Customer Perceptions
Customer Perceptions is an Ireland-based B2B research, insight and training consultancy that delivers mystery shopping, audits, surveys and performance training to over 1,000 enterprise and public-sector clients across Ireland, the UK and internationally, supported by a 17,000-strong field researcher panel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersDundalk, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Customer Perceptions does
Customer Perceptions Ltd. is a privately held, family-owned B2B professional services firm headquartered in Dundalk, Ireland, founded in 1995 by Aidan Harte and now led by his daughter Emma Harte as CEO following a 2024 leadership transition. The company delivers integrated research, insight and training programmes to over 1,000 client organisations across Ireland, the UK and internationally, with primary verticals including retail, hospitality and food services, financial services, transport and logistics, and the public sector. Core service lines are mystery shopping (in-person, telephone, video and online), compliance and operational audits, covert security and risk compliance audits, customer satisfaction surveys (CAWI, CATI, CAPI methodologies), focus groups, competitor analysis, and performance-focused training, branded under the TellUsFirst real-time feedback platform in some cases.
Underlying technology includes the proprietary TellUsFirst real-time customer feedback platform (QR, SMS, web, tablet and email channels with live dashboards, alerts, sentiment analysis and CRM/HR integrations), supplemented by third-party mystery shopping platforms SASSIE and Shopmetrics for shopper login and report management. Service delivery is enabled by a managed panel of over 17,000 trained independent field researchers across Ireland and the UK, supported by a 20+ person in-house professional team covering research design, analytics, client delivery, operations, information security and commercial functions.
Customer Perceptions generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements priced per scope, with multi-year contract cadence and no standardised pricing publicly disclosed. Named enterprise clients include DAA (Dublin Airport Authority), DHL, Lidl, Aldi, Danske Bank, An Post, Musgrave, BWG, Henderson Group, Aramark, Applegreen, Bus Eireann, Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort, Emerald Park, Bunsen, Boojum and Jump Juice Bars, with several relationships exceeding a decade. The firm holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications, is GDPR compliant, and is an Elite Member of the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association Europe and Africa.
Customer Perceptions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Customer Perceptions
- Legal name
- Customer Perceptions Ltd.
- Website
- https://customerperceptions.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Customer Perceptions is an Ireland-based B2B research, insight and training consultancy that delivers mystery shopping, audits, surveys and performance training to over 1,000 enterprise and public-sector clients across Ireland, the UK and internationally, supported by a 17,000-strong field researcher panel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Customer Perceptions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Market Research and Customer Experience Services
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Market Research & Consumer Insights (BPAHALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research (MPAAAJAL), Market, Shopper & Category Insights / Research Services (CRAOAOAI), Customer Success (Adoption, Retention & Expansion) (EDABABAG)
Keywords
Where Customer Perceptions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dundalk
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Customer Perceptions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Mystery Shopping Services: Delivers in-person, telephone, video, and online mystery shopping programmes that provide objective views of customer experience across touchpoints. Structured evaluations measure service quality, brand standards, compliance, and sales behaviours.
- Audit Programmes: Systematic, objective evaluation of retail or service operations including in-store visits, remote assessments, digital/online audits, and process walkthroughs. Helps monitor compliance, service standards, and brand experience.
- Survey Research Services: Design and delivery of survey research and opinion polling programmes using CAWI (online), CATI (telephone), and CAPI (face-to-face) methodologies. Research with own customers, targeted audiences, or nationally representative samples.
- Training & Performance Solutions: Practical, performance-focused training programmes covering customer experience, management development, service excellence, leadership, complaint handling, and operational performance. Delivered as group workshops, online sessions, or 1-to-1 coaching.
- Covert Security & Risk Compliance Audits: Undercover assessments testing physical security controls, operational procedures, regulatory compliance, and behavioural aspects without alerting operational teams.
- Customer Satisfaction (C-SAT) Surveys: Measurement of customer satisfaction levels through online, telephone, and in-person surveys to understand expectations, behaviour, and loyalty.
- Competitor Analysis: Strategic competitor analysis services including profiling, benchmarking, customer perception analysis, and strategic action-planning.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional services engagements priced per project |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Customer Perceptions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Customer Perceptions is a research, insight and training consultancy that delivers mystery shopping programmes, compliance audits, customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups, competitor analysis and covert security audits to organisations in Ireland, the UK and internationally. The firm pairs a managed panel of 17,000+ trained field researchers with its proprietary TellUsFirst real-time customer feedback platform, and converts research insights into performance-focused training programmes that drive measurable improvement in customer experience.
Product overview
Customer Perceptions offers an integrated suite of research, insight and training solutions designed to help organisations understand customer behaviour, improve experience and strengthen performance. The core offering includes Mystery Shopping Services (available as in-person visits, telephone evaluations, online/digital assessments, video mystery visits, and multi-channel programmes), Customer Satisfaction Surveys (C-SAT), Survey Services (CAWI, CATI, CAPI methodologies), Focus Groups, Competitor Analysis, and Audit Programmes (retail, service operations, digital/remote). Supporting these research capabilities is the TellUsFirst Real-Time Customer Feedback Platform for capturing immediate customer feedback via multiple channels. The Training Services division (Optimum Results) provides bespoke programmes in customer experience, leadership, compliance and operational excellence. A managed panel of 17,000+ field researchers enables delivery at scale across Ireland, UK and internationally. The portfolio functions as a unified consultancy offering rather than discrete software products, with research capabilities feeding directly into training programmes to translate insight into measurable improvement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TellUsFirst: A real-time customer feedback platform that captures customer experiences through QR codes, SMS, web links, tablet terminals, or email prompts, providing live dashboards for monitoring service quality, staff performance, and customer satisfaction.
Products and services
- Mystery Shopping Services In-person, telephone, video and online mystery shopping programmes that provide independent, real-world feedback on customer experience, staff performance, brand standards and operational compliance across retail, hospitality, call-centres and other customer-facing channels.
- Customer Satisfaction (C-SAT) Surveys Customer satisfaction survey programmes that measure satisfaction levels, expectations, behaviour and loyalty using online, telephone and in-person methodologies.
- Survey Research Services Comprehensive survey solutions using CAWI (online), CATI (telephone) and CAPI (face-to-face) methodologies to gather credible, high-quality feedback from customers, stakeholders or target audiences, including nationally representative samples.
- Focus Groups Moderated small-group discussions with carefully selected participants representing target audiences, providing rich qualitative insight into customer attitudes, emotional drivers and decision-making processes.
- Competitor Analysis Strategic competitor analysis services that map competitive landscapes, benchmark performance, identify opportunities and threats, and evaluate customer perceptions versus competitors.
- TellUsFirst Real-Time Customer Feedback Platform Proprietary real-time customer feedback platform capturing satisfaction, service performance and improvement priorities immediately after interaction via QR codes, SMS, web links, tablet terminals or email prompts, with live performance dashboards, configurable alerts, sentiment analysis and CRM/HR integrations.
- Audit Programmes Structured assessments of physical and service-delivery locations, including retail store audits, service operation audits and digital/remote audits, to monitor compliance, service standards and brand experience.
- Covert Security and Risk Compliance Audits Undercover, discreet security assessments testing physical security controls, operational procedures, regulatory compliance and staff vigilance without alerting operational teams.
- Training Services Performance-focused training programmes covering customer experience, service excellence, leadership development, management skills, compliance and operational standards, delivered via workshops, online sessions or 1-to-1 coaching.
Quantifiable outcome
- Queue times reduced by 10%, service standards improved by 10%, overall customer perception increased by 4% for Jump Juice partnership over 13 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Customer Perceptions
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Customer Perceptions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Customer Perceptions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Customer Perceptions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BARE International: Global mystery shopping and customer experience research firm with a large multinational field-researcher panel. Directly comparable to Customer Perceptions on core offering (mystery shopping, audits, CX measurement) and target enterprise buyer, but with broader geographic reach.
- Market Force Information: Large US-headquartered mystery shopping and CX measurement firm with global field-representative network. Closely comparable in service mix (mystery shopping, audits, CX surveys) and enterprise client base, but operates at significantly larger scale internationally.
- Coyle Hospitality Group: Specialist mystery shopping and brand-standard evaluation firm focused on the hospitality, restaurant and hotel sector. Comparable to Customer Perceptions' hospitality/F&B book (Galgorm, Boojum, Bunsen, Aramark) and overall mystery-shopping delivery model.
- Insight6: UK-based customer experience measurement and mystery shopping firm serving enterprise clients across multiple verticals. Comparable in offering (CX research, mystery shopping, training integration) and in operating geography close to Customer Perceptions' Ireland/UK core.
- Mystery Shopping Solutions: Long-established US-headquartered mystery shopping and market research firm offering in-person, telephone and online programmes. Comparable on service portfolio and enterprise-targeting GTM motion.
Broad incumbents
- IPSOS: Global market research and public opinion polling incumbent with significant mystery shopping, CX and shopper insights practices. Competes with Customer Perceptions for enterprise and public-sector research budgets but as part of a much broader portfolio.
- Kantar: World-leading market research and shopper insights group (Worldpanel, Insights divisions). Overlaps with Customer Perceptions in retail/FMCG shopper measurement, mystery shopping and CX benchmarking, but at vastly larger scale and global reach.
- NielsenIQ: Global consumer measurement and shopper insights incumbent. Comparable to Customer Perceptions in delivering shopper and category insight to retail and FMCG clients (Musgrave, BWG-type buyers), but operates as a broad platform rather than a specialist mystery-shopping boutique.
- MaritzCX (Maritz Customer Experience): Customer experience research, voice-of-customer and mystery shopping provider serving global enterprises. Comparable on CX measurement methodology and enterprise training integration, but at materially larger scale.
Emerging players
- Service Quality Institute (SQI): Mystery shopping and customer-service training organisation with a strong training-coaching angle. Comparable to Customer Perceptions on the integrated research-plus-training model, but with a different geographic footprint and lighter technology platform than TellUsFirst.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Customer Perceptions social profiles
Digital presenceCustomer Perceptions compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Customer Perceptions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Customer Perceptions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Customer Perceptions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Customer Perceptions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Customer Perceptions
What does Customer Perceptions do?
Customer Perceptions is a research, insight and training consultancy that delivers mystery shopping programmes, compliance audits, customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups, competitor analysis and covert security audits to organisations in Ireland, the UK and internationally. The firm pairs a managed panel of 17,000+ trained field researchers with its proprietary TellUsFirst real-time customer feedback platform, and converts research insights into performance-focused training programmes that drive measurable improvement in customer experience.
Is Customer Perceptions a public or private company?
Customer Perceptions is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Customer Perceptions founded?
Customer Perceptions was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Customer Perceptions based?
Customer Perceptions is headquartered in Dundalk, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Customer Perceptions make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Mystery Shopping Services are the primary driver. The others are audit Programmes, survey Research Services, training & Performance Solutions, covert Security & Risk Compliance Audits, customer Satisfaction (C-SAT) Surveys and competitor Analysis.
Who are Customer Perceptions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BARE International, Market Force Information, Coyle Hospitality Group, Insight6 and Mystery Shopping Solutions. Broad incumbents are IPSOS, Kantar, NielsenIQ and MaritzCX (Maritz Customer Experience). Service Quality Institute (SQI) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Customer Perceptions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Customer Perceptions.
What industry is Customer Perceptions in?
Customer Perceptions's product category is Market Research and Customer Experience Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAA, Market Research & Consumer Insights, with a secondary code of MPAAAJAL, Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research. Its NAICS code is 541910 and its SIC code is 8742.