In a world of copycat  loyalty programs, one of the biggest reasons why companies find themselves unhappy with the ‘ROI’ of their programs is a lack of clear focus on which customer behaviors to reward.   The follow the leader approach tends to put the focus on spending volume or repeat purchases, which may or may not address the key marketing challenges of an individual company.

LoyaltyPlus is an example of a solution which puts a clearer focus on which customer behaviors need rewarding — including those that empower marketing by generating visibility, brand enhancement or referral business.   By offering brands the ability to reward these types of behavior, 500friends shifts the focus of loyalty programs towards a wider range of business enhancing strategies.

Confirmit, the leading global software provider for Customer Experience, Employee Engagement and Market Research, has announced the launch of Confirmit Horizons Version 17, the latest release of its leading multichannel software solution.

Confirmit Horizons Version 17 provides businesses with more opportunities to engage customers, employees and research respondents in feedback programmes across multiple channels, particularly mobile.

A wide ranging set of features includes new mobile and web survey layouts, and sophisticated customisation and branding options that ensure businesses can run successful multichannel feedback programmes. These additions have been specifically designed to improve the end-to-end experience for those completing feedback surveys, boosting participation in Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs and improving response rates.

Debbie Barbour, Operations Director, medeConnect commented: "Our network is made up of extremely busy medical professionals with limited time to provide feedback. We're delighted about the launch of Confirmit Horizons Version 17 so we can really benefit from Confirmit's mobile survey capabilities and generate even greater insight."

KANA Software introduced a powerful new social media listening and engagement solution to address the emerging requirements of today's customer experience imperative.

This latest offering from KANA further defines the role of the new customer contact center in supporting responsive, rich engagement, reducing costs in the contact center and improving customer retention.

The award winning KANA Service Experience Management (SEM) platform combines comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Process Management (BPM), Knowledge Management, Analytics and Social Media to support the delivery of exceptional experiences on brand and on budget across all service channels.

No matter how seasoned a social media user you may be, there is still a certain level of glee that you feel after receiving a direct reply from a company about a comment, compliment or complaint posted online. To feel listened to is a powerful emotion, one that makes us more loyal to the person or company listening. As a result, achieving corporate empathy toward customers should be among an organization’s top priorities.

New research now shows that the way a company responds to comments made on social media makes a difference to perceptions of the company. Maritz Research surveyed 1,015 UK-based consumers online to find out how they used social media to talk about customer experiences and what they expected from the relevant companies.
Why Users Share Feedback

When users share comment about customer experience via social media it isn’t necessarily to receive immediate reaction. Rather, Maritz found that it was to share credit, vent to family and friends and as a last resort. Interestingly, influencing the person’s network was significantly less of a driver.

Alliance Data Systems Corporation, a leading provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, announced that CBSM - Companhia Brasileira De Servicos De Marketing ("Dotz"), operator of Brazil's dotz loyalty program (www.dotz.com.br), in which LoyaltyOne holds a sizeable equity stake, has rolled-out its successful coalition loyalty program into the Sao Paolo State Interior.

The dotz program launch into the Sao Paolo State Interior, a region comprising 23 cities with a population of approximately 4 million, represents an important milestone in its expansion plan. With its presence in three markets with a population of 13 million – Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and now the Sao Paolo State Interior – more than 2.1 million consumers have enrolled in the program and can collect dotz (points) at a growing number of national and regional sponsors.

Program Momentum
Due to the success of the program thus far, Dotz will accelerate expansion plans and is anticipating entering multiple new regions in Brazil by the end of 2012.  Through membership growth in the established regions and expansion in those new regions, total membership is anticipated to reach at least 4 million by year-end.

New Partners
Contributing factors to the acceleration plan also include the announcement of a new, national multi-year agreement with Pague Menos, one of Brazil's largest drug store chains, and a new sponsor agreement with Paulistao, a recognized brand-name grocer in the Sao Paolo State Interior.