The latest news in the world of customer experience and customer loyalty.
Ranking the Loyalty Leaders in Casual Dining
Who are the loyalty leaders in casual dining? Michael Rosen, senior vice president of sales at Foursquare, has the answers in an article he wrote based on the company’s CDR Loyalty Index, which ranks Restaurant Business Online’s list of the top casual dining chains according to customer loyalty. Foursqaure measured loyalty using four metrics: visit frequency, market penetration, share of wallet, and fanaticism threshold. We wrote an article in January about the unique challenges connected to customer loyalty in the restaurant industry. So who snared the top spot? Buffalo Wild Wings, thanks to its high penetration and share of wallet. And also its share of beer. Alcohol, it noted, also drives loyalty. Which may explain why Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom came in second.
Finding That Seamless Digital Transformation Can Spark Customer Loyalty
The digital transformation of businesses is an ongoing process, but one that can reap major dividends when executed correctly. Digitally empowering your frontline employees is critical to this process, according to an article in CIO.com. As the article asks: Do your frontline workers have access to the necessary technology and tools that help them be as productive as possible? The article notes from a Harvard Business Review study six primary drivers for creating a digitally empowered frontline workforce: Enhanced customer engagement and satisfaction; increased productivity and efficiency; increased innovation by engaging those who are closest to the product/customer; increased employee engagement and/or satisfaction; improved quality of your product/service; and greater marketing intelligence or customer understanding. We wrote an article last year about how digital transformation can impact businesses and their collective pursuit of customer loyalty.
Around the World on a $1,087 and Frequent Flyer Miles
The universal thoughts all of us economy class citizens consider—while six hours into a 10-hour flight crammed between two malodorous people—run something like is: “Why did I not take out a small loan to pay for first class?” In the past, this was just a small pipedream. But wait. There’s hope. According to an article in The Business Insider, Alex and Erin Miller were able to fly around the world for $1,087 each. The estimated total of the eight-legged trip, which included New York to Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, was valued at $55,000. The couple was able to convert hundreds of thousands of rewards points to help fund the month-long vacation. The trip took an entire year to plan, but the couple was able to do it by researching their destinations, determining which airlines fly to those destinations, then “seeing whether your credit card allows you to convert points into miles with those airlines.” But wait, pump the brakes for a minute. Do not be fooled into thinking it simply took the couple 12 months to make this trip happen. In the article, we learn, “Alex has earned millions of miles since 2011 by strategically using his cards and by maximizing sign-up bonuses, which for some companies run as high as 100,000 points.” It takes years of financial determination and a bit of planning, but if you want to live the good life, you do not need to be Warren Buffet to do so. There’s hope for us all.