Raleigh, NC. — January, 1999 — This month’s issue of Quirk’s Marketing Research Review includes an article written by Confero Inc. president Elaine Buxton, entitled Mystery Shopping Reports: Are Quality and Timeliness Competing Priorities?. The article discusses widespread acceptance of internet reporting for mystery shopping programs and the dilemmas that speedy reporting presents to both mystery shopping providers and end users. “I was pleased to share our experience and insights with the industry,” said Ms. Buxton.

About Elaine Buxton:
Elaine joined Confero is 1986, after managing operations for Wedgwood China Marketing Ltd. In Frankfurt, Germany, a $12 million 31-store division which marketed Wedgwood products to NATO forces in Germany, Italy and Belgium. In 1987, she returned to the U.S. and joined Confero. She was named President of Confero in 1999. Elaine was deeply involved in the formation of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association last year, having served on the Operating Committee which formed the Association. She has also served on the Meredith College Board of Trustees, as President of the Raleigh Professional Women’s Forum, on the Cary Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and as Board Chair of the non-profit Life Experiences. Elaine earned a BSBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Meredith College.

About Confero:
Confero, Inc. is a customer experience measurements firm specializing in mystery shopping services and customer satisfaction surveys for retail, automotive, banking and food service businesses. Formed in 1986, Confero conducts mystery shops in the U.S., Canada and Japan using its over 130,000 independently contracted mystery shoppers. The firm is a charter member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), is certified by Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a Woman-Owned business and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.

Link to the article: http://www.quirks.com/articles/a1999/19990103.aspx?searchID=18562927