When a company launches a loyalty program, it’s for the long term. That’s why it’s so important to select a technology partner who will work with you for years to come, helping to deliver the loyalty experience you envision to your customers.
There are a wide variety of loyalty solutions on the market, for every need and budget. Here are some things to keep in mind before selecting yours.
Integration into your current environment
For small companies, a loyalty solution should be minimally interfaced with their POS system to capture information, allocate points, and redeem rewards. Depending on the size of your technology environment, the loyalty solution may have to be integrated with your ERP, reservation system, customer interface (website, mobile), and CRM, to name a few.
When evaluating your options, be sure to understand the impact the solution will have on your current systems and discuss this with your selected technology partner.
Business rule flexibility
Does the loyalty solution you’ve selected support the functionality and business rules of your program? Be sure to put together a requirement document that lists all the functionalities and business rules you would like to include, from earning to redeeming, bonuses to gamification, processes, and more. This document will serve as a basis for discussions with your technology partner. You should also speak with them about how the solution can evolve and whether or not functions can be added in future to further personalize the program for members.
Marketing campaign and communication
You will need to communicate with members on a regular basis via email, SMS, mobile app, and more. The technology solution you choose must be able to integrate to your CRM, or provide an integrated solution that enables you to easily manage communications and consent. Take the time to fully understand all the functionalities available in the solution, such as how it can be personalized and delivered, ease of use, available data, and marketing automation functionalities.
Access to data and reporting capacity
Data is at the heart of every loyalty program, so you need to be able to access it quickly and easily. Your technology partner should at the very least provide you with reports and dashboards so you can manage your program and follow its performance. For more detailed analysis, make sure you can personalize reports and transfer data to your current analysis environment.
Selecting a technology partner is a process than involves careful research and many questions. The points above provide you with a few key ideas to get you started. Discussing support, traceability, hosting and data security are also important as you navigate your way to the right partner. Remember that documenting all your needs, running a thorough analysis, and determining your scope of work are the first steps to finding the right technology partner for your loyalty program.
