ATLANTA, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Today AboutFace(TM) announced the launch of Secret Shopping On-Demand(TM) (SSOD), the first-of-its-kind secret shopping service for small businesses. The innovative and affordable online program is available nationwide to small and growing restaurants with 24 or fewer locations. Any restaurant in the quick service, casual, family, or fine dining categories can use the SSOD program to better understand the performance of their team members or to compare their performance against competitors.

"We designed SSOD to meet the needs of small businesses who want to evaluate their performance to develop a competitive advantage and improve their bottom line," said Paige Hall, president and CEO. "Until SSOD, there wasn't an affordable service for these entrepreneurs. SSOD provides that service and goes one step further to make it easy for our clients: We made SSOD available online and designed it to be completed in just three easy steps."

Businesses seeking to use the secret shopping program to enhance their performance and improve their bottom line can sign up online after setting up a secure online account with AboutFace, similar to setting up an e-mail account. To set up a program, SSOD clients follow three easy steps: 1) Set up an account; 2) Select available services, scenarios, and frequency of shops they want for each location; 3) Pay via credit card. First-time users are greeted by an online host, "Stevie," who guides them through the three easy steps. Real-time, live customer service support is available online or via phone to assist with set up or any questions.

The private online account maintains the information provided, allowing clients to easily request additional shops or modify their program settings. Depending on the category of restaurant and the service selected, the cost of each shop ranges from $49 to $99. Clients pay for the SSOD services online via credit card. "Companies invest heavily in training, yet successfully training the team requires reinforcement. SSOD is a way to reinforce and cement a team's ability to create new habits and consistently deliver stellar customer service," added Hall.

AboutFace coordinates the shop with one of its more than 210,000 mystery shoppers nationwide. Evaluations are sent to clients within 30 days of the shop. In addition, SSOD clients have access to AboutFace's incentive line: SmileyWear(TM), which is used to reinforce improvement.

AboutFace plans to expand the SSOD program to additional industries in 2007 and 2008.

AboutFace

Founded in 1994, AboutFace(TM) is the world's premier mystery shopping and performance improvement company. It provides mystery shopping and performance improvement services to companies in both the business-to-consumer and business-to-business categories. The Atlanta-based company's sole focus is on helping companies and teams reach their full potential. In the last two decades, no other secret shopping company has won more awards, more consistently than AboutFace.

AboutFace's innovative, proven programs and services are rapidly nearing the $1 billion mark of increased revenue for its clients.

Editor's Notes:

CONTACT: Media, Jenny Schmitt of Cloudspark, +1-404-421-8323,
jschmitt@cloudspark.com, for AboutFace

Web site: http:/www.aboutfacecorp.com