3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Choosing a Dating Agency

August 11, 2021

Dating can be tiring! I understand. You may be in the same boat as many singles out there who are:

Tired of just swiping and chatting with random and non-genuine people on dating apps;
Have been through the dating-casually phase and they want something more, but their social circle is limited;
Busy with work and just don’t have the time to be going on dates with someone who’s not even compatible with them;
At the stage of wanting to settle down and have a family, but they don’t know where to start to find other singles who are also serious about wanting the same thing.

A dating agency could definitely be a great way to start off your dating journey to find your special someone! But how do you find a trust-worthy and competent agency? What are the things you should look out for when choosing the dating service for you?

Based on my experience, here are 3 things I wish I knew before choosing a dating agency.

1. Branding & Credibility

The first thing you can look out for is how they present themselves to the public. Take a look at their website and their social media platforms, and ask yourself these questions:

How much effort is put into promoting themselves as a professional and reputable brand to the public?
How long has the agency been around and what makes them the expert? Is this information easily accessible and consistent?
Can you find positive, unbiased and non-sponsored articles about them in the media?
Are their CEO or Dating Experts often featured and invited to share their expertise to the public?
Are they focused only on selling their services or do they make the effort to authentically provide value to you as well? (Giving dating tips, articles, videos and other resources)

Good branding allows the dating agency to build relationships with their audience, in hopes of turning them into loyal customers in the long run. As a good and credible dating agency, gaining the trust of clients should be the priority.

2. Reviews

Good branding and marketing can help, however, it is also advised to confide in the unbiased authentic experiences of other like-minded individuals like yourself. Reviews and testimonials can provide insight on other client’s prior experiences with the company and their team members.

What are important factors in reviews that can tell you a lot about an agency?

Their rating upon 5 stars on Google Reviews (which is accessible publicly)
Whether the client’s preferences for a partner were met
Client’s experience with customer service/attitudes of the dating consultants
Efficiency of date arrangement
Follow ups by the dating consultants

An agency might seem proper and professional on the exterior, promising and guaranteeing many things to the public eye, only to disappoint their clients later on by not abiding and sticking to their word.

3. Consultations

Most dating agencies require the potential client to meet with the dating consultants in a consultation. This is a good way for you to also assess the credibility of the agency. As you’re going into the consultation, these are some things to look out for:

Do they have a physical office in a convenient and conducive location? (Due to the pandemic, you may have a virtual consultation instead, but you can ask for photos and videos of the office to make sure they are not a fly-by-night company and are here to stay.)
The appointment and confirmation process leading up to the consultation. Is there a booking system in place, how professional is the process, is clear information given to you prior to your consultation?
During the consultation, how do the consultants present themselves? Do you feel comfortable with them? Putting yourself in the shoes of the singles that you would like to meet, would you be impressed by the consultant or the consultation?
Are the membership packages clearly presented on print or in a slide? Or is the consultant just scribbling down some random amounts on a piece of paper or on screen? How transparent is the pricing model?
Is the sales consultant potentially over-promising? Do they promise that you could meet specific clients who match closely to what you are looking for once you become a member? Or do they allude that they have A member who looks like a celebrity etc.?

You can also ask the dating consultants direct questions about their prior experience working with other singles and the matching process in general.

Some possible questions include:

What is your success rate?
What is the process like? How will you match me to other singles?
How many active members are there in your database? Who are they and what are their profiles like?
How confident are you in matching me? How many matches do you have for me right now?
How many consultants does the agency have? Who will be working with me throughout my membership?

By finding out how knowledgeable and reassuring your consultants are, you are able to decide if they are in fact a good fit for you if you were to start your dating journey!

Bonus: Red Flags

It is common for dating services to have some bad reviews because just like any other business or industry, there would be happy and some not so happy clients. Nevertheless, you want to observe how they manage these complaints or reviews. Are they forthcoming in wanting to resolve the problem or are they quick to allocate blame to the client?

Who consists of the team that would service you after you become a member? Are you able to see their photo, have a call with them or have a virtual meeting with them if requested?

Are the founder(s) passionate about improving the business and contributing to growing the industry? Is there any information about the founder(s) or the management team that you can search up online other than on the company website?

Just like engaging any professional services, finding the right dating service takes time and research. Do not jump into making payment to the first dating service you meet unless you are confident that they are legit, credible and ethical.

We hope that you have found some useful tips on how to search for the right dating agency. All the best!

Maria Azzahra