• Mystery Shopping your Customer Experience

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    Updated: 14th April, 2025 | Created: 8th July, 2022
    Proinsight Staff Chloe

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success | Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    The hospitality industry can be divided into lots of different sectors. One of the largest and most competitive sectors to run a business is the food and beverage sector, however, it can also be one of the most exciting and rewarding sectors when you get things right.

    Whether you own a fine dining restaurant, fast food restaurant, pub, cocktail bar, café or bakery, mystery shopping services shouldn’t be something you overlook and they can help you to ensure you’re consistently delivering an excellent customer experience. Everything from face-to-face mystery shopping to market research can help you to remain competitive in this saturated market and mystery shops are more important than you may initially realise. Below we have explored some of the main reasons why working with a mystery shopping agency is so beneficial for businesses in the food and beverage sector.

     

    Competitive space to run a business

    The food and beverage sector is one of the UK’s largest economic contributors and it is continually growing and evolving. As mentioned above, it is an incredibly competitive sector too and in order to ensure your business isn’t being overlooked, it is essential to provide the best possible customer experience. Mystery shopping is a great way to learn more about your experience from a customer’s point of view and the honest feedback you receive from mystery shoppers can open your eyes to areas that require improvement.

    In addition to helping you understand what you’re doing well and what you’re not so great at, mystery shopping can give you an insight into your competitors too. By using competitor mystery shopping, you can learn more about what sets you apart from your competition and this can help you to ensure you remain both relevant and competitive. Not to mention, market research can be used to make sure you’re providing products and services that your customers actually want, rather than what you think they want, preventing customers from turning to your competitors instead.

     

    Rely on repeat customers

    So many businesses in the food and beverage sector rely on repeat customers, and it is well-known that customer retention is key to ongoing success. Not only are repeat customers easier to sell to, but they’re likely to spend more money as well and they will often visit your establishment at quieter times when you’re struggling to attract new customers. Word-of-mouth recommendations remain really important in this particular sector too and meeting customers’ expectations is essential to them telling others about your establishment.

    Working with a mystery shopping agency is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re consistently delivering the experience customers have come to expect and that you’re not letting your loyal customers down. The things you learn through mystery shopping can help you to improve customer service, which affects everything from customer satisfaction to your business reputation and also influences a customer’s decision to stick with a business.

     

    Multiple factors influence customer experience

    Mystery shopping is designed to assess every single interactive channel in your business as well as every small detail of an interaction. For example, when visiting your establishment, a mystery shopper will provide feedback on their first impressions, including; the aesthetics and cleanliness, and the greeting they received. They will also provide feedback on all aspects of the services they experienced, such as; the speed of service, and the knowledge and attitude of your team. Of course, they will feed back about the quality of the food and beverages they have as well, touching on both presentation and taste.

    Getting under the skin of your business and learning about all aspects of the experience you provide puts you in the best position to make strategic decisions for business growth. There is nowhere to hide with mystery shopping and nothing important will be overlooked during a mystery shop, regardless of which mystery shopping service you use.

     

    Finding a mystery shopping agency

    If you’ve never mystery shopped your establishment before and you’re interested in working with a mystery shopping agency, don’t hesitate to contact our team at Proinsight. We have experience assisting business owners in a vast range of sectors, including the hospitality sector and over the years we have delivered a huge range of mystery shopping services. Some of our hospitality clients include; Starbucks, Puccinos, Kaspas, Best Western and Bannatynes Hotels, and we create bespoke packages for every business we work with, ensuring their mystery shopping needs are being met. To learn more about working with a mystery shopping agency, explore the rest of the Proinsight website 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!