• Mystery Shopping your Customer Experience

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    Updated: 14th April, 2025 | Created: 27th January, 2023
    Proinsight Staff Chloe

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success | Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    Mystery shopping is hugely beneficial for businesses in a range of industry sectors and it can help you to improve your unique customer experience. Your team will have a direct impact on the experience your customers have whilst interacting with your business and it’s undeniably important to ensure that your employees are providing excellent customer service at all times.

     

    When they work with a mystery shopping agency, lots of businesses will decide to use the results of their mystery shops to incentivise their team. There are so many different ways you can motivate your employees through mystery shopping and encourage them to always perform at their best. If you’re interested in mystery shopping services and you’re wondering how you can use them to boost the performance of your team, keep reading today.

     

    Provide rewards and bonuses for mystery shops

     

    One of the easiest ways to improve performance on a day-to-day basis is to reward employees for their hard work, especially if they’re mentioned during a mystery shop. Employees need recognition and appreciation to thrive, and when they provide exemplary service, they should be rewarded. Whenever you receive feedback from a mystery shopper, you should reward employees who met your criteria and helped to deliver a positive customer experience. There are lots of ways to do this from discretionary bonuses and vouchers to additional annual leave.

     

    Introduce incentives for improved performance

     

    You can encourage employees to be productive after a mystery shop too by creating some friendly competition. Using the feedback you receive from a mystery shopper, you can tell your employees what areas need to be improved. Whether their product knowledge or customer service is lacking, you can encourage your team to focus more on these areas by providing rewards to the most improved employees. Set a realistic time frame for the competition and make employees aware of what they could win if they improve their performance.

     

    Create new training and development opportunities

     

    Lots of employees are keen to develop their skills and knowledge nowadays, and they will consider development opportunities when choosing a company to work for. You can use your mystery shopping programme to help you improve your training and design sessions that will benefit the everyday performance of employees. Regularly providing training sessions will give your team a chance to learn new things and develop their skill set, this can motivate them and encourage them to be productive and proactive during the working day.

     

    Use mystery shopping feedback when promoting from within

     

    It’s really common for businesses to promote from within and if you need a new supervisor, for example, you should consider using your mystery shopping feedback to help you choose the best employee for the job. Mystery shopping provides an insight into how your team performs on a day-to-day basis and this is incredibly useful when you’re promoting employees. Ensure you tell employees how important mystery shopping feedback is and how it can benefit their career, this can incentivise them to always perform at their best.

     

    Make mystery shopping a key part of your business

     

    Whenever you work with a mystery shopping company, it can be beneficial to ensure all employees are aware of your mystery shopping programme. If you hire new employees, you should tell them about your mystery shops and what you expect from them from the get-go. Of course, also inform them about the rewards and bonuses you provide for outstanding performance. Making mystery shopping a part of your business from the outset will encourage new employees to abide by policies and perform at the required standards.

     

    Interested in mystery shopping in the UK

     

    Hopefully, the information above will be useful if you’re wondering how you can use mystery shops to incentivise your employees. If you would like to find out more about mystery shopping services, our team at Proinsight is the best to contact. We specialise in mystery shopping in the UK and will be happy to discuss its benefits with you in more detail.

     

    Mystery shopping is undeniably one of the best ways to understand how well your business and your employees are doing, and we can create a bespoke mystery shopping package for you that meets all of your needs. The honest and objective feedback our mystery shoppers provide will be invaluable, and with our help, you can boost business growth. Explore our website today to find out more about the services we offer at Proinsight.


    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!