The words, plainly defined.

An independent review of what customers actually experience at each touchpoint of a business, made unannounced and graded against the price and positioning of the business.

The Noticed House term for a customer experience assessment that asks whether the experience matches the class the business sells at, not only whether staff followed procedure.

A common name for a structured review of the customer journey, usually against a checklist. Often used interchangeably with experience assessment.

Anonymous visits by trained shoppers who score a business against a fixed questionnaire. Useful for checking compliance across many branches.

Mystery shopping applied to hotels and restaurants: an anonymous stay or meal scored against service standards.

A review of a hospitality guest's journey, from booking to departure, against defined standards.

A written description of how a task or interaction should be performed, such as greeting within a set time.

A written specification of what customers should see, hear, touch and be told at each touchpoint, with an owner for each. Broader than a service standard.

Any moment a customer interacts with a business: an advert, a phone call, a door, a receipt, a delivery, a message.

The sequence of touchpoints a customer passes through, from first hearing of a business to after the sale.

What a customer believes a product or service is worth, shaped by the experience around it as well as the product itself.

The decision to sell at a higher price than the market average, which the customer experience must then justify.

A check of whether a location complies with the brand rules set by its owner or franchisor.

The period before a business opens, when concept, team, standards and suppliers are set. The cheapest moment to decide the experience.

A limited opening before the official launch, usually with invited guests, used to test operations.

In a Noticed House assessment, a hygiene, safety or legal issue reported separately and immediately, never averaged into a grade.

The four levels of the Noticed House grading scale, from an experience nobody chose to one that feels designed and holds on an ordinary day.