Mystery shopping: what families actually experience when they enquire
We start most engagements by mystery shopping your enquiry process. It is the fastest way to see where interest is being lost.
What we usually find
Managers believe enquiries are handled well. Families often experience something different: a call that rings out, a message never returned, a showround that felt like a tour of a building rather than a conversation about Mum.
What changes
An honest, constructive picture of the family experience across telephone, digital and visit enquiries, with specific findings and recommendations your team can act on.
What the work involves
Scope agreed with you
Telephone, email and web form, and in-person visits. We confirm which apply to each home.
Realistic scenarios
Enquiries that reflect real family situations, including urgent and self-funding cases.
Structured assessment
Response time, warmth, information given, questions asked, follow-up and next steps offered.
Findings
A clear report by home with what worked, what did not and what it means for conversion.
Feedback
Delivered constructively to managers and teams, with examples of good practice.
Recommendations
Practical changes to process, training and materials, prioritised.
Why this matters in care
Mystery shopping in care must be done with sensitivity. Our shoppers understand the sector and the emotional weight of these conversations, and the feedback is designed to support staff, not to catch them out.
How it fits
Mystery shopping is part of the Enquiry Conversion Review and is repeated periodically within the partnership to check progress.
Finding where families were being lost between enquiry and admission
Plenty of enquiries, too few admissions. An Enquiry Conversion Review and training gave the team a method and directors a clear picture.
Sally is refreshingly direct and straight talking for a marketing person. At the same time, she's easy to work with and fully engaged with the trials and tribulations of the board.
Questions about mystery shopping
Will our staff know?
Do you visit in person?
What do we receive?
One practical idea, every week
Written for owners, directors and marketers in care. Each edition gives you one thing to do that week, one example of it working and one question to ask your team. No spam. We're too busy filling empty beds.
Let's talk about mystery shopping
Tell us about your homes and what you have tried. We will say plainly whether this service is the right place to start, or whether something else would move occupancy faster.