Mystery Shopping Association Elects New President

In the US, the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) has elected Elaine Buxton as President of its Board of Directors.

Buxton is President of customer experience measurement firm Confero. She began her career as Operations Manager for Wedgwood China Marketing in Germany, before leaving to return to the US in 1987, when she joined Confero. She was named President of the firm in 1999.

In support of her role at Confero, Buxton was involved in the formation of the MSPA, having served on the Operating Committee which formed the association, and then on its Board of Directors for five years.

The MSPA has a diverse membership of more than 300 organizations, including marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations and companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services.

Its goals are to establish professional standards and ethics for the industry, educate providers, clients and shoppers to improve quality of service, improve the image of the industry and promote the membership to other industry associations.

'The mystery shopping industry is helping many businesses survive the economic downturn by ensuring they can compete on customer service delivery,' stated Buxton. 'I look forward to serving the industry as we work to help our members and their clients grow their businesses.'

Web site: www.mysteryshop.org .