Clients often point out that many loyalty program members cheat and that making compliance rules stricter hardly seems to have any effect. It’s not like they’re all bad apples, it’s just that a lot of members seem to curb honesty, here, there and everywhere.

At Motivforce R&D we are all doctors. Not the kind you turn to when somebody on a flight is having a heart attack (although we do get asked sometimes!). We are pretty useless at saving people. We probably could tell you though what the impact of such an incident would be on passenger satisfaction or how it affects the airline’s brand equity. This is useful when you work for a loyalty marketing company.

In order to find answers, let’s take a look at some more facts. When customers voice their discontent socially, they share a story about a personal experience. It’s often a tale from the heart, it’s not a professionally edited PR statement, and its tone of voice is authentic, unpolished, raw even.

Some of us at Motivforce have been avid Star Trek fans since our early years. Mind you, not the super nerdy types who glue on pointed ears and pretend to chat via chest-fitted communicators at conventions. Nerdy enough though, to sometimes use the show as a frame of reference when confronted with the realities of work life.

At a Motivforce event held in Sydney, Australia, co-director of Motivforce R&D, Professor Ko de Ruyter presented research on how to best cultivate an engaged social community and focussed on: marketing strategy, customer relationship management, social media and customer loyalty. He used popular culture icon Lady Gaga as an ongoing example throughout his presentation. 

This article was originally posted on crn.com.au