Competing on price alone or using fly-by-night sales tactics won't ensure sustainable business growth in a relationship economy. If you're one of the 82% of companies that recognises customer retention as a more cost-effective strategy, then you're likely to be considering the implementation of a customer loyalty programme. Statistically, existing customers make up 65% of a company's business – it makes sense to keep them happy.

However, as with all infrastructural investments, your customer loyalty programme software needs to yield measurable results to validate its share of the budget and demonstrate how it contributes to the organisation's ability to meet targets. 

Loyal customers are, essentially, the proof in the marketing pudding. You spend hours creating campaigns that aim to engage leads and convert them into buyers, but the ultimate goal of the transaction is more profound. 

Building strong emotional connections throughout the sales cycle reinforces customer loyalty and ensures your brand's longevity. In a global market, where choice is abundant, this should be a priority.

We all know those who are satisfied with their jobs report being happier overall, however, the benefits of being a satisfied employee may extend even further than previously thought

Employee satisfaction means lower staff turnover and increased productivity, sure, but recent studies suggest that, for those that love what they do, it even has long-term health benefits. Workplace satisfaction speaks into concentration, focus, physical and mental health, and the ability to manage personal finances and relationships outside of work.

At its heart, servant leadership is about leaders meeting the needs of their followers by demonstrating ethics and empathy – and much less about ego and personal ambition.

When some people hear the phrase ‘servant leadership’, they automatically associate it with a ‘soft management’ style and believe it’s impossible to serve and lead at the same and is incompatible with the tough world of business.

The second of our two-part series that highlights how gamification can be an opportunity for boosting employee engagement. Jen Norton shares with us a check-list to support your employee engagement journey.

Ah, that perennial ‘employee engagement challenge’ that continues to confound HR and internal communication teams around the world. Jen Norton believes that gamification is part of the solution. Here are her suggestions on implementation for increased engagement

Rich White writes on how to leverage your profit and growth through customer loyalty

Let’s demystify a common bit of management jargon right out the blocks – starting with ‘Service Profit Chain’. It’s about how the value that your business ultimately provides is actually driven by your employee’s satisfaction, loyalty and productivity. In the search to reach the maximum customer satisfaction you should turn your thoughts to how you engage with your employees.

Who are you and what do you do at incentivesmart?

I’m Matt, the Business Development Manager at incentivesmart. I studied a degree in golf (really!) at University, following this I tried my hand playing golf full time. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out as I’d dreamt. I then proceeded to spend many years working in the leisure industry.

There’s a reason you get up, go to work and work hard, right?

Everyone’s reasons and motivation for going to work will vary to some degree. Yes, it would be fair to say regardless of job or profession most people’s motivation to work is underlined by financial circumstance, the basic need to provide shelter, food and of course Wi-Fi for themselves or their family.

The festive period almost seems like a blurry and distant memory but now we are all propelled forward into the new working year feeling refreshed and exuberant.

It can be difficult bringing in the new year with the expectation of starting something new and we understand that even just thinking of a resolution can seem pretty daunting.

Social media platforms used for engagement, such as Twitter and Snapchat aren’t for everyone. But one quick dip into the sea of celebrity and influencers can show you just how good these people (or their social media managers) are at marketing.

Who are you and what do you do at incentivesmart?

I’m Kieran, one of the Account Managers at incentivesmart, and I manage a number of our key accounts.

We all know what it feels like to be recognised for achieving.

It’s great to be praised and rewarded for a job well done. But we also know how important it is to be recognised in good time. Leave it a little too long, and we feel ignored, like the work we’ve done has just swept away in the masses, and in worse cases it can lead to a disgruntled work-force.

Who are you and what do you do at incentivesmart?

I’m Tim Harris and am the Senior Front-end Developer here at incentivesmart. I originally did a degree in Multimedia Design and have 18 years experience in web-related technologies.

I’m currently working on some interactive websites for various promotions and designing up engaging email flyers.

Who are you and what do you do at incentivesmart?

Hi I’m Wayne and I’m the Business Development Manager at incentivesmart. I am fairly new to the company and I work on New Business and member recruitment for one of our largest accounts.