Jeffrey Harris, president of customer loyalty program and CRM services provider Inte Q, told Loyalty 360 he knew there was a problem with the company’s previous name – SHC Direct – when people kept referring to the 15-year-old company as “SCH.”
“What began as a pet peeve grew to a greater realization that our brand name wasn’t resonating as it should,” Harris explained. “Our business has evolved quite a bit over the past decade, as has our ability to help our clients achieve their marketing objectives through insight and intelligence. I wanted our brand to focus attention on the strategic and insight aspects of our business as compared to the other aspects of our business. What do we really do? We make smart marketers smarter.”
Inte Q means intelligence, insights, IQ, Harris said, and “these are the values our company deserves to be known for.”
Inte Q was introduced to the world one week ago on June 10.
Harris said that the key loyalty theme right now is the need for brands to change the conversation they are having with their customers, “making sure that these conversations are relevant and timely and speak to the person they are communicating with. In our view it starts and ends with this theme.”
Another key loyalty theme is mobile -- clients need to be there since their consumers are there,” Harris said.
Inte Q is presenting a session at the CRMC 2013 on June 18 in Chicago.
“CRMC 2013 is our first conference as Inte Q, so we are bringing our new brand to life,” Harris said. “Inte Q lives in the realm of ‘smart’, which is defined as ‘having or showing a quick-witted intelligence.’ Smart is more than facts and data. Being smart includes having a good wit – that’s an attitude we’re sharing with the attendees.’’’
Harris said Inte Q is bringing in famed Redmoon Theater to create an environment of “smart fun”. Bob Thacker, the highly respected marketing expert, will lead a roundtable conversation on the CMO challenge of doing more with less.
Philosophically, Harris said loyalty today is all about engagement and connection with the consumer.
“The more engaged and connected a brand is to their consumer, the more loyal their consumers will be,” Harris explained. “This starts and ends with making every conversation point with the consumer relevant and meaningful.”
Harris said his company’s core metrics have not changed.
“The measurement needs to be about ROI and making sure that our client’s investments are generating positive lift in visits, average ticket, sales, GP, and profits,” he said. “We make sure our programs generate data that aligns with the client’s measurement metrics. Inte Q projects deliver result information that can be easily interpreted and communicated within the client’s business reporting structure. The biggest opportunity in the market is for real-time engagement through proper use of Mobile Marketing and tools.”
Customer loyalty is, Harris believes, brand advocacy and an ongoing connection as shown by spending with the brand.