MYSTERY RESEARCH
FIELD SERVICE MYSTERY RESEARCH
Optimize your customer interactions with mystery shopping, mystery guesting and mystery calling.
For agencies, market researchers and institutes
Do you need high-quality data for your market research studies? Foerster Thelen is your reliable partner for mystery research. We provide tailored solutions for collecting customer experience data. Our experienced teams carry out mystery shopping, mystery calling and mystery guesting projects nationwide and deliver meaningful results.
Foerster & Thelen – Germany’s No. 1 for field research
- Germany’s leading field service provider
- Expertise in Mystery Research seit 1977
- mehrere 1.000 Mystery-Checks pro Jahr
- More than 1,500 trained testers and callers nationwide
CERTIFICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
CERTIFICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
Mystery Shopping
On behalf of our clients, we conduct test purchases to collect objective data on the quality of sales and consultation processes.
Mystery Calling
We simulate customer calls to assess and document the quality of telephone customer service.
Mystery guesting
Through test visits to hotels, restaurants and other venues, we collect data on guest satisfaction.
Each project is tailored to your needs—so you receive customized results that help you achieve your goals.
Mystery research – field services as the basis for precise data analysis
For agencies, market researchers and institutes
Foerster & Thelen is your experienced partner for data collection in the field of mystery research. We provide comprehensive field services that deliver clear, reliable customer experience data.
As a specialized service provider, we support you with:
- Collecting relevant data from customer interactions
- Identifying weaknesses and optimisation potential
- Capturing customer satisfaction to generate valuable insights for your analysis
Why mystery research with us?
- Experience: We have been a leader in data collection since 1977 and have built deep expertise over decades.
- Scalability: Whether small tests or large-scale projects – we stay flexible and can meet your individual requirements.
- Reliability: With several thousand mystery checks a year and a network of more than 1,500 interviewers and test customers, we deliver the precision and scale you need.
Broad industry expertise:
Our mystery projects have already helped optimize customer service in numerous industries, including:
- Marktforschung
- Public institutions
- Banks and insurance
- Tourism and travel
- Advertising and communications agencies
- Einzelhandel
- Hotels, restaurants and hospitality
- Telekommunikation
- uvm.
CONTACT US NOW FOR YOUR FREE, NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE!
Mystery as the key to business success
By using mystery shopping, mystery calling and mystery guesting, companies can systematically build on their strengths and address weaknesses in their service or offering. Here are a few ways it directly contributes to business success:
- Improve service quality: Fieldwork with test persons helps evaluate customer-service quality objectively by testing employees in real situations. Weaknesses can then be fixed with targeted measures.
- Increase customer satisfaction: Measuring the actual customer experience shows where the shopping experience can be improved. That supports loyalty and positive recommendations.
- Increase sales: Mystery shopping uncovers weaknesses in the sales process, such as insufficient product knowledge or missed upselling opportunities, and provides insights that can be used to optimise sales strategies.
- Optimise business processes: The efficiency of internal processes, such as ordering or complaints, can also be evaluated and improved through mystery checks.
- Competitive analysis: Analysing competitors on service, price and offer gives companies valuable insights to position themselves more strongly in the market.
- Strengthen brand perception: Positive customer experiences captured through covert observation can help strengthen brand identity.
- Fast responsiveness: Service issues can be spotted and fixed early, before they have a negative impact on the company.
Thanks to this cross-industry experience, we are able to offer tailored solutions for a wide range of requirements.
Methodology – how does the mystery research process work?
- Improved customer satisfaction: Depending on the study design – evaluating service quality, employee behaviour or adherence to company guidelines – we start by planning the required capacity.
- Increased sales: Based on the objectives, concrete research scenarios are carried out by the shopper, caller or guest. These scenarios are kept as realistic as possible to achieve authentic results.
- Greater efficiency: After deployment planning and training, staff carry out the tests in the intended format (shopping, calling, guesting).
- Positive brand image: After the test, the collected data is analysed and evaluated to identify weaknesses or improvement potential.
- Measurable success: The company receives a detailed report with the results and recommended actions to optimise processes.
Foerster & Thelen Marktforschung GmbH: an overview
An established market leader
Foerster & Thelen is a well-established name in the German market research landscape. Since its founding in 1977, it has grown into one of the largest independent providers of data collection services. With a broad range of methods and impressive capacity, the company is able to carry out even complex research projects efficiently and reliably.
Foerster & Thelen’s service portfolio includes a wide range of data collection methods, including:
- CATI: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing
- CAWI: Computer Assisted Web Interviewing
- CAPI: Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing
- POS-Befragungen: Point-of-Sale-Befragungen
- Mystery: Inkognito-Untersuchungen
- Home-use tests: Product tests in the home environment
- Fast responsiveness: Service issues can be spotted and fixed early, before they have a negative impact on the company.
Strengths and unique selling points
- Extensive experience: More than 45 years in the market
- Extensive experience: More than 45 years in the market
- Large capacity: Around 1.5 million interviews conducted each year
- Broad range of methods: Adapted to individual research questions
- High quality: Strict quality standards and continuous innovation
- Flexibility: Custom design of research projects
- Capacity for large projects: Experience with complex studies
Foerster & Thelen conducts studies with both businesses (B2B) and consumers (B2C). The company supports clients from a wide range of industries in answering their research questions.
We are a reliable partner for companies that depend on precise, robust market research data. With its many years of experience, broad methodological expertise and high quality standards, the company has earned an excellent reputation in the industry.
WOULD YOU LIKE INDIVIDUAL CONSULTING FOR YOUR PROJECT?CONTACT US NOW FOR YOUR FREE, NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE!
Your mystery project – planned and delivered perfectly
We handle the entire project end-to-end. Our experienced staff take care of recruitment and training, technical implementation and quality assurance. You receive regular updates and always have a dedicated point of contact.
CONTACT US NOW!
Get in touch and benefit from our expertise in mystery shopping projects
Marcus Mattern
Head of POS
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about mystery research
It is a specialized market research method in which trained test participants—such as mystery shoppers, mystery callers and others—recreate authentic customer situations to evaluate the quality of products, services and processes from the customer’s perspective. Employees are often observed without their knowledge in order to analyze their behavior and the quality of their interactions with customers.
Quality assurance: It helps ensure compliance with internal standards and processes. Whether product presentation, sales consultation or customer support—every interaction is examined closely.
- Market research: By benchmarking against competitors, companies gain valuable insights into their market position and can take targeted measures to improve competitiveness.
- Process optimization: Identified weaknesses can be addressed quickly to increase customer satisfaction and make processes more efficient.
- Employee development: The results provide valuable input for training measures and can help improve employee performance.
Field research using test participants is an essential tool for companies that want to strengthen their customer focus and achieve long-term success.
MORE INFORMATION AND CONTACT:
We offer three main methods:
- Mystery shopping: The test buyer (mystery shopper) acts as a regular customer to evaluate service, product quality, consultation and the overall shopping experience. This can take place in retail stores, supermarkets or with service providers.
- Mystery calling: In this method, test participants (mystery callers) contact a company by phone or other communication channels to check customer service, consultation quality and response speed.
- Mystery guesting: For example, a test guest is sent as a normal visitor to a hotel, restaurant or other hospitality venue to evaluate the service offering, atmosphere, quality and compliance with standards.
It is a valuable market research method in which trained test participants—such as mystery shoppers, mystery callers or mystery guests—simulate real customer situations to evaluate the quality of products, services and processes from the customer’s perspective. Observations are usually carried out without being noticed so that unbiased, authentic results can be obtained. This objective assessment, based on standardized execution and evaluation, provides precise insights into customer interactions and highlights potential for improvement.
The benefits of covert observation are wide-ranging: it helps identify weaknesses in processes and improve the quality of products and services. This enables companies to strengthen customer loyalty and stand out from the competition. At the same time, it provides valuable data for employee development, serving as a basis for training and qualification measures. In addition, it enables cost-effective problem detection that can prevent high follow-up costs.
By specifically optimizing customer experiences, it not only increases customer satisfaction but also strengthens brand perception and brand image.
Satisfied customers come back, recommend the company and thus make a significant contribution to business success. In addition, identifying weaknesses in business processes leads to greater efficiency and reduced operating costs.
All employees receive intensive training so they can realistically recreate the test criteria and the requirements of the respective scenarios. In addition, clear instructions are provided so that observations can be documented clearly and in detail, enabling a well-founded analysis.
All information is treated as strictly confidential and protected in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. The anonymity of the test results is guaranteed.
Covert customer observation is a versatile method that can be highly beneficial in almost any industry. However, the following sectors benefit particularly, as they rely heavily on customer loyalty and satisfaction:
- Retail
In retail, it is crucial to continuously monitor the shopping experience in order to retain customers over the long term. Mystery checks help evaluate key aspects such as product availability, merchandise presentation and overall customer service. In addition, weaknesses in the sales process or customer consultation can be uncovered to enable targeted improvements to the sales strategy. - Food service and hospitality
The guest experience in food service and hospitality is a key success factor. Mystery research enables a detailed assessment of service quality, cleanliness, staff friendliness and the overall atmosphere. The quality of food and beverages on offer can also be checked through mystery guesting. These insights are crucial to meeting guest expectations and securing a competitive advantage. - Banks and insurance companies
In the financial sector, it is important to regularly review advisory competence and customer service. Mystery research can help assess the quality of consultation meetings, employee professionalism and how easy the products and services offered are to understand. This enables banks and insurers to continuously improve service quality and respond to customer needs. - Telecommunications companies
For telecom providers, customer service for inquiries and complaints is critical. Mystery calling makes it possible to measure the quality of customer support by evaluating response time, friendliness and the customer service team’s ability to solve problems. This helps identify weaknesses in the service process and increase customer satisfaction. - Car dealerships
In the automotive industry, the sales conversation is a central component of success. Mystery research helps evaluate employees’ advisory competence and sales behavior by testing, for example, product knowledge, persuasiveness and the offering of additional services. These insights are useful for optimizing sales processes and increasing revenue.
- Energy providers: To review customer consultation and the handling of inquiries and contract sign-ups.
- Healthcare: To assess the quality of patient care, waiting times and service in medical facilities.
- Education sector: To review the quality of advisory and information services in schools, universities and continuing education institutions.
- Logistics and shipping: To measure service quality in the shipping process, delivery and customer communication.
- and more.
Yes, online services and e-commerce companies can also be evaluated through mystery research. For example, mystery shoppers can check the website’s usability, the quality of online customer service, or the speed of delivery and the condition of products after shipping.
How often it is conducted depends on the company’s goals. Some companies run customer feedback analyses regularly to enable continuous improvement, while others do so at certain intervals or after implementing new processes. It is recommended to conduct mystery research at least once a year—more often for larger or fast-growing companies.
Foerster and Thelen ensure data quality through:
- Qualified, trained test participants: Precise and objective execution through the use of trained staff.
- Standardized evaluation methods: Evaluation is based on clearly defined criteria and always coordinated with the client.
- Continuous review: The quality of the entire process is reviewed regularly to ensure results are reliable and meaningful.
Consent of those involved
Companies whose employees are being tested must be informed in advance that test calls may take place as part of quality assurance measures. General consent from the company is required. However, individual employees do not need to be informed in advance about specific calls.
Data protection
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must be strictly complied with. This means, in particular, that recorded conversations may only be stored or evaluated with the explicit consent of the persons concerned.
Employment law
Test calls must not constitute unlawful employee surveillance. They must be aimed at quality assurance and must not be misused for individual performance monitoring.
Would you like to commission mystery projects with Foerster and Thelen? Simply get in touch via our website or by phone. We will be happy to advise you and prepare a tailored quote to meet your needs.
