• Mystery Shopping your Customer Experience

  • Proinsight Staff Chloe

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success | Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    There are so many business benefits to working with a mystery shopping company and no matter what products or services you provide your customers, a team of mystery shoppers will be invaluable to you. A good mystery shopper can give you a useful insight into your customer journey and by identifying the good and the not so great, they can help you to make required improvements to ensure that you’re successful.  

     

    When it comes to choosing which mystery shopping company you’re going to work with, it is essential that you turn to the best specialists for assistance as they will directly affect how beneficial mystery shopping services are to your business and, in turn, the quality of your customer experience. To help any businesses who are currently trying to narrow down their options in this regard, below are some things to take into consideration when choosing a mystery shopping company.  

     

    Experience in your industry sector  

     

    Different mystery shopping companies will have worked with different clients in the past and choosing a company with experience in your industry sector is really advantageous. This means they will know first-hand how they can help you improve your customer service and journey, and they can use their previous experience to benefit your business. 

     

    When you’re choosing a mystery shopping company, ensure that you look at their sectors and expertise. If they’ve never worked with a company like yours in the past, this can be quite risky. Taking a look at a company’s case studies can be really useful as well.  

     

    A vast range of different services  

     

    Not all mystery shopping companies offer the same services as well and depending on the type of mystery shopping that you’re interested in, some companies will be more suitable than others. Finding a company that can offer a range of services that are all helpful in their own right will ensure that you’re going to get the most out of working with mystery shoppers.  

     

    Consider which services you’re most interested in, whether these may be face-to-face mystery shopping or telephone mystery shopping, and look into these specific services in more detail. Ideally, find one company that can provide all of the different services that you need.  

     

    Bespoke mystery shopping packages  

     

    You will find that mystery shopping companies work in different ways too and some may offer ‘off-the-shelf’ packages whereas others will provide bespoke packages. More often than not, working with a company that is able to customise a package to meet all of your individual needs is more beneficial, after all, all businesses are unique, as are their goals.  

     

    Always enquire about the way a mystery shopping company works in this regard and check that they can create you a bespoke package covering the many different ways a customer interacts with your business. This is the best way to ensure mystery shopping will be effective.  

     

    Well-trained and supported mystery shoppers 

     

    Whenever you’re choosing a mystery shopping company, it is essential to look at how good their mystery shoppers are as well. Well-trained mystery shoppers will provide comprehensive and honest feedback, and their reports will be much more beneficial to you. Of course, the way you receive this feedback from mystery shoppers should always be convenient too.  

     

    To ensure that the best mystery shoppers are used, double-check that a company will require shoppers to apply for an assignment and that these applications are reviewed. You then won’t need to worry about the capabilities of those carrying out your assignments.  

     

    Working with a mystery shopping company in the UK 

     

    When it comes to choosing the best mystery shopping company to work with, hopefully, the information above will be beneficial to you. Whilst there are a number of different companies to choose from nowadays, you should always ensure that you enlist the help of a company that is able to offer you all of the services that you need and that they have relevant experience, you can then trust that you’ve got the best team of specialists assisting your business.  

     

    Should you still be looking for mystery shopping companies in the UK, be sure to visit the Proinsight website. As an experienced mystery shopper agency that provides numerous mystery shopper services, we are undeniably the best people to reach out to in this regard. We’re experts at getting under the skin of our client’s businesses to help them better understand how well they’re doing and the honest and objective feedback provided by our mystery shoppers can boost business growth. To find out more about how we can help, contact us today.  

     


    David Hopkins

    David Hopkins

    Managing Director at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    David has a long history in the business of doing good business. In 2008, he co-founded Proleisure, a leisure consulting company, where he identified a growing need for deeper customer insights across the industry. This led to the launch of Proinsight Mystery Shopping in 2014, with a vision to provide businesses with the valuable data needed to enhance customer experience.

    Now, as we approach our 10th year, Proinsight has become a leading provider of specialist mystery shopping, auditing, and research programs, serving a diverse range of sectors across the UK including real estate, fitness, retail, hospitality, and so many more. We remain committed to helping our clients achieve excellence and drive meaningful improvements in their businesses.

    David is deeply committed to enhancing customer service across all industries. His passion lies in providing valuable mystery shopping insights that empower clients to take actionable steps towards improvement. By delivering these insights directly, David helps businesses create effective strategies to elevate their customer experience and drive meaningful change.


    Chloe Kinch

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    Chloe joined Proinsight Mystery Shopping as an Account Manager in 2017. Prior to her role at Proinsight, she served as National Sales Manager at Parkwood Leisure, where she gained extensive experience in exceeding customer expectations and developed a deep understanding of the leisure industry.

    Chloe quickly advanced within Proinsight, progressing from Account Manager in 2017 to Head of Client Success in 2020, and ultimately to Director of Client Success and shareholder in 2022. In her current role, she leads client relationships with prestigious brands such as David Lloyd, Dyson, and Apple. Chloe is responsible for designing bespoke mystery shopping programs tailored to each client's specific needs, aimed at enhancing customer service and optimising sales processes across various industries, including real estate, hospitality, retail, leisure, and more.


    Lucy Winn

    Lucy Winn

    Brand and Communications Manager at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    After graduating with a degree in Marketing from the University of Westminster, Lucy successfully grew and scaled her own e-commerce womenswear clothing business over a span of four years, expanding into international retail markets including Japan, the US, and France. With extensive expertise in brand development and digital communications, Lucy has driven commercial growth through strategic initiatives like influencer marketing, digital campaign management, and both online and offline retail expansion.

    In July 2024, she joined Proinsight Mystery Shopping as Brand and Communications Manager, where she leads the strategy and management of all digital platforms, including the website and social media, with a focus on driving shopper sign-ups and generating client leads. Additionally, she oversees event management for both internal company days and major external summits like Connect CX. At these events, we emphasise the critical importance of exceptional customer service across various industries, positioning it as a cornerstone of a brand’s overall UX strategy.


    Robert Brocklesby

    Robert Brocklesby

    Senior Client Success Manager

    Robert is a Senior Client Success Manager at Proinsight, bringing over 20 years of consultancy and industry experience in customer service measurement and development. Throughout his career, he has led numerous high-impact projects for well-known clients across the UK, spanning a wide range of sectors. His work has consistently driven significant improvements in customer experience and contributed to sustainable, profitable growth.

    Robert recognises that each client is unique. He designs tailored Mystery Shopping programmes to monitor, enhance, and elevate the customer journey, aligning with each organisation’s specific goals. In addition to his consultancy work, Robert is a qualified teacher and regularly delivers customer service workshops. These sessions focus on identifying key strengths and uncovering areas for development, empowering frontline teams to drive continuous improvement.


    Deborah Jones

    Deborah Jones

    Senior Client Success Manager at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    Debs has spent the last 25 years working in the health and fitness, hospitality, leisure, and childcare industries, holding senior management and consultancy roles. She has also enjoyed some backpacking and travel adventures along the way! In her spare time, she loves all things health and wellness, spending time with friends and family, and hiking with her lovely dog!