Customer Impact Mystery Shopping Company

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Last week, Cory Jensen of I-Spy Mystery Shoppers shared information about how his company works with mystery shoppers, and how to become a secret shopper with I-Spy. In part 2 of my interview with him, he takes on mystery shopper pay and how changes in the industry have affected mystery shoppers and mystery shopping companies. …continue reading I-Spy Mystery Shopping Company Interview (Part 2)

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