Loyalty programs are allowing us, with increasing success, to place the customer at the center of our business activity, however, not all of them manage to achieve the expected objectives and results. Let’s see what are the most frequent internal and external errors.
In the first place, we may encounter infrastructure problems, which usually occur when the technological platform that operates the daily information processing has errors both on the sales site and in the data received. This fact leads to greater difficulty in operating the benefits successfully, as well as in communicating and offering “exclusive” treatment to frequent customers, which causes disagreement and inconvenience on their part.
In a second place, we place the enriched databases or data enrichment, essential to have a basic contact with the client, either by email or by phone. The basis of any loyalty campaign is to have the correct contact information, otherwise, the client will report complaints, problems with the operation, doubts about their benefit and may even cancel the registration due to lack of information.
Having trained staff, on the other hand, is also of the utmost importance, if the people who work in our operating center are not, it will be impossible to operate, resolve doubts or have the right person when it comes to a special case, which will cause our client’s mistrust and confusion.
It is essential to have a programmed cycle of communication with the client so as not to create the feeling of suffocation caused by the excess of information. To avoid this, it is necessary to schedule and stipulate the ways and times in which customers will be “touched” (welcomes, birthdays, accumulated purchases, customer value, etc.). If we proceed in this way, the customer will feel close to the brand. Furthermore, knowing how to segment and communicate at the right time is the key to keeping the communication channel open with each one of them.
The choice of communication channels can lead us to create a feeling of stalking or suffocation in the client. To avoid any problem with legal instances for the consumer, our recommendation is to dump the information on social networks or not so direct channels to establish a reliable closeness.
Ignoring the privacy and contactability laws of each country in which bilateral communication with the client is sought is also a common mistake. It is important to keep in mind that the privacy of each client must be transparent and understandable at all times.
Lastly, we must bear in mind the business rules so as not to issue messages that are not suitable for each type of client, and use strategies based on segmentation or gamification. To obtain a positive response, we must communicate what they expect, what they would like or what they need to make a decision and, for that, the purchasing behavior of each of the defined segments must be known, whether for acquisition, retention or pre-abandonment.