loyalty management third quarter, 2015

Third Quarter 2015VOLUME 7 NUMBER 3

Meinekes Approach to

Customer Engagement

Simplicity at Hertz Means Great Customer Experience Family Atmosphere at Harley-Davidson Instills Brand Loyalty

Hiltons Customer-centric Culture

IN THIS ISSUE:

Discover how at www.kentico.com/product

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Know more, stress less

3Loyalty Management THIRD QUARTER 2015

In this Issue...THIRD QUARTER 2015 WWW.LOYALTY360.ORGVOLUME 7 NUMBER 3

FEATURES

16 Passionate Customers Lead to Supreme Brand Loyalty at Auntie AnnesJim Tierney | Loyalty360

18 Meineke Repairs the Car Care Industrys Approach to Customer EngagementMark Johnson | Loyalty360

20 Customer Loyalty at Bavarian Inn Lodge Is All About Creating Enjoyable ExperiencesJim Tierney | Loyalty360

22 Family Atmosphere at Harley-Davidson Instills Brand LoyaltyJim Tierney | Loyalty360

24 Hospitality Triggers Customer Loyalty at Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & FriesJim Tierney | Loyalty360

4 Letter from the Editor

6 Loyalty360 on the Web

8 Your Voice

10 Behind the Brand with Tom Cole, Executive VP, Chief Development Officer | Ansira

12 360 Insights Mark Johnson | Loyalty360

14 By the Numbers: Technology Eases Shopping Experience

26 Q & A: Ask the Experts

28 Trending Now

30 Behind the Brand with Javier Flaim, CEO | Recyclebank

32 Loyalty Innovation

56 Loyalty Reads

LOYALTY FORUM: IN EVERY ISSUE

582 01 5

Expo SessionPreviews

Fall is upon us and we here at Loyalty360 have been busy behind the curtains working on some great projects! Website development continues for loyalty360.org, loyaltyexpo.com and engagementexpo.com with new looks, new features and enhanced capabilities for our members and visitors. Entries are in and the judging process has commenced for the 2015 Loyalty360 CX Awards and, we have kicked off the survey process for the 2015 CX Landscape report! I encourage everyone to participate in the survey (http://www.engagementexpo.com/CustomerExperienceLandscape/). The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and participants receive a complimentary copy of the report once it is released.

The 2015 Engagement & Experience Expo (November 9 11 in Dallas, Texas) has seen some fundamental changes that promise to strengthen the learning experience for attendees. More stringent criteria for session selection has been adapted to the agenda. We have worked hard to foster new media relationships and, we have developed a new program called Exclusives at the Expo which features a number of whitepaper and product releases from a variety of distinguished vendors across the customer experience & loyalty industries. This years Expo features iconic brands such as Bridgestone, AARP, Goodwill, Meineke, 7-Eleven, Dominos, Golds Gym, Intuit and others that will share their customer experience challenges and solutions. See page 58 for session preview highlights and be sure to visit the website at engagementexpo.com for even more details and to register! We hope to see you there!

In this issue of Loyalty Management, we have included more brand CX challenges / solutions. Read about Meinekes approach to customer engagement on page 18 or how Bavarian Inn is creating enjoyable customer experiences on page 20. We also present an inside look at the hospitality experience with Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries on page 24.

Enjoy the read!

Christopher

FROM THE EDITOR

4 Loyalty Management LOYALTY360.ORG

Customer Experience...More than Just a Buzz Term

Lenati.com

The Loyalty 80/20 Rule

[email protected] www.lenati.com 800-848-1449 @Lenati

80%

20%Higher Customer Needs

Met by TraditionalLoyalty Marketing

Basic Customer Needs

Met by Optimization of Core Experience

REWARDS

BENEFITS

RECOGNITION

EASE OF USE

INFORMATIONVALUE

QUALITY

PRODUCT

UTILITY

AFFINITY

MANAGE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CUSTOMEREXPERIENCE AND LOYALTY


TECHNOLOGY, TRENDS & REWARDS

BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES

44 Simplicity at Hertz Means Great Customer Experience Jim Tierney | Loyalty360

46 How Does QVC Stay on Top of the Customer Loyalty/Customer Experience World? Jim Tierney | Loyalty360

48 Best Western Delivers Sophisticated Customer Engagement by Revitalizing Direct Mail James M. Loy | Loyalty360

52 Theft Right Under Your Nose: The High Cost of Loyalty Fraud Mike McDonnell | Connexions Loyalty

54 Best Practices in Mobile Voice of the Customer Miguel Ramos | Confirmit

WWW.LOYALTY360.ORG

2015 Loyalty360, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction and distribution of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Loyalty360 disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. The opinions shared are those of the contributing authors and not necessarily reflective of Loyalty360 and/or its affiliates. Loyalty360 shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

In this Issue...THIRD QUARTER 2015 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 3

Loyalty Management Editorial & Production TeamChristopher Schatzman - Editor in Chief

Mark Johnson - Contributing Editor

Christopher Schatzman - Design Director

Jim Tierney - Senior Writer

Crescent Printing Company - Print Production

ContactsArticle Submissions & Advertising:

Ana Altamira

[email protected] or

513.800.0360, ext. 217

34 Forging Emotional Bonds: Hiltons Customer-centric Culture Jim Tierney | Loyalty360

38 Meaningful Motivation in the Workplace Can Yield Success Paul Gordon | Rymax Marketing Services, Inc.

40 How Personalized Digital Experiences Win Loyal Customers Jim Dicso | SundaySky

42 ebags.com Seeks Differentiation Through Customer Loyalty Jim Tierney | Loyalty360

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WWW.ENGAGEMENTEXPO.COM

2 01 5

LOYALTY360 ON THE WEB

Whats NewON LOYALTY360.ORG

Whats New


A redesigned website for Engagement & Experience Expo, powered by Loyalty360, has launched at engagementexpo.com. The new site features a more intuitive user-interface with an enhanced layout and image-based design. All of the resources and features you need to get registered, stay informed, connect with others and access sessions and presentations are still there they are just easier and more enjoyable to access!

Loyaltyexpo.com, the website for Loyalty Expo, powered by Loyalty360, has also received a facelift.

We invite you to visit both websites, enjoy the improved navigation and learn more about the upcoming conferences!

WEBSITE REDESIGNS FOR LOYALTY EXPO AND ENGAGEMENT & EXPERIENCE EXPO

Brand Panel, Loyalty360s recently launched online community, is a networking site for professionals in marketing, customer loyalty, customer experience, customer engagement and related fields. Exclusively available to members of Loyalty360, Brand Panel enables marketers to connect with each other in a secure environment. Since launching in the first quarter of 2015, the community has already been updated with new enhancements and capabilities: include videos in your discussions, see a ticker of industry news from Loyalty360 and get familiar with the site via an Introduction app.

CONNECT WITH PEERS ON BRAND PANEL

Learn more about Brand Panel and becoming a Loyalty360 member by contacting Mark Johnson at [email protected].

A growing collection of podcasts is available at Loyalty360.org, including the Loyalty Management series of featured columnists, the Loyalty360 Webinar series and interviews with thought leaders in the industry. Go to loyalty360.org/resources#multimedia?type=52 to see the collection. Stream the podcasts directly from the site, download them to your device, or download them in iTunes to access on your Apple devices.

DIVE INTO A WEALTH OF NEW PODCAST CONTENT

360podcast

ON LOYALTY360.ORG

LOYALTY FORUM: YOUR VOICE


voiceyourLoyalty360Loyalty360Our obsession with mobile devices is an indisputable fact. According to CNN, in January 2014 Americans used smartphone and tablet apps more than PCs to access the Internet the first time that has ever happened. We know that more than two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and Nielsen research cites the highest mobile device ownership among the Millennials (85% aged 18-24 and 86% aged 25-34).

Yet while most people are using mobile devices more than ever before, they are still primarily browsing devices. The opportunity to transform the consumer experience via truly engaging native mobile apps is largely untapped. Why are so few brands using mobile phones for order capture, purchasing and payments? As a constant consumer companion, the mobile phone is a natural choice for loyalty engagement, timely offers, redeeming rewards and in the moment surveys, challenges, and user-generated content.

The technology is proven and ready to go. Starbucks is one of the few brands who have fully embraced the mobile loyalty app and is now reaping the rewards. As of January 2015, Starbucks reached 13 million active mobile users, and with POS and payment capabilities, the company reported an average of 7+ million mobile transactions in U.S. stores each week!

Kevin Nix, CEO/President | Stellar Loyalty

I believe the omnichannel experience has mostly fallen short of expectations, not because of its impact potential (which is great), but because of retailers speed to successfully create it for consumers. From the shoppers perspective, there are no channels, simply brands; however, still today channel-based issues abound. Whether its online purchases that cant be returned to stores or inaccurate loyalty point accruals across channels and devices, efforts need to be made to create a 360 view of the consumer rather than silo both the information and operations so a true omnichannel experience can be had.

Jeff Sopko President, Insights & Marketing | Baesman

For lack of a better solution, there has been a trend in B2C companies using CRMs to engage consumers. Customer Relationship Management, originally a B2B sales solution, was never designed to help marketers understand, segment and engage consumers who purchase, socialize and acquire specific items (SKUs); therefore, it has fallen short of their expectations.

Brad Marg, COO | Clutch

What recent new trend, technology or solution that promised to transform or

improve customer experience or engagement has fallen

short of expectations?

No one would dispute that with the explosion

of tools, technologies and solutions available

today, its an exciting time to be a marketer. In

fact, among the biggest challenges related to

customer experience and engagement lie with

sorting through the multitude of technologies

that are available, according to Loyalty360s CX

Landscape report. With this in mind, we set out

to explore the recent trends or technologies that

have not lived up to expectations.

As a constant consumer companion, the mobile phone is a natural choice for loyalty engagement.

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To learn more, please visit stellarloyalty.com. The Consumer Relationship Company

The main area where I see solutions falling far short of potential are mobile loyalty programs. Mobile apps should and can be so much more than another variation of the main programs website. However many loyalty programs are launching mobile apps just for the sake of launching a mobile app, without taking the time to integrate the mobile solution into their overall offering. This leaves the customer wanting for more, and doesnt provide them with a well-rounded customer experience. Launching a mobile app that a customer downloads once but never uses again defeats the purpose of long-term engagement. If you arent engaging w/customers via your mobile solution, why have one to begin with

Lori Byrne, SVP Sales & Marketing | Aspire Lifestyles

The problem is not usually with the technology, but with the users of the technology. Customer engagement needs to be personal, and values driven, no matter what tools we use.

Al Perkinson, Vice President of Marketing | Costa Sunglasses

Most companies are taking customer experience seriously, investing in technology and changing their cultures to stay competitive. The single largest risk in this rush to raise the CX bar is "survey assault," where every department and stakeholder throws their pet questions at customers, injuring the relationship and degrading the data. We have the technology to listen and engage with customers in much more authentic and productive ways. There are no more excuses. The assaults must end.

Lonnie Mayne, President | InMoment

Programmatic media hasnt always lived up to its initial promise. Results were not that great using simple audience profiles. We questioned whether it was worth our clients investment in the platforms. However, once we integrated our clients CRM data into the process, results improved dramatically. Weve now seen programmatic media drive very high returns for our clients. Effective targeting and strong results all come down to the quality of the customer data you feed into programmatic process.

Logan Flatt, SVP, Strategic Planning | Ansira

The single largest risk in this rush to raise the CX bar is survey assault...

LOYALTY FORUM: BEHIND THE BRAND

BehindtheBrand


WITH TOM COLE, EXECUTIVE VP, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | ANSIRA

Tom oversees the development of key relationships with both current and new Ansira clients. Prior to his current role, Tom was co-president and co-founder of predecessor company RAZOR, helping to build the agency to $300 million in capitalized billings in less than eight years.

Prior to founding RAZOR, Tom served as president of Brann Worldwide Dallas, executive vice president of JWT and vice president of marketing for PepsiCo.

Tom received bachelors degrees in economics and business and his masters in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He attended the Harvard Business School program for Owner/President Management of privately held businesses.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE NEXT BIG TREND IN CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND LOYALTY?

The next big trend has already happened, but most marketers are struggling to catch up. The trend is the always on, always connected consumer, yet marketers still seem stuck in a batch-and-blast model that grew up in the world of advertising campaigns.

WHAT MARKETING INNOVATION DO YOU WISH YOU HAD COME UP WITH FIRST?

I read with the announcement of its Alphabet restructuring, the market value of Google rose to $460 billion by the next day. My first thought was, I wish I had thought of that.

WHAT TREND OR TECHNOLOGY SHOULD MARKETERS EXPIRE AS A FAD OF THE PAST?

There has always been a trend, or a tendency, of brands viewing customers through the lens of their business. That has to change. Brands have to do a better job of viewing the business through the eyes of its customers. That will require significant organizational changes to achieve, but the mindset must change first.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING TO SOLVE?

To be best in class at data-driven customer engagement marketing, an agency needs more top talented people collaborating from more disciplines than ever before. Finding, attracting, retaining and inspiring this level of talent is a significant challenge that will only grow.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS KEY IN DRIVING TRUE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT?

Its all about customer intelligence. A deep understanding of customers through a single view across an entire organization is the key.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL MOTTO?

Luck is the residue of design

WHO HAS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE?

My father. He showed me the commitment required in order to succeed in business, and to this day, he is my motivation to continue learning and growing.


BehindtheBrand WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD? INSPIREWHAT IS YOUR LEAST

FAVORITE WORD? DICTATE

WHAT TURNS YOU ON CREATIVELY, SPIRITUALLY,

OR EMOTIONALLY?

SEEING MY FAMILY MEMBERS EXPERIENCE SPECIAL MOMENTS

WHAT TURNS YOU OFF? BLAMERS

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE (PG-13) CURSE WORD?

I TRY TO AVOID PG-13 CURSE WORDS. GO STRONG OR NOT AT ALL

WHAT SOUND OR NOISE DO YOU LOVE? A WINE CORK POPPING

WHAT SOUND OR NOISE DO YOU HATE?

THE BELL ON AN AIRPLANE THAT SAYS TURBULENCE IS COMING

WHAT PROFESSION OTHER THAN YOUR OWN WOULD

YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT?

I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE BEEN A MUSICIAN. OR A CIA ANALYST. POSSIBLY BOTH

WHAT PROFESSION WOULD YOU NOT LIKE TO DO? POLITICS

IF HEAVEN EXISTS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR

GOD SAY WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE PEARLY GATES?

WELCOME

* Inspired by James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio we asked Tom to share his quick fire response to the questions originating from the French series, Bouillon de Culture hosted by Bernard Pivot.

12345678910

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS*

WHICH BOOK(S) ARE YOU RECOMMENDING AND WHY?

Words That Work: Its Not What You Say, Its What People Hear by Dr. Frank I. Luntz. Technology is enabling more content to flow in greater volume from more sources than ever. But it seems like too many people are losing the art of communicating with impact through concise, engaging words.

FAVORITE LEISURE ACTIVITY? DOES THIS INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

I have two favorite leisure activities: reading and exercising. Reading certainly influences my work. I alternate one business, leadership or macro-trend book for every classic or action thriller novel I read. I also exercise every day. Exercising has a huge influence on my work, because it restores positive energy and gives me time to think.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS OR FAILURE?

I measure success or failure by how positive change is achieved and by how many people it impacts.

WORDS OF ADVICE FOR THE NOVICE MARKETER?

Listen longer and be a student of the business. The minute you think you know it all, you start going down the slope.

Listen longer and be a student of the business.


LOYALTY FORUM: 360 INSIGHTS

Mark Johnson Loyalty360

Theres a challenge that still exists for most brands, and we have addressed it numerous times. It is the challenge of listening, but it is the kind of listening that goes further than just brands talking to customers or to their suppliers. We continue to see a long list of talking points that too many brands overly rely on, or acronyms they continually posit as a result of dealing with too many consultants or technology providers who may or may not understand their challenges. The problem is that there is no unanimity, no agreement, and no industry consensus.

One of our board members recently stated that this industry is more disruptive of itself than any other. And this is why we continually call for consensus and for simplicity.

We go to numerous conferences, speak to countless brands and technology providers, and we have listened to them all. Truly listened. And we continue to see new challenges that, by and large, did not exist in the 60s and 70s, or decades past. Sometimes it seems as if we do not even have the depth of understanding that we did then.

Larger corporations, with disparate processes and siloed organizations and with powerful technologies, have not led to stark improvements for all brands. We hear of best of breed technology that will empower via a software developer kit (SDK), we hear of application programming interfaces (APIs) that will integrate disparate technologies. But the fact remains that brands are now just struggling with complexity. And also with being able to provide a return on investment, to keep these same technologies running year over year, and to continually integrate them across growing networks.

When you speak with brands and technology providers that truly understand the implicit and explicit challenges in the market, you find an honest, forthright, and candid dialogue among them. They understand these challenges. As they look at organizational imperatives, they understand the opportunities that are present, and they want to know how they can systematically integrate technologies and leverage them to increase the efficacy of their processes.

Yet when we speak with other brands that think they get it, they only talk in myopic buzzwords, they use catch all phrases, or they use acronyms that they dont really understand. And, as weve talked about, there is a great deal of confusion and obfuscation in the market.

Talking Points Versus Active Listening

Customer Experience Challenge of Listening:

As we prepare for the 2015 Engagement & Experience Expo, we have had the pleasure and

privilege of speaking to stalwarts within the customer

experience and brand engagement industry. When

reflecting on the conversations we have had with senior

marketing executives across such a wide swath of industry

verticals, it is interesting to see how some are excelling

with metrics, processes and a commitment to organizational

CX, while many others remain challenged.

HEAR MORE FROM LOYALTY360 AT THE 5TH ANNUAL

2015 ENGAGEMENT & EXPERIENCE EXPO! We encourage you to join Mark Johnson, Chief Executive Officer with Loyalty360 at Engagement & Experience Expo, a forum to openly discuss customer, brand and channel challenges and solutions. You will also discover how to optimize the customer experience at all touch-points and increase the impact of engagement throughout the customer lifecycle.


We know what brands should be doing. We know what the opportunity is for those who can effectively engage their audiences. Yet when theyve been sold the prescriptive tool of buzzwords and acronyms

as well as metrics and measurements that are hard to understand and cannot be quantified externally or

internally, it creates a paradigm of challenge.

But we see the opportunity to create a paradigm shift. There is a great divide

between the brands that truly are putting the customer first, and

are truly open to gaining an understanding of those

customers. These brands know that there may be some skeletons in the closet, or there may be a bunch of responses that they just dont want to hear from customers, but they are willing to accept it, admit there are challenges and ask for help.

Loyalty360 will continue putting forth the leading brands that are doing amazing things. We

engage with those brands that want to

share their challenges in an effort to learn more, and

to join a thriving community through content collaboration.

These are the successful brands that are committed to building the

insights, the requisite metrics, and the technologies required to leverage data

and customers in a new and proactive manner. For these brands, this truly lifts them

up to be powerful players in the industry, and enables them to engage customers in unique ways.

We know that customers want seamless experiences. We know that customers are now engaging brands across all channels. And in this respect, health care providers may be compared to an Amazon in their ability to drive consistent cross-channel experiences. This is making some brands feel the pressure to compare themselves to Apple, for example, or other brands that are outside their particular vertical.

This is enabling guests and customers to expect more. There is a rising tide, but the rising tide is for simplicity. As we have continually stated, the clarion call is for simplicity and alignment. Customers want to feel like they have a relationship with their favorite brands, and this is missing in many respects today.

Weve talked in the past about a return to a mentality that used to see people have personal relationships with a corner bookstore or the local drug store, for example. Those businesses used to see their customers as individuals, as people. That person behind the counter of the local drug store used to explicitly, and sometimes implicitly, know and understand the product needs, desires, and wants of their customers. This is what brands struggle to do today, but not for want or lack of technology.

Thats also why we see a continued rise in small- and medium-sized merchants and brands that are being disruptive. They are looking at ways they can create a new paradigm for the customers, to engage with them. Weve heard about the challenger brands. Weve heard about disruptive technologies. Weve heard about looking at ways organizations and brands that actually are doing it well, and weve heard about those that are not. Some are successful, but many more are still struggling. Even though they may think they are doing well internally, many only grasp at talking points without being able to offer any real substance.

Some of the brands may be doing well, but there remains a rising tide of customer expectations. If you step back and listen to how some of these brands are talking about the challenges, and how they address them, you can really see the dichotomy between those who are only relying on the empty talking points and those who are truly making the commitment to understanding their customers.

We look forward to working with and sharing the brands that are making a true commitment to the customer experience. We also look forward to bringing new metrics and insights to help these brands create a more direct relationship to their audiences. We endeavor to enable simplicity and alignment in this respect. And we look forward to telling the stories of the brands that are meeting and exceeding new challenges and finding success going forward. L

There is a great divide between the brands that truly are putting the customer first, and are truly open to gaining an understanding of those customers.


LOYALTY FORUM: BY THE NUMBERS

Eases Shopping ExperienceTechnology

90%

82%30%

25% 22%

20%

of Shoppers are using mobile devices to help make purchase decisions while in-store.

54% use stores mobile sites | 21% use in-store kioskOnly 17% want to use a store app

of consumers have or will have a wearable device within the year

want wearables to enhance their shopping experience

would like to be notified when the store is busy so

they can come back when its more quiet

want to use wearables for touchless or

one-click payments

want map to navigate the store

Study by PowerReviews released on 5/12/15, survey of 1021 US consumers

Discover how at www.kentico.com/product

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Centralized Customer Intelligence

Loyalty and Stored Value

Analytics and Segmentation

Omni-Channel Engagement

Clutch's Consumer Management Platform empowers marketers with customer insights to drive measurable results.

Are you maximizing your best customers?clutch.com | [email protected] | (888) 541-6789


FEATURES

Lead to Supreme Brand Loyalty at Auntie Annes

Passionate Customers

When Heather Neary, Vice President of Global

Marketing for Auntie Annes the worlds largest

hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise wears her

company shirt accompanied by its logo...

...the response is genuine and most appreciated.

Auntie Annes knows people dont just like our pretzels, Neary explains. We are very fortunate to have very passionate guests who looooooove our pretzels! I cant tell you how fun it is to wear an Auntie Annes logo shirt at the airport and have flight attendants and other passengers come up to me to say, Oh my gosh! Your almond crunch pretzel is my favorite! or Those mini pretzel dogs are the best thing ever. We believe its important to harness that engagement, loyalty, and passion.

To harness that passion, Auntie Annes developed the Pretzel Perks loyalty app.

Its a very simple premise, Neary says. Use your app when you make a purchase and well reward you with fun coupons and surprise-and-delight offers! Auntie Annes believes the power of the crew (hourly store employees) is what truly represents and provides value to the brand, as they are continuously engaging directly with customers. As such, we believe that strong training programs and strong employee incentive programs are the keys to success.

Yet, maintaining that simplicity is crucial to retaining loyal customers.

Our guests are inundated with messaging everywhere they go, Neary explains. We want to make sure their experience at Auntie Annes is as simple as possible. Weve even recently undergone some new training with our crew members to limit the number of questions a crew member may ask a guest to keep the transaction time minimal and the experience pleasant and positive. Our loyalty app is very easy to use. Scan the app when you make a purchase and earn points. When you earn 300 points, you get a free pretzel! In addition, weve really looked at our stores to make sure were not overwhelming guests with messaging through POP materials. De-cluttering is a key theme and one that we believe is important to continue to stress with our stores.

Gaining customer insights from data is something all marketers pursue, yet some use that data in a more imaginative and, ultimately, profitable fashion.

Jim Tierney Loyalty360

Understand what you have, Neary recommends. In many cases, the data you need is at your fingertips and you dont even realize it. What are your sales numbers telling you? Whats the message in your product mix numbers? What are your guests trying to tell you through the transaction counts? A lot of times, data seems overcomplicated when really its all about looking at what you have and understanding what those numbers

are telling you.

Making intentional connections with guests is critical at Auntie Annes, Neary says.

Understanding what our guests want from us and engaging with them in a meaningful way are necessary to ensure our success moving forward, she explains. Theres a lot of noise out there. Its important that we stay focused on the core equities of our brand and communicate clearly and concisely to our guests, whether that be at the counter, or through digital or social channels. Our guests are so very important to us. We want to hear what theyre seeing in our stores, what they think of our new products, our new flavors of lemonade,

our latest post on Instagram. Theres nothing more fun to me than interacting with our guests on social

media. And in some cases, they come to us when theyre unhappy and thats ok, too, because it gives us a chance to

make that situation a positive one for our guests.

What is Nearys main piece of advice for marketers?

Listen to your customers, she says. Really listen to them. Theyll tell you what you need to know if you truly listen to them.

Technology is an integral piece of the marketing puzzle today.

We need to be where our guests want us to be, Neary says. Its not about what were comfortable with. Its about where our guests want to engage with us. We work very hard to stay on top of all the changing trends and its a bit of an art rather than a science to figure out which new platform will take off and which will fade into oblivion.

What customer engagement methods have worked and still work the best for Auntie Annes?

Its really about the golden rule! Neary explains. We try to treat our guests like they want to be treated. At the end of the day, isnt that what makes the world go round? Auntie Anne Beiler founded the company on the philosophy of giving back in the community and providing excellent customer service. We teach these same virtues to all our employees, franchisees, and crew members today. Treat others as you would like to be treated!

Neary is so proud of the solid system Auntie Annes has in place.

Over the past 27 years, an amazing group of franchisees, crew members, and corporate employees have all worked together to develop a world-class brand, she says. Were fortunate in this regard and we dont take it for granted. Its important, though, that we keep working hard to push forward and come up with more innovative products, services, and stores for our guests to visit. We need to always be thinking about whats next. Curiosity is so critical in this business and when we stop being curious, we can become a victim of our own success. L


Listen to your customers. Really listen to them. Theyll tell you what you need to know if you truly listen to them.


FEATURES

Meineke Repairs the Car Care Industrys Approach to Customer Engagement

For most auto owners, proper car care and maintenance is a fact of life. Attracting and retaining these drivers as loyal customers is an essential part of the automotive care and repair business. As with most industries, a large part of winning customer loyalty

is derived from how well any one brand can truly gain a deep and comprehensive understanding of its consumers.

Of course, offering consistent and high quality service is also a large part of success. Increasingly, a friendly smile and competent tune-up may no longer be enough to gain a competitive edge in a crowded industry.

Meineke fundamentally understands these marketing challenges, and sees a big opportunity in changing the way customers experience and engage with the brand and its centers.

With more than 900 franchise-based U.S. and international locations, Meineke is a leading full-service auto repair company. Everyday its vast network of local shops helps customers take care of their cars, so their cars dont take over their lives. The brand continues to grow smarter about the way it conducts various strategic customer engagement initiatives.

Mark Johnson Loyalty360


Specifically, Meineke is harnessing the power of big data to leverage important analytical insights necessary to make intelligent and calculated decisions to improve the customer experience.

Customer experience is not about getting people in for a single transaction, Artemio Garza, Meinekes Chief Marketing Officer, says. It is about building a long lasting relationship to make sure that customers view us as a reliable partner they can depend on throughout the years. To do that, its vital we know our customers, understand their needs, and employ the right resources to accurately educate them about their car care needs in a timely manner.

Meinekes objective is to make the car care and repair process as simple as possible, which is marking a shift in the way most businesses across the auto repair industry approach the customer experience.

Nobody has really innovated the customer experience in the automotive aftermarket, Garza explains. It has been very traditional in this sense. Technology adoption from a customer experience perspective has been relatively slow. So we view this as an opportunity for us to do something different, to really distinguish ourselves, and show our customers why doing business with Meineke makes sense, fits into their lives, and adds value.

Meineke has already laid the foundation for this process. In an effort to personalize CX initiatives, it has always leveraged a number of basic data points such as maintenance details and customer car make and model. But now there is so much more that can be expanded upon, analyzed, and integrated in to this process.

And this is crucial because customers are very savvy now. They expect the brand to know more than just what kind of car they drive. They want real-time and personalized information on purchases, promotions, and more. This is exactly the type of integrated customer experience Meineke plans to deliver.

Its about more than understanding hard data on the vehicle, Garza says. It is also understanding the habits of our consumers, to make sure that we are communicating useful information. That is the priority. Using robust data will personalize offers and deals that make sense for their routine. We now look at the customers online experience, what they click, what they purchase, what day of the week they come get their oil changed, and more.

This process not only keeps customers engaged and coming back, but it also helps Meineke create targeted offers that can result in higher spend. Meineke pays close attention to the success of the promotions

it sends customers. If a certain email marketing campaign, for example, is opened and acted upon, and another is not, Meineke wants to understand why.

For messages that dont work, perhaps the message was irrelevant and not meaningful enough to elicit a response. Maybe the right information was sent to the wrong person? Or, as could often be the case, maybe it was the right message, sent to the right person, but at the wrong time.

It is not just about communicating with consumers about what they want to know, it is also about doing it at the right time, said Garza.

There are many variables to consider, and Meineke is working hard to put the tools and technologies in place to consider them all and put

them to use in an impactful way.

Of course, customer feedback also factors significantly into this equation, which Meineke gathers from

several sources. This is essential because, as one can imagine, the multitude of distinctive customer segments that owns and drives cars are vast and varied. Personalizing offers for each one is a difficult challenge. But it is one that Meineke is ready to meet, which it does in several ways.

First, Meineke pays close attention to all feedback channels including call centers and

surveys. This provides a baseline of what works and what doesnt. Next, it conducts a significant

amount of research and constantly tracks the brands health through focus groups and various quantitative

measurements. Third, Meineke leverages one of its most powerful resources its vast network of franchisees. Local business owners exist on the front lines of customer interaction. They operate the shops, talk to customers daily, and are in a prime position to gauge the efficacy of various promotions. Finally, and maybe most importantly, Meineke is also not afraid to try new things and make mistakes in the process.

We are constantly testing and learning, Garza said.

This is also how Meineke keenly navigates a new and dynamic marketing landscape. In an environment in which many brands are still struggling to find a foothold, Meineke appears to be on solid ground.

There has been a radical change in how we have been doing marketing and advertising, Garza continued. It is constantly evolving, and we are moving as fast as possible to launch new services and new tools. And we also know that this is never going to stop. The moment we roll out something, there is going to be more information and more technology for us to integrate, to continue making the experience better and better. L

Understanding the habits of our consumers,making sure that we are communicating useful information. That is the priority. Using robust data will personalize

offers and deals that make sense for their routine.

In an environment in which many brands are still struggling to find a foothold, Meineke appears to be on solid ground.

HEAR MORE FROM MEINEKE AT THE 5TH ANNUAL 2015 ENGAGEMENT & EXPERIENCE EXPO! We encourage you to join Artemio Garza, Chief Marketing Officer with Meineke, and Brad Marg, COO with Clutch, as they present: Delivering High Performance, Personalized Brand Experiences to Customers.

FEATURES

CAN YOU TALK A BIT ABOUT THE CUSTOMER LOYALTY THEMES CURRENTLY HELD BY BAVARIAN INN AND IF THOSE THEMES HAVE CHANGED AT ALL IN RECENT YEARS?Our Perks Club Loyalty themes mirror our company mission statement, company core values, and the belief that if we offer great customer service, we will be rewarded with customer loyalty. Our loyalty themes have remained consistent since the Club started in 1999.

Our mission statement is To Create Enjoyable Experiences. The Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn is a progressive, family- operated business creating enjoyable experiences in dining, lodging, shopping, and travel-related experiences in the unique Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn tradition. Our Bavarian Inn corporate core values are Trust, Respect, Optimism, and Fun. Our guests return because they trust our brand. We have a reputation of high quality in the products, services, and facilities we offer. Our behavior toward our property, our guests, and each other is respectful, courteous and appreciative. The atmosphere in our businesses is positive and uplifting for our guests and team members. Our guests enjoy doing business with us because of this attitude. We feel personal values and program values are connected. Our members connect with and are loyal to shared beliefs.

HOW IMPORTANT IS LISTENING TO THE CUSTOMER FOR BAVARIAN INN? Listening to our customers is of the utmost importance to us. At the Bavarian Inn Lodge, a customer survey is sent out after each stay. Each comment and suggestion is read and responded to quickly. We are honored to be the Most Reviewed Hotel in Michigan by Trip Advisor. With over 3,800 public reviews, we have responded to all of them since 2002 when Trip Advisor began.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CUSTOMER LOYALTY JOURNEY BAVARIAN INN HAS TAKEN IN RECENT YEARS?Our customer loyalty journey has been rewarding for us as a company. We have experienced a continued growth in Club membership. We experience a longer length of stay at our Lodge by Club members. Our members return to make future purchases. This is evident if the high redemption rate we experience from our members using their reward certificates. Since the program began in 1999, we have focused on new techniques to delight and engage our guests each year. That is the best way to gain new members to our one resort loyalty club.


Customer Loyalty at Bavarian Inn Lodge Is All About Creating


Mission statements can often be an obligatory practice for many marketers that arent considered, in detail, on a daily basis.

At the Bavarian Inn Lodge, located in Frankenmuth, MI, that is not the case.

While many people may not have not heard of the Bavarian Inn Lodge, in April the company walked off with a Silver Award in the Best Loyalty or Rewards Program category at the 8th annual Loyalty Expo presented by Loyalty360 The Loyalty Marketers Association.

Nancy Sommer, Manager of the Bavarian Inn Perks Club loyalty program, sat down with Loyalty360 to discuss the companys customer-centric focus and its keen awareness of its mission statement, which is all about creating enjoyable experiences.

The Bavarian Inn Perks Club was created in 1999 to reward the loyal customers of the Bavarian Inn Restaurant, Bavarian Inn Lodge, and Frankenmuth River Place Shops. The Bavarian Inn Restaurant has served more than 20 million guests with its world-famous all you can eat family style chicken dinners and German entrees.

Bavarian Inn Lodge features 360 European-themed guest rooms, indoor water park, and Family Fun Center with indoor mini golf. Frankenmuth River Place Shops is an outdoor mall and is a re-creation of a Bavarian village. The restaurant, lodge, and shops are all located within walking distance in Frankenmuth, MI, one hour north of Detroit.

ExperiencesEnjoyable

FEATURES


WHAT DOES CUSTOMER LOYALTY MEAN TO YOUR BRAND AND HAS THAT DEFINITION CHANGED OR EVOLVED IN RECENT YEARS? Many members have told us how they came to visit our Bavarian Inn Restaurant and Lodge as children and are now bringing their children and grandchildren. To us, this expresses the highest level of customer loyalty, knowing we have become part of their family tradition. There is very low attrition in our club, with existing members continuing to refer new members. This confirms to us that personal values and our company mission statement and core values are connected.

SIMPLICITY WAS ONE OF THE MAIN THEMES AT OUR LOYALTY EXPO CONFERENCE IN APRIL. HOW DOES BAVARIAN INN SIMPLIFY ITS CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS TO ENHANCE BRAND LOYALTY? We believe if we offer great service, we will get rewarded with customer loyalty. Bavarian Inn is a small independent lodge, restaurant, and retail business. One advantage of bring small is that we can provide a level of service that would be difficult for large corporations to offer.

The benefits of our Club are simple. Our members earn 10 points for every $1 spent. Once 2,000 points are accumulated, a $20 reward certificate is mailed to the member to be used on a future visit. Our members receive a complimentary Family Style Chicken dinner during the month of their birthday, exclusive member only lodging rates and retail promotions, and special discounts on dining during selected seasons.

Our private loyalty program is set apart by the opportunities our members have to meet the owners and management. Each year we invite our Club members to a reserved seating area on the beautiful Lodge grounds to view the local Jaycees fireworks on July 3. Before the fireworks begin, Club members are greeted by Club staff and owners. Top Club members of the Lodge received a personal phone call from the owner prior to the Christmas holiday. The call was made to thank the member for their business, wish them a Merry Christmas, and to solicit their feedback on their experiences with us over the last year.

Owners of the 1,200 seat German-themed restaurant frequently make table visits to Club members. Top Club members are invited to special events. One example was that in the fall of 2013, the Lodge Owner/President held a 40th birthday party for her 1973 Volkswagen Beetle. Top Club members and community leaders were invited to celebrate and have the opportunity to meet owners and management. People still talk about the success of this event even today!

MARKETERS ARE TASKED TO BE MORE DATA-CENTRIC THAN EVER BEFORE, YET THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING ACTIONABLE INSIGHT FROM DATA IS MORE CHALLENGING THAN BEFORE. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR MARKETERS?Keep it simple. All of our members have unique spending patterns. It is important to appeal to each member of our Club. While most overnight with us, some only dine with us, while others are primarily shopping guests. We do use an outside service to help us analyze the data gathered. We have a uniquely themed restaurant and lodge so the analysis helps us target our efforts and tell our story to an audience most likely to visit us. We offer benefits that appeal to the varied interests of our members and encourage them to visit more frequently.

CAN YOU GIVE US A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF YOUR CUSTOMER PHILOSOPHY AND SHARE HOW THIS PERSPECTIVE HELPS DRIVE MORE EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT AND, THEREFORE, BETTER MARKETING OUTCOMES?Our customer philosophy can be best expressed in our mission statement To Create Enjoyable Experiences for our guests and our fellow staff members. Our company was built on offering a family experience with old world service and hospitality. Our Club offers our members a sense of being a part of our extended family each time they visit us. Our company is now in its third and fourth generations of family ownership. The value that is placed on the opportunity for our Club members to meet with owners and management during their visits has given us the opportunity for customer feedback which helps drive our marketing outcomes.

IN A MOVE TOWARD CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY, IF YOU COULD GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO A BRAND TO HELP THEM INCREASE LOYALTY AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?Employees who embrace our mission statement and core values create a positive consumer experience at the point of sale and post-sale. Our staff has been our key to success and deliver the service that keeps our customers coming back time and time again. Offer great service get rewarded with loyal customers.

WHAT ARE BAVARIAN INNS TOP CUSTOMER-RELATED PRIORITIES AND HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY, IF AT ALL, IMPACT THOSE?We want it to be easy for our customers to do business with us. We currently do not have the ability for our customers to log in to see activity in their Perks account. Our reward certificates are printed in house and mailed out to our members after their visit with us. While attending the Loyalty360 Expo in April, we were able to meet with suppliers who help us achieve this goal. L

We offer benefits that appeal to the varied interests of our members and encourage

them to visit more frequently.

FEATURES



Customer loyalty might not be more connected to any brand than to Harley-Davidson. Can you talk about the ongoing relationship between Blue Springs Harley-Davidson and its customers, and how that is nurtured?

We are in the business of selling a lifestyle, not just motorcycles. Our customers are purchasing their dream. Some save up their entire lives for this one purchase. Developing personal relationships with our customers is Blue Springs Harley-Davidsons top priority. We take the time to learn what our individual customers like, how they ride, where they ride, and their style. Rewarding them for their loyalty is a pleasure for us.

We have a loyalty program through CLUTCH that allows us to reward our customers frequently and uniquely, from purchases and participation in events, to referring their friends and family to join our Blue Springs Harley-Davidson family. Our loyalty program is designed to enhance our brand and build value. We have learned that our loyal customers have the ability to be our best sales people and evangelists for our business.

CX is another hugely important piece of your customer-centric focus. Can you talk about how and why CX has become a massive priority, and what your goals are as a company in this area?

Customer Experience has to be a top priority in our business. We couldnt succeed if our customer family didnt have an amazing experience when purchasing from our dealership. Customers rely on our knowledge, ability, and honesty when making their decision to purchase from Blue Springs Harley-Davidson. We are located in an extremely competitive market with three other dealerships to choose from and we need to stand out. We up our game by delivering a customer experience that makes our customers feel like family because, in all reality, that is exactly what they are to us, family. Our goal is simple: We want everyone who steps through our doors, whether its to purchase their 10th bike or just to look around because they needed a place to stretch their legs, to feel welcome, wanted, and appreciated.

How do you define CX?

Its all in how we make our customers feel before, during, and after a purchase or visit to our dealership. At Blue Springs Harley- Davidson, our customers experience needs to outshine any purchasing or shopping experience theyve ever received. We aim to empower our customers with information about the Harley-Davidson brand and products to arm them with the knowledge to make a

confident buying decision. This entire process with the customer creates a relationship that will directly impact their experience with us.

How do you measure the effectiveness / efficacy of the CX program?

We ask our customers. We do stages of follow ups not only on purchases but on dealership visits. Our sales and service team, along with our CRM call each customer after a visit or phone call to our dealership within 24 hours. Customer Experience Surveys get sent out to each motorcycle buyer on how they rank their buying experience with Blue Springs Harley-Davidson. All of these followups are compiled into a CXI report. With this data we improve our processes and train our staff to ensure it benefits our customers and their experience with Blue Springs Harley-Davidson.

How does the Voice of the Customer feedback impact your customer experiences?

The impact is tremendous. We are always looking for ways to improve. We are constantly tweaking our policies to better cater to our customer base as a whole. Customer feedback is crucial by letting us know whats working, what our customers needs are, and where changes need to be introduced.

Family Atmosphere at Harley-Davidson Instills Brand Loyalty

When anyone hears the name Harley-Davidson, it immediately evokes two things: A revered motorcycle and consummate brand loyalty.

For Shonna Smith, Marketing Director & Experience Coordinator, Blue Spring Harley-Davidson in Missouri, customer loyalty is nearly a given after someone purchases a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Loyalty360 engaged Smith in a riveting discussion about the amazing brand power behind Harley-Davidson and supreme pride and customer loyalty.

WELCOMEWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

To get started:Enter 5-digit dealership code

What keeps you up at night as a marketer? What is your biggest challenge?

Creating an environment where most, if not all, needs of employees and customers are being met. The biggest challenge for me is balance. We need to create value without discounting our products. The Harley-Davidson brand speaks volumes and the Blue Springs Harley-Davidson brand needs to meet and exceed those expectations.

Has there been an ah-ha moment in this journey?

There have been a few, but the moments that have made the most impact are not only when we succeed, but also when we dont quite hit our mark with a customer, when we could have done better. Retail is an evolving business and change is a necessity in order to achieve success. How things worked 10 years ago, three years ago, or two months ago may not work today. We have made a commitment to always be better today. Once we realized this fact we have continuously improved our customers experience and our business in its entirety.

Simplicity was one of the main themes at our Loyalty Expo Conference in April. How do you simplify your customer relationships to enhance brand loyalty?

To create brand loyalty, customers need to feel your brand and products have value. Customers need to feel they have value to your business. Build your brand value in your customers lives and they will remain loyal to not only the brand, but also to you.

Marketers are tasked to be more data-centric than ever before, yet the challenge of creating actionable insight from data is more challenging than before. What is your advice for marketers?

Set goals. Communicate with your staff. Communicate with customers. Have a loyalty program that is easy to understand, to navigate, and to expand. CLUTCH has allowed us to enhance our program which resulted in growing our customer base and increasing customer satisfaction. Review key metrics such as: Sales dollars, redeemed loyalty benefits, and customer satisfaction will give insight on your customers and brand focus.

Can you give us a high level overview of your customer philosophy and share how this perspective helps drive more effective engagement and, therefore, better marketing outcomes?

We are successful in our business because of our customer base, their commitment to us, our brand, and this lifestyle. Knowing how to build

the value of our brand ensures more engagement as we move forward. Communicating the benefits and showing appreciation by rewarding customer loyalty and interaction creates a positive outcome for all involved.

In a move toward customer-centricity, if you could give one piece of advice to a brand to help them increase loyalty and engagement with their customers, what would it be?

Care. Care about the people who are choosing YOU to do their business with. Customers have options. They can go elsewhere to spend their time and money. Our family of customers chose us because we genuinely care about them, we listen to their feedback, and strive to deliver the best buying experience.

What do you think is the key to acquiring and retaining customers today?

Provide an experience customers hold on to, an experience they love and they want to share with their family and friends. By creating an exceptional experience, a relationship develops resulting in customer retention based on trust. When customers trust the brand, products, and staff helping them achieve their dreams, they will remain loyal, in turn, growing your business. Blue Springs Harley-Davidson has grown by welcoming our customers into our family. We share love of the Harley-Davidson brand. It is our goal to be a positive force for our brand and an advocate for our customers who choose to live the Harley-Davidson dream through our dealership. L

Build your brand value in your customers lives and they will remain loyal to not only the brand, but also to you.

Photographs courtesy of Rachel Dunning of Rae of Hope Photography

FEATURES



Everyone wants to be happy, and everyone wants a memorable experience wherever they go.

At Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries, those two aspirational goals come together in a seamless, wonderful way.

Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries has restaurants in eight states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, and Texas.

Happiness is the theme of each and every one of those restaurants, according to Andy Moore, Director of Communications for Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries.

We are a brand in the business of happy experiences, Moore says. We hold the door open for our guests when they walk in our restaurants, and we cook an amazing burger in front of them at an open-air grill. When youre dealing in such personal, face-to-face interactions, where a smile can make or break an experience, CX is everything.

Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries comes from humble beginnings.

The first Hwy 55 opened in a mall in 1991, and there were no deep-pocketed investors to help market our restaurants against the other burger brands at that time, Moore recalls. We were forced to grow our customer base organically, allowing our guests to be the biggest proponents for our growth. Over 24 years, theyve showed us the power of a CX-driven focus.

Moore says the brand promise is to Provide a fun restaurant experience that satisfies customers hunger for fresh food and hospitality.

As a result, the companys CX policy is defined by the touch points where its guests receive an amazing experience both inside and outside via a robust loyalty program.

If our guests can say that they not only enjoyed the way they were treated at Hwy 55, but theyd recommend our brand to a friend or colleague, then we know theyre willing to put their reputations as tastemakers on the line for Hwy 55, Moore explains. Our extensive surveying hinges on that proposition, and its the starting point for how we define the efficacy of the customer experience.

For the companys loyalty program, specifically, We check sales to see a correlation between an increase in loyalty program signups and same-store sales increases, Moore says. We also work with our loyalty partner, FiveStars, to monitor each stores frequency compression a metric that shows guests increase in visits once they become loyalty members.

For 2015, Moore says the company has experienced monthly same-store-sales growth of 6%-8%, a number that has risen along with the user base. With average user bases of 1,050 guests per store, company officials can confidently track a correlation with sales.

Triggers Customer Loyalty atHospitality


On a broad level, Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries hesitates to make sweeping changes based off customer feedback.

We are confident in our products and overall brand proposition, and we believe that catering to every faddish whim ultimately will dilute what made us special in the first place, Moore says. That being said, many initiatives from our loyalty program to our Own It! campaign, in which hundreds of customers sent in recipes for our 2014 monthly specials were directly driven by voice of the customer feedback. We will continue to proactively survey our fans and take every email, voicemail, and online review seriously.

A wonderful feature of the companys loyalty program is that it sends

time-sensitive deals to its 120,000 members.

There have been several moments over the past few months where Ive been with friends or family members at the moment theyve received the deal, Moore says. We try to make the deals really great, and seeing their eyes light up has made me realize were not so much driving traffic to our stores, were building relationships. Thats been fun.

Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries has a simple and straightforward reward structure.

You receive one point per visit, and those points can be exchanged for free scoops of frozen custard, free specialty sandwiches, or later on, a free meal, Moore explained. I dont think well ever move toward a more convoluted point structure.

Kenney Moore, the companys founder and president, is a big proponent of servant leadership; the philosophy of each and every employee from the CEO down putting others needs before their own.

We feel like this creates a universal desire within our company to put customers needs first, since, in this power dynamic, they sit at the top of the pyramid,

Andy Moore says. Before a marketing decision is made, we ask ourselves if our customers who we feel pretty attuned to by now will respond well to it. Then we roll.

Involve all your employees in your mission, Andy Moore says.

On Aug. 4, we closed down all our stores and threw an employee appreciation rally at the Durham Performing Arts Center to celebrate the year had by our cooks, wait staff, and operators, he explains. We drove home the message that all of us are in the business of making people happy whether were signing up loyalty members or treating first-time guests like theyre family. We believe strongly that our mission is to love our neighbors, regardless of background or relationship with the brand and as a sign that we got the message across, Love Your Neighbor" was trending on Twitter in North Carolina at the rallys end.

What is the key to acquiring and retaining customers today?

Hospitality, Andy Moore explains. At the moment, the restaurant industry is gradually improving and will benefit in the future from younger demographics eating out more which will inevitably result in a more competitive marketplace. And its already pretty damn competitive! We believe that authentic hospitality and a quality product will be how you keep customers. Because there are just too many options to waste your time on a bad meal. L

Involve all your

employees in your

mission.


LOYALTY FORUM: Q&A

Ask the Experts:With the advent of social, mobile and other emerging technologies, how do brands effectively improve the customer experience and engage their audiences in this challenging and very dynamic marketing environment?

The commonality of existing and emerging communication technologies is the immediacy of conversations taking place on them, the ubiquitous access to

information enabled through them, and the convenience of their usage. Immediacy is becoming a consumer expectation and there is no longer a line between reaching out to businesses vs. friends or family. Generation

Y, or anyone with the millennial mindset, is no longer tech-savvy they are tech-dependent. And mobile/social are the cornerstones of their lives. What

does this mean for brands? Communicate often, but add value.

Customer service is the new marketing, so dont over-broadcast your carefully crafted marketing messages theyll get torn apart anyway. Use the opportunity to make

your customers smarter, help them discover and make things easy for them. Studies show that self-service is preferred by customers over live service with wait times and poorly trained agents. An increase in inbound self-service or automated outbound communication does not equate to an increase of costs like it does when live agents are used for the engagement. On the contrary, it can actually reduce costs. Reaching out more often means more engagement, and thats what is important to brands.

Given the dynamic nature of mobile and social, only cloud infrastructure can provide the flexibility needed to respond. Engaging in a 12-month pilot without further commitments or capi-tal expenditure with quick ramp-up and no further risk? Not possible in the old, pre-cloud world.

Embrace the new. Be brave. Try things out, while mitigating risk. Your customers will appreciate your attempts at making things easier for them. And mobile/social = easy.

Tobias Goebel, Director of Emerging Technologies | Aspect

Communicate often, but

add value.


Lets face it were all living in a state of digital fatigue. You feel it, I feel it and your loyalty members certainly feel it too. Using direct mail as the primary driver of your loyalty program can not only break through the digital noise, but your members and prospects enjoy receiving mail! Consumers appreciate its tangibility, flexibility and once-a-day frequency. This is reflected in exponentially higher response rates over digital and mobile channels according to the 2015 DMA Response Rate Report.

With todays sophisticated digital print technology and workflows, you can use consumer data to create highly-personalized content and offers on paper that were previously only available through digital channels. And while direct mail is primarily a customer acquisition method, it can be used for customer experience and engagement efforts as well. Using customer data, you can send personalized offers that address each recipients individual needs, goals and pain points.

Thats not to say its all or nothing with direct mail. Its high response rates can augment your digital efforts, with technologies such as personalized URLs, Augmented Reality, and QR codes driving members to digital channels and creating a more omnichannel approach to your campaigns.

Give direct mail a try and let your members do the talking. Youll see increased response and involvement with your customer loyalty and engagement efforts.

Debora Haskel, VP of Marketing | IWCO Direct

The greatest impact that emerging and digital technologies such as mobile and social have on customer experience isn't the way it changes how companies serve their customers. It's the ways that these disruptive forces have and will continue to radically change customers expectations of the companies that wish to serve them.

Todays smart, digitally-enabled customers have greater expectations of service, less tolerance for mistakes, and a higher likelihood than ever of leaving if expectations arent met. When it comes to more effectively serving and engaging your customers in this swiftly changing environment, there are many different things a brand can do to improve customer experience and help drive engagement.

These are five of the most critical:

1) Learn to listen to and better understand your customers, their wants and their needs.

2) Align your company around meeting the needs of your most important customers.

3) Identify and eliminate the persistent pain points that exist in every customer journey.

4) Dramatically reduce complexity, making experiences easier and more enjoyable.

5) Leverage technology to make digital interactions more personal, and personal interactions more effective.

In todays mobile-first, digitally-driven world the challenge for brands is to focus all their efforts on meeting and, where appropriate, exceeding customer expectations.

Make no mistake - this won't be easy.

For most companies, it will mean making customer experience a true priority, and consistently delivering the seamless, end-to-end experiences your customers don't just expect, but demand - regardless of segment, journey, channel or device.

Dramatically reduce complexity, making experiences easier and more enjoyable.

Michael Hinshaw, President | McorpCX

28 Loyalty Management LOYALTY360.ORG28 Loyalty Management LOYALTY360.ORG

LOYALTY FORUM: TRENDING NOW

PERSONALIZED VIDEOPersonalized video, also known as viewer-driven video, smart video or interactive video, is catching on in industries where customers confusion about bills and statements can negatively impact satisfaction and drive up call center costs. Companies in insurance, telecom, utilities and other industries are presenting customers with uniquely designed videos that make their bills and statements easy to understand. Personalized videos are also being used to engage customers with relevant content at other critical stages of the customer lifecycle, by delivering highly personalized messages when, where and how the customer prefers to receive them.

Brands that offer

Personalized Video:

Coalition Programs to look for in the U.S.:

Brands that are Surprising and

Delighting Customers:

SURPRISE AND DELIGHT LOYALTY TACTICSAs it becomes more difficult to differentiate based on a loyalty program alone, many brands are making surprise and delight a critical component of their loyalty strategies. Surprise and delight elements are being used to establish emotional connections with consumers across any and all consumer touch points customer experience, customer engagement, events, social media, mobile marketing, email communications and more with the ultimate goal of building long-term customer loyalty. Such tactics are often used as a complement to, rather than a replacement of, a traditional loyalty program and may include invitations to exclusive events, access to new products before they launch or simply being surprised with a free product at the point-of-sale.

COALITION LOYALTY PROGRAMSWhile not a new concept, especially in markets like Canada, Europe and Australia, coalition loyalty programs are gaining attention in the U.S. Plenti, a U.S.-based loyalty coalition operated by American Express, was heralded as the first U.S.-based loyalty coalition when it launched in May 2015. The program offers members the ability to earn points and save on items at lots of different retailers, including Macys, AT&T, Rite Aid, Exxon and more, regardless of the payment method used. Coalitions for fuel rewards and airline frequent flier miles already exist in the U.S. and programs like Nectar and Air Miles Canada have proliferated in other markets around the world.

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WANT BUZZ WORDS? OR REAL

SOLUTIONS.Brierley+Partners of_f ers proven CRM, Loyalty

and Customer Engagement solutions. The Thinking. The Technology. The Execution.

Contact us today at 800-899-8700 or visit us at brierley.com

GLOBAL CRM + LOYALTY INNOVATORS

Pub: Loyalty Mgmt 11231 BP 08-05-15Ad purchased: half page, 4-colorFile Format: PDF/X-1aBleed: .25Trim: 8.375 x 5.3575Live: 7.875 x 4.85

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The Customer Engagement Agency

Empowering clients to unleash the full value of their customers by transforming big data into intelligence-driven marketing and customer engagement.

ansira.com

DATA SERVICES

MARKETING INTELLIGENCE AND ANALYTICS

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STRATEGY

DIRECT ANDDIGITAL CHANNELS

SERVICES INCLUDE:

ATLANTA CEDAR RAPIDS CHICAGO DALLAS DETROIT LOS ANGELES NEW YORK ST. LOUIS

972.663.1100

N

Y

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ANSP101-0101_Loyalty360 Loyalty Management AdNAAD

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BehindtheBrandWITH JAVIER FLAIM, CEO | RECYCLEBANK

LOYALTY FORUM: BEHIND THE BRAND

PLEASE GIVE US A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON YOUR FOCUS AT RECYCLEBANK AND QUICK RECAP OF HOW RECYCLEBANK EVOLVED OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS TO ANSWER THE NEEDS OF TODAYS CUSTOMER.

We started with a simple idea: could incentives get people to recycle more? The answer was yes! Waste disposal is one of our largest economic and environmental issues of our time and recycling is one of the easiest ways to start making a difference.

For more than 10 years, Recyclebank has been working toward a waste-free future by focusing on the real-world impact of inspiring and motivating individuals. As the first rewards-for-recycling program of its kind, it introduced the principles of a circular economy to a mainstream audience. By partnering with communities and a variety of brands, Recyclebank leverages its Marketing-as-a-Service (Maas) Platform utilizing data, education and incentives to encourage more than 4 million members to make better purchasing and disposal habits. A certified B Corporation, Recyclebank is headquartered in New York City.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING TO SOLVE?

Waste! We at Recyclebank want a waste-free future. And we know its difficult. The latest recycling rates in the U.S. were at a relatively stagnant 34% theres a big upside opportunity to increase that number, improve the quality of recycling (by tackling contamination) and reduce our overall waste. Theres over $1.2 billion in infrastructure needs in waste waiting to happen but its difficult to find funding and support for some initiatives given recent dynamics in the recycling industry. But we are optimistic better yet, we are resolute in our drive to find solutions that work. We cannot do it alone we need the help of industry, private sector, public sector, universities, non-profits. Together, we believe we can make a real impact towards a waste-free future!

DO YOU (OR WOULD YOU) LIKE TO VOLUNTEER? WHAT ORGANIZATIONS OR CAUSES ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?

Generally, organizations that help protect our natural habitat and environment are ones I get very much behind. From Ocean Conservancy to National Geographic to World Wildlife Fund, these are a sampling of organizations that are doing a big part to make the world a better place for future generations.

As CEO, Javier Flaim is responsible for the overall vision and strategic direction of the company scaling and growing the Recyclebank behavior change platform by partnering with communities and brands to educate and encourage consumers to make smarter, more sustainable choices for a waste-free future. Through his work at Recyclebank, he is able to combine his passion for sustainability with his dedication to innovation.

...always live in the steep part of the learning curve.


IF YOU COULD INVITE ANY THREE PEOPLE TO DINNER (PAST OR PRESENT), WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY?

Steve Jobs, Anthony Bourdain, Pope Francis and Bono drops in for a cocktail. Great innovation, spectacular food, engaging spirit and some great music to boot!

IF YOU WERE NOT DOING WHAT YOU DO TODAY, HOW WOULD YOU BE SPENDING YOUR TIME?

Definitely time with my family my wife and children, now 12 and 9 years old. Theyre growing up so fast! Perhaps a nice long bike ride as well!

WE LIKE TO END THESE INTERVIEWS WITH SOME WORDS OF WISDOM. WOULD YOU PLEASE SHARE A TIP OR KEY LESSON YOUVE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS?

[See personal motto] Plus I would advise that one simply does something that matters. Is what youre doing making a difference in this world? Id like to be able to look back at my life (family, work, community, spiritually) and answer an emphatic yes.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL MOTTO?

Be optimistic, be compassionate and always live in the steep part of the learning curve.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU RECOMMENDING & WHY?

Nudge by Richard Thayler and Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Both books are in the field of behavioral economics or the study of motivations and predictions around how and why consumers make (rational and at times irrational) decisions. We are in the business of motivating individuals for good in our case, elimination of waste. And these books are great reads that really make you examine as an individual, as a consumer, as a person in business how to best construct systems that can create positive outcomes for our planet.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD? OPTIMISM.

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE WORD?

NO. (FOLLOWED BY, WE TRIED THAT ALREADY).

WHAT TURNS YOU ON CREATIVELY, SPIRITUALLY,

OR EMOTIONALLY?

PASSION & ENERGY. WHEN YOU WALK OUT OF A ROOM WITH MORE ENERGY THAT WHEN YOU WALKED IN TO A ROOM.

WHAT TURNS YOU OFF? THE OPPOSITE!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE (PG-13) CURSE WORD?

OH SHOOT, THOUGH HONESTLY THE NON PG-13 VERSION HAS BEEN KNOWN TO INADVERTENTLY ESCAPE MY MOUTH.

WHAT SOUND OR NOISE DO YOU LOVE?

LAUGHTER ESPECIALLY [MY] CHILDRENS!

WHAT SOUND OR NOISE DO YOU HATE?

SIRENS. THOUGH WITH OFFICES IN MANHATTAN, ITS TOUGH TO AVOID.

WHAT PROFESSION OTHER THAN YOUR OWN WOULD

YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT?

TEACHER/PROFESSOR. OR SURGEON. SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

WHAT PROFESSION WOULD YOU NOT LIKE TO DO?

NOT MANY I CAN THINK OF, ID TRY ALMOST ANYTHING (FOR A DAY).

IF HEAVEN EXISTS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR

GOD SAY WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE PEARLY GATES?

WELCOME...

* Inspired by James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio we asked Javier to share his quick fire response to the questions originating from the French series, Bouillon de Culture hosted by Bernard Pivot.

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QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS*

Javier and his family at a recent vacation in the Ica Desert in Peru.

Left: Javier and his family... and Dog!

Glove Image: Javier Flaim at a Recyclebank Earth Day community event. We teamed up with MillonTreesNYC to help clean up and plant trees at Wolfes Pond Park in Staten Island.

LoyaltyInnovation

Products, Advancements & Technologies

LOYALTY FORUM: LOYALTY INNOVATION

At Idomoo, we believe that one size doesnt fit all. We believe organizations should communicate with each customer through a personal video story that is bespoke to their needs and preferences.

With the new Dynamic Story Suite, from now on, the power is at the hands of the marketer to create a unique CX and deliver standout, meaningful, memorable and relevant stories to each customer personally.

An advanced SaaS based wizard tool to build, structure and customize the personalized video, the Storybuilder is where the wisdom of the video is defined. The output is a Storyboard that has the logic and content of the video campaign.

The Storybuilder allows you to choose ready-made video scenes that are ready to be plugged in to be part of the video flow. Additional new scenes can be uploaded to the Scene Library, that is part of the Storybuilder and easily added to the video flow as dynamic scenes.

The Storyboard can tell adaptive stories. It applies business logic to decide in real time, which scenes will be shown and in which order based on scene selection rules. The Storybuilder is used for configuring each scene: selecting colors, deciding if the parameters are static or dynamic, setting values for static parameters, setting audio and all video parameters that the brand might be interested in customizing.

Restore the 1:1 connection to your customers in this always on digital world with Personalized Videos. www.idomoo.com

Mobeam is making its mobile beaming technology SDK available to developers, enabling them to create their own android-based applications utilizing barcodes or other applications of beaming. A collection of self-service APIs and tools, the Mobeam SDK license will be offered free to developers for an initial period of 120 days with extensions available on a case-by-case basis.

Mobeams patented light-based beaming technology overcomes technical barriers and enables point-of-sale (POS) laser scanners to read barcodes on Android mobile devices. Popular mobile payment apps rely on NFC or other technologies that communicate with credit card payment terminals, but not with scanners. Mobeam enables true mobile wallets, meaning payment apps can now carry loyalty cards, membership cards, gift cards, tickets, vouchers and coupons, providing them with universal POS access at retailers. Mobeam technology integrates with all existing mobile payment apps.

Mobeam operates with more than 200 million Samsung phones, and the company is in talks with other manufacturers to expand the technology to other market leading devices.

In addition to mobile wallet applications for retail, multiple other industry segments are evaluating concepts for transmitting barcode-based content, including travel, transportation, loyalty, manufacturing and health care.

The Mobeam Beaming SDK for Android provides APIs for developers to generate and beam a variety of barcodes including UPC, EAN, Code 128, Codabar, GS1 Databar and others.

Developers can download the free SDK and access documentation at Mobeams developer portal at https://developer.mobeam.com

Verint Identity Authentication Helps Enable Faster Customer Verification and Stronger Fraud Detection in the Contact Center

For contact centers, the effectiveness of security questions is declining. Professional fraudsters can answer the questions thanks to stolen customer records from cyber breaches. Is there a new solution that strengthens fraud detection without impacting customer experience?

Enter Verint Identity Authentication and Fraud Detection: a passive authentication solution that automatically identifies known customers or fraudsters by analyzing the callers biometric voiceprint in the background of a call. The solution uses passive voice biometrics, which does not require a passphrase to be spoken. It can enroll or verify a callers voiceprint in the background of a call, as well as verify customers after hearing 10-15 seconds of caller talk time notifying the agent of a match. This lets contact centers reduce security questions, which improves customer experience and reduces agent handle time.

Another benefit to the Verint Identity Authentication and Fraud Detection solution is that it can significantly improve fraud detection. It can enroll voiceprints of known fraudulent calls into a fraudster database. When a known fraudster calls, his or her voiceprint triggers detection even if they answer the security questions. This becomes a significant deterrent to fraud.

The Verint Identity Authentication and Fraud Detection solution is native to the Verint Call Recording platform and available out-of-the-box.

Where customer experience and business results collide, disruption is the new norm. Tahzoo is at the forefront solving the biggest and most complex customer experience (CX) problems. Coupling innovative thinking with engineering rigor, we provide our clients with the services and solutions needed to deliver relevant and personalized customer experiences. An end-to-end 21st century CX agency, Tahzoo is pioneering with big brands to think differently about customer experience.

Todays global enterprises increasingly rely on digital CX solutions to help differentiate their branded customer experiences. After doubling in growth, year after year and upon identifying this need, we merged with Netherlands-based digital agency HintTech. Through the merger, Tahzoo has more than doubled in size to become one of the largest independent CX agencies. Providing Fortune 500 clients with a range of industry-leading CX consulting services incorporating change management, custo

loyalty management third quarter, 2015

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