Introduction: Intellishop is a large and well known company that generates much discussion from shoppers about their strict shop grading policy. Intellishop states, “Our system may be a little tougher than some other companies you might shop for; we have very high standards.” Because they use a significantly stricter standard than probably all of the…
Certain shops or types of shops are not money-makers. Oil change shops that provide reimbursement without a fee is one example. Restaurant shops with little to no fee providing some or whole reimbursement is another. Hotel shops that pay a $25-$100 fee plus reimbursement for about two full days of work for a one night…
Company Overview: Located in Pittsburgh, PA, this marketing company was found by David Mastovich in 2002 “to create an integrated marketing firm different from the rest, leveraging both the art and science of marketing to achieve game-changing results.” MASSolutions uses integrated marketing to craft a message and work it into the client’s story as told…
Company Overview: This is a small, privately held company specializing in the healthcare field. Started in 1998 by Kevin and Brooke Billingsley, this is a “national customer perception firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana specializing in healthcare mystery shopping and customer service improvements.” More than 100,000 phone and on-site shops have been completed according to their…
I recently attended a day long video shopping workshop presented by Jeff Crozier and Kathy McCord of Video Shopping Pros (VSP). First, here is some background on this company. Jeff and Kathy are longtime video and non-video shoppers. When a similar company they were working for folded, they set up Video Shopping Pros as, “A…
I think it safe to say that members make the forum. Any forum. Years of reading Mystery Shop Forum have shown me it is used in many different ways. Some people read the forum with little or no interest in posting. Some sign up, but many do not and are evidenced by the large number…
Company Overview: This MSPA member company was founded in 1994 and located in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, which is a suburb of Toronto. It provides “Marketing and sales expertise for senior housing operators” to help nurture those businesses. From the website it seems mystery shopping is one of several services including marketing evaluations, talent acquisition, training…
Introduction: These shipping shops are one of the most widely talked about on the forum. Is it because they are widely available, offered frequently, can be quick, are enticing for the opportunity to be paid to mail a package with at least partial reimbursement for the shipping costs, and are very detailed? All of the…
Company Overview: Texas Shoppers Network, Inc (TSN) has the only registered U.S. Patent within the mystery shopping industry. That patent covers the process developed to evaluate client’s businesses. With experience as a vendor and merchandiser for major retail stores, Sondra Pulford founded TSN in 1996. The company’s purpose “is to form long-term relationships with clients…
Company Overview: This is a smaller mystery shopping company founded in 1986 that manages to fly largely under the radar. It focuses on mystery shopping, surveys, inspections, and compliance audits for hospitals, healthcare organizations, hotels, and restaurants in the United States. A list of clients and testimonials are located on their website. The location of…
Company Overview: Founded in 1994 in Wisconsin by registered nurse Kristin Baird, this company specializes in the healthcare industry in the United States. For clients it “seeks to help transform your culture and shape the patient experience.” To improve the delivery of healthcare services it offers training and seminars in addition to mystery shopping. Shops…
Fixed Link: AboutFace Mystery Shopping Company Overview: This MSPA member company was founded in 2005 and is based in New Jersey. The stated aim of Mystery Shopper Pros is to help clients improve their business by providing feedback about their business from shoppers. It serves the automotive, retail and restaurant industries in the United…
Company Overview: ICU Associates is based in Milford, Massachusetts. Information about the history of this company on the internet is sparse. The earliest reference found was in 2003. In 2005 it was purchased by LP Innovations, Inc., a loss prevention company. Since then, ICU has operated as the mystery shopping division of LP Innovations. ICU…
Company Overview: This is a family business started in 1994 by Beverly Gleason and her two daughters, Tiffany Gleason, and Trish Overton. From their office in Knoxville Tennessee they started small, serving nearby businesses. Today they serve a wide variety of industries including restaurants, banks, and healthcare in the United States and Canada. This MSPA…
From Linkedin, mVentix “is a point-of-sale marketing firm with primary focus on market intelligence gathering, mobile engagement and channel marketing solutions.” Formed in 2004 and formerly known as Integrity Marketing, this Los Angeles area based company serves retail clients in the United States and Canada. It claims to not only use technology, but also develop…
If you want to write high quality mystery shopping reports, one of the best skills to develop is the ability to communicate factual information, while keeping opinions out of the report. On Mystery Shop Forum, members frequently ask about a certain type feedback from a shop: The editor stated their report was opinionated. In other…
Company Overview: According to the company website, “The word ‘Kinesis’ is Greek in origin and means both ‘motion or change’ and, in the philosophy of Aristotle, ‘the actualization of potential.’” Founded in 2001, the company’s philosophy is to better align client’s service execution with their customer’s expectations. It does this by offering customer surveys, employee…
After a first career in loss prevention for a nationally known retail store and a stint as a reserve police officer, Doug Rector started Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants in 1997. Despite this background, the name of the company, and the fact it also offers private investigation services, Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants (NWLPC) bills itself as…
Company Overview: This is a company that delivers information about the point of sale transaction to companies in a variety of ways. Mystery shopping, intercepts and audits are some of those ways. Based in Woodbury, New York, Service Evaluation Concepts, (SEC) has more than 25 years in business and also offers real-time feedback options. Types…
This charter MSPA member company was founded in 1984 and has addresses in both Loveland OH and Rochester IL. It provides clients “customer experience mapping and customer satisfaction research.” Types of Assignments: In addition to mystery shopping it also offers exit interviews, compliance audits and other related services. Various industries are served in the United…
Many of us think of this company as a boutique MSP offering high paying bank and credit union shops. However, mystery shopping is only a small part of what Harland Clarke offers. Originating more than 100 years ago, this $1.2 billion dollar company offers a wide range of services for the financial industry. More than…
This company is a pision of ADI Consulting. Since 1993, ADI has assisted financial service businesses with regulatory compliance issues. Person to Person Quality (P2P) was founded in 1999 to provide mystery shopping and related services such as employee training, surveys, and market research. Both companies seem to be closely tied. They have similar personnel…
Company Overview: This company was formed in 1981 as a consulting company. It first focused on the hospitality industry with mystery shopping, and other related services. Today, DSG touts itself as, “A leader in all types of mystery shopping, intercept interviews and specialty field services for a broad range of consumer businesses, manufacturers, agencies, and…
This Canadian MSP (not to be confused with Premier Shopper’s Network) was started by CEO Michael Glazer in 1991 as part of a college project. That project was to assist retailers, “Evaluate and improve their customer service.” After a period of growth, Keren Dolan joined Premier in 2001 as President of Sales and Operations. Continued…
Add Primo Solutions to the list of MSPs recently purchased. In October 2014, Bild & Company, a Tampa based consulting firm for senior living facilities, announced the acquisition of Primo Solutions. Bild was founded in 1999 to offer “Integrated sales and marketing services to help healthcare organizations build occupancy and maximize revenue.” Additionally, it offers…
(Foreword: Patricia has invited her cousin Alice, who is visiting, as guest on a restaurant mystery shop. They are leaving the parking lot after the shop.) “Did you enjoy the meal?” asks Patricia as she drives out of the parking lot. “It was awesome,” says Alice. “Especially because it was free. Thank you for inviting…
Company Overview: Founded in 1986, Bestmark “Is one of the nation’s largest customer experience measurement and mystery shopping companies.” They perform more than 500,000 field visits (mystery shops, audits, and exit interviews) annually and boast of a field force of 200,000 strong. Shops are located in the US including Nevada, Canada, and other countries. According…
Company Overview: This company started in the United Kingdom as Retail Eyes in 1998. In 2012 a portion of the business was sold and the remaining company renamed Shared Insight. This new company is based in California. Its overall business includes mystery shopping, website feedback, and customer surveys. It offers a limited number of mystery…
Company Overview: Coast to Coast Scheduling Services (CTCSS) was founded in 2001 and is based in California. It schedules shops for a number of companies including Customer First, Goodwin, and Customer Perspectives. As such it is not a mystery shopping company, but a separate, distinct entity that performs the task of recruiting shoppers to perform…
Company Overview: Service Excellence Group, aka Service X, is a, “customer experience measurement and solutions provider” based in St. Louis Missouri. In 1996, CEO Marci Bolshorn. “began a journey – a mission of personal importance – to share her passion for exceptional service delivery nationwide.” Today this company offers a variety of services including customer…
Company Overview: It really is not CoRI anymore. Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS is a branch of Stericycle Inc.. That parent company is in the business of disposing medical and bio-hazardous waste. However, any further discussion must include Corporate Research International (CoRI). Mike Mallett founded CoRI as a mystery shopping company in 1997. It utilized automation and technology…
Company Overview: Sales Quality Research Group (SQG) was founded in 1993 and based in Arizona. It was incorporated four years later and provides research services for the financial services industry. In addition to mystery shopping, it provides customer satisfaction studies and focus groups. Recent job posting on the forum lists bank inquiry and investment inquiry…
Company Overview: Serving Rocky and Cascade mountain areas of the United States. The origins of this company are in a product and in-store demonstration company that started in Utah in the 1970s. That company serviced clients in the Rocky Mountain states. By the turn of the century, they had noticed an unmet demand for mystery…
Company Overview: A one client company? Although their website promotes service to multiple industries, Ardent is known to shoppers for serving one fast casual restaurant client. This MSPA member company is more than 20 years and headquartered in Colorado. Payment is made by direct deposit on the 20th of the month following the shop. Shops…
Editors note: This is a discussion of the Scheduler of the Year Contest recently hosted by Mystery Shop Forum. During the contest, dozens of schedulers and companies were recognized for their great work. I encourage you to read the nominations here. When I first saw the Mystery Shop Forum thread ‘Scheduler of the Year,’ I…
Company Overview: Who was that masked man? The Lone Ranger fought outlaws but kept his identify secret behind his mask. DJC’s pays at a lightning fast pace, is cited for quick and responsive interactions, but does not freely disclose the location of their brick and mortar location. Searches for that home office or website with…
Company Overview: “Are you committed to meeting deadlines and providing quality reports with detailed narratives?” CSEKristina posted this on the forum and might have also asked if you like to golf. Customer Service Experts (CSE) focuses on airports, restaurants, financial services, and recreation locales such as golf courses. It was founded in 1994 and is…
Company Overview: Do you wonder what is going on when a company changes their name? In this case, the changes are probably cosmetic in nature only. ICC Decision Services (ICDDS) is a MSPA member company founded in 1979 and based in New York City. It offers mystery shopping, customer survey and compliance auditing to retail…
Company Overview: The company formerly known as Service Intelligence is the name of both a larger company that offers a variety of data collection services and the mystery shopping arm of the Service Intelligence branch of that larger company. In 2011 Service Intelligence and In-Touch partnered and later merged the Service Intelligence shopper website into…
Company Overview: In a mystery shopping world with many companies choosing their names from similar words like service, shopper, mystery and the like, their identities can get lost in the crowd. This company does not possess that flaw. The name is also accurate. Dale and Michael Bare founded this company in 1987 in Fairfax, Virginia….
Would you climb Mount Everest? If you were a mountaineer you would. Maybe. You would realize the road to the top of the world’s highest mountain is a long and arduous journey that requires extensive preparation and is for the seasoned mountaineer. Mystery shopping also has its apex. You have seen the inducements: Meals at…
I started mystery shopping during a time when I was between full-time jobs six years ago. After researching the subject online, I discovered the MSPA and their list of companies. As you might imagine, I signed up for a few and searched the job boards. The first shops I did included many gas stations and…
Company Overview: Creative Image Associates, Inc. (CIA) was founded in 1989 and is based in Fitchburg MA. This MSPA member company specializes in serving the financial services industry and offers reports that can improve employee performance to deliver necessary customer service. Their client base is currently in the northeastern United States and Florida. This company…