Investing in building a loyal customer base is one of the most rewarding things an organisation can do. The positive feedback loop created by brand loyal customers will help your business to sustain during tough times and continue to thrive under pressure. When a customer repeatedly chooses your products and services, regardless of the alluring temptations that competitors offer, it means that your company is exceeding expectations and achieving loyalty.

A 2019 survey revealed that 99% of respondents would be happy to work remotely, at least occasionally. Whether remote work is the new protocol for your workplace or an opportunity you make available to employees when needed, there are numerous benefits, for example: 

Managing a sales channel is already a complex process that requires excellent communication between your brand and its distributors. Typically, the goal is to encourage and reward sales and keep your affiliates invested in your business by offering support and great content to pass on to customers and leads. 

Traditionally, human resource departments would handle the administrative operational functions of a business. In response to the changing demands of businesses and employees, however, HR now has a more strategic role in shaping the workforce of a company, managing conflict, encouraging high performance, job satisfaction and boosting retention.

All of these activities have financial implications and impact an organisation's ability to achieve its goals. For this reason, HR managers need accurate data and quantifiable means of measuring the success of their activities. If you're considering investing in an incentive scheme, for example, stakeholders will be keen to see a return on investment (ROI). Incentivesmart can help you demonstrate how your employee recognition and rewards scheme is helping you to smash your KPIs.

Whether remote working has been long established in your company, or you're suddenly embracing this model to ensure that your team remains productive in the current climate, many positives can emerge from this initiative – for businesses and employees. 

Since no one really knows how long the lockdown will continue, or what the transition back into a normal working day will look like, it's a good idea to explore the benefits of remote working and keep employees engaged for the duration.

Has your company made a sharp swerve into the remote working lane? Many organisations have undergone an almost overnight transformation to enable employees to work from home – an essential business survival tactic in the current climate.

Remote working isn't a new concept. In 2015, 4.2 million people in the UK were already regularly working from home. Many companies have adopted (or were considering) this model long before recent events. However, if the current global situation has preempted the transition into remote working for your business, you may be tackling some novel challenges. 

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.