National Shopping Service IT Director to Head Technology Committee of Global Mystery Shopping Alliance

When: 12-7-2004
Where: Market Wire (press release) - USA

Aaron Knecht Brings Technology Expertise to International Mystery Shopping Alliance (IMSA)

ROCKLIN, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/07/2004 -- Leading mystery shopping service provider National Shopping Service today announced that its Director of IT, Aaron Knecht, has been appointed technology committee chairman and head of technological services for the International Mystery Shopping Alliance (IMSA). IMSA is a one-stop-shop for global companies that want to deploy mystery shoppers in multiple markets to measure their customer service level performance at retail, call center and Web locations with a single global view of the results.

Knecht will oversee all aspects of technology infrastructure for the organization including the selection and integration of technology tools and resources for collaboration and data sharing among virtual teams. Knecht will facilitate the implementation and adoption of various project management tools, Web services, Web conferencing services, intranets and discussion boards.

"Efficient real-time communication is crucial for geographically-dispersed mystery shopping programs. It's important for IMSA to have the most advanced technology infrastructure possible to ensure our global members communicate effectively with their various branches," said Knecht. "I have overseen the implementation of advanced technology tools and infrastructure for National Shopping Service, transforming the company into an industry technology leader. I will use my skills and experiences to help grow IMSA's global network and provide mystery shopping customers an easy-to-use, unified view into their global mystery shopping programs."

Knecht has helped turn National Shopping Service into a technology leader within the $1.5 billion mystery shopping industry. The company has the largest active network of technology-enabled mystery shoppers. These shoppers, posing as ordinary customers, use cutting edge technologies such as PDAs, digital cameras and audio recorders to provide detailed evaluations of their experiences to retail organizations. All of the completed evaluations, as well as weekly and monthly summaries, are available to National Shopping Service customers via Web applications, typically within 48 hours of the shop. This fast turnaround enables managers to act quickly to influence staff performance and business processes.

National Shopping Service also provides interactive Web-based solutions, including secure portals containing textual, graphic, audio and video content that can be fully integrated with a client's internal systems. The interface provides flexible, real-time data modeling capabilities and allows customers unlimited customization capabilities to fit the needs and style of each location.

A former entrepreneur, Knecht started and ran his own business prior to joining National Shopping Service. Knecht graduated magna cum laude from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor's degree in business with a focus on MIS.

About IMSA

With offices in 14 countries, IMSA provides its clients with global mystery shopping activities through its hand-picked member companies. Clients receive centralized project coordination and quick implementation, as well as access to the largest network of local shoppers over five continents. IMSA selects only those leaders in their markets with requisite quality control, advanced technology and well-trained shopper networks. More information can be found at www.theimsa.com.

About National Shopping Service

National Shopping Service offers customizable mystery shopping services and solutions for Global 2000 retail organizations. Through its personal, consultative approach, National Shopping Service uses state-of-the-art data collection methods, Web-based technologies and proprietary processes to give companies the information they need to understand and affect their businesses at points of customer interaction. Its work provides managers with third-party data validation for programs that increase customer loyalty and retention while also improving staff performance throughout the organization. With a network of more than 150,000 trained mystery shoppers conducting more than 30,000 site visits per month, National Shopping Service provides insights on employee / customer interactions that help companies improve business performance. More information can be found at: http://www.nationalshoppingservice.com.

CONTACT:
Kim Dion
Brodeur Worldwide
(415) 593-2262
kdion@brodeur.com