Loyalty360 Set to Announce Results of Certification Pilot Program at Customer Expo

CINCINNATI, Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Loyalty360, the trade association for customer loyalty, will release findings from their Certifications & Standards pilot program at the 2017 Customer Expo. Loyalty360 has been working alongside its board of advisors and member brands to create an industry standard that will allow brands to benchmark their customer experience and customer loyalty efforts against other brands – a first of its kind initiative.

Loyalty360 will be releasing the findings from over 25 brands who have gone through this pilot. Participating brands include Ulta, U.S. Bank, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, MassMutual, AARP, Caesars Entertainment, Luxottica, Spartan Nash, Domino's, RLH Corp, LIDS, Finish Line, and Regal Entertainment. These brands are leaders in customer experience and loyalty, and the process has been driven at the highest levels within these organizations. Loyalty360 will be adding additional brands this fall to round out the industry representation.

"1:1 Marketing is much more than email campaigns or loyalty programs. It's about brands building relationships with consumers to better serve them and win their preferences," said Bill Linehan, EVP & CMO of RLH Corp. "Loyalty360 is a cross-industry enabler of best practices and evolving opportunities to better relate to consumers. As marketers, learning best practices in customer acquisition, retention, and CX is vital to our 1:1 initiatives."

"It has been a valuable opportunity to participate in the development of the Loyalty 360 standards and certification process," said Kim Delaney, Vice President, Client Engagement, Individual Markets, Guardian.® "At Guardian, the customer is at the center of everything we do and we value every opportunity to collaborate across industries on the important topic of Customer Experience. Loyalty 360 provided a forum for dialogue and collaboration across industries that has culminated in standards reflective of common themes from some of the best customer experience and loyalty programs."

The program was conceptualized by working with the board and members of Loyalty360 as well as from insight gained through both Loyalty360 interviews and additional market research. The goal was to be as comprehensive as possible when creating the process.

"There is a great need in the industry for standards around the concepts of customer loyalty and CX. These benchmarks will allow organizations to understand how they are doing not only within their industry, but across other industries as well," said Michael Marino, Chief Experience Officer at Caesars Entertainment. "It's been very interesting to be part of the board of advisors and initial lineup of brands that are helping to shape this process in a unique, open, and iterative manner. We look forward to continuing our engagement in the process and helping drive these standards to be the premier certification in the industry."

Loyalty360 has worked with participant brands throughout the process to develop a framework to deliver comprehensive standards for this benchmarking process, with the goal of standardizing metrics, guiding professional development, and providing training & education for the industry.

"At MassMutual, resources matter, people matter," said Una Morabito, Senior VP at MassMutual Financial Group. "Constant investment in our people drives employee engagement and bolsters our cultural strength. Presenting employees with the opportunity to raise their bar, learn and certify their level of professionalism will unlock new potential and drive engagement. Consequently, customer loyalty will improve. Customer experience has to be our best product and professional, motivated, and engaged employees will naturally drive a positive and memorable experience for every customer."

The industry has been in need of industry standards around customer experience and loyalty for quite some time, and the need has grown significantly for brands as they struggle to understand how well their programs stack up in a marketing world of growing data sets and a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

"People and companies are defining loyalty differently, having a credible industry source to help guide and focus the conversation would be very beneficial," said Brian Venuti, VP of Global CRM - Retail, at Luxottica. "We are appreciative of Loyalty360's work in this area."

Brands are clamoring for a process to understand how they measure up both internally (stakeholders / management) and externally (customers). Loyalty360 is fortunate to have a diverse and senior group of marketers who have been instrumental in developing this pilot.

"As both a Loyalty360 board member and an industry participant—I see first-hand the value of developing standards and metrics for loyalty marketing including strategy, customer experience, execution and continuous measurement," said Jeff Sopko, President of Baesman Insights & Marketing. "The stakes are higher than ever to connect with customers in a way that builds loyalty, but more importantly translates into measurable, incremental results. Being able to work collaboratively with brand leaders and industry participants alike has provided Loyalty360 a huge step forward in this initiative and the real winner is the customer. "

The certification process revolves around six distinct sections – brands will eventually be scored in each respective area:

1. Program Strategy
2. Customer Experience
3. Performance Management Metrics
4. Customer Insights
5. Organizational Commitment
6. Operational Excellence

This process will lead to brands having competitive and accurate benchmarking around the customer experience and customer loyalty efforts. It will also provide insight that will help guide the training and certification processes for the industry, in addition to a mark of recognition that they can put forth to their customers that shows their efforts in this area.

"Rapidly evolving consumer needs are pushing brands to accelerate development of new loyalty and customer experience initiatives to ensure they attract and keep their most important customers," said Bob Macdonald, President & CEO of Bond Brand Loyalty. "Better data and technology are a given, what sets a brand apart are its people and as a board member I applaud Loyalty360 for developing a class leading program that both educates and engages employees and gives brands the competitive edge required to stay ahead."

"I am excited by the release of Loyalty360's Certifications and Standards findings," said Brad Marg, VP & GM at Stellar Loyalty. "As a Board Member, I know the value of this information to the industry and was proud to help support this program.  I believe this information will help brands further understand their own programs and how they can increase their efforts in both CX and loyalty."

As the process continues to evolve, it will naturally be shaped by key influencers – Loyalty360 members, board advisors, and outside research. Loyalty360 brand members were the catalyst of this initiative by highlighting the need for  benchmarks that can be used both within and across respective verticals. We look forward to sharing more at the inaugural Customer Expo being held in Nashville, TN, November 6-8.

About Loyalty360

Loyalty360 is an unbiased, objective, and market-driven association for customer loyalty, which seeks to enable and encourage dialogue among industry leaders. Through a unique blend of content, collaboration, and diverse learning opportunities, we've created a network of brands and technology providers that represent some of the best voices that the customer loyalty industry has to offer.

About Customer Expo

The inaugural Customer Expo will focus on all aspects of the customer journey, including an exploration of crucial audiences both internal and external. Through a robust slate of best-in-class speakers and interactive discussions, actionable case studies, and proven world class technology suppliers, attendees will learn about the latest theories, best practices, relevant case studies, emerging trends, and strategies that drive measurable behavioral change and quantifiable results.

Contact: Steven Taggart, 1-513-800-0360, [email protected]

SOURCE Loyalty360