A BEAUTY salon owner has launched a mystery shopper business in the North-East which targets firms such as her own to ensure they are providing a suitable service.

Cristina Moreira has set up Secret Angels, which sends mystery shoppers to hairdressing or beauty salons across the region at the owner’s request to ensure standards are being upheld.

The business – believed to be the first of its type – is an extension of Ms Moreira’s long-established venture, the popular Beauty Angels salon in Sedgefield, County Durham, which she said has taught her the importance of ensuring service is of the highest quality, particularly during the recession.

Ms Moreira said mystery shopping tailored towards the beauty sector is crucial for the salon and its reputation, and offers an insight into how efficiently the business is run while the owner’s back is turned.

“At the salon owner’s request, we will send someone in to see a particular hairdresser or stylist, or to receive a particular treatment, and they will know exactly what they are looking for, they will know how it should be done,”

she said.

“The mystery shopper will then provide comprehensive and honest feedback on every aspect of the service, from initially booking the appointment to when they leave the salon after their treatment.

“Often, it’s hard for a salon owner to know what happens when they aren’t there – standards can sometimes slip when they’re not around to keep an eye on things.

“But also, a positive mystery shopper report can show how well or badly a particular hairdresser or stylist is doing, so can be a reason to give praise or discipline.

“This is a really difficult time for most businesses at the minute, so it’s probably never been more important to offer excellent customer service. That’s why having a mystery shopper can be so important, and can help to find any problems or ways to improve the business.”

Ms Moreira said she created Secret Angels to diversify her Beauty Angels business during the recession.

“It was around Christmas time when I started to think about what the new year would hold, and realised I should maybe look at how to expand what we do a bit. I, like probably every other business owner, am being affected by the recession, so I thought that a mystery shopper business would be an ideal addition to Beauty Angels,” she said.

“My skills lie in hairdressing and treatments, and I know how specific those skills are and how high standards have to be.

Through Secret Angels, I’m hoping we can help raise standards across the whole industry.”

■ To contact Ms Moreira, or to become one of Secret Angels’ mystery shoppers, call 01740- 629435 or visit bndangels.com