How it "turns on".
In the previous article, we looked at the benefits that unification of diverse businesses could bring to a single clearing-bonus system. In this article we will understand how to achieve this in practice. Let us consider two examples. The first example is our favorite water park, and for the second example we use small businesses of several friends located in the same city.
So, here goes the first example. We have a running water park.
For the convenience of customers, the management of the water park has decided to use internal cashless payments to further stimulate internal sales. But there is no desire to change the usual software that caters to business processes in the water park. Software replacement always involves a lot of problems. The cost of software can be "biting", the implementation creates a lot of inconveniences, and staff must be retrained. At the initial stage, there may be many errors and difficulties with management. In addition, you need to convince tenants to switch to new software. At the same time, it is not obvious that software used in the water park, will also successfully cope with the tasks of the tenants' business. It seems to be a difficult task. Not really. To solve it you need to use "Server Positive". The task of the server is to create a single clearing-bonus space by means of exchanging various management programs, including ones of different manufacturers. To do this, "Server Positive" has the necessary tools:
- an open API for integration with third-party applications;
- free Windows client for integration with third-party applications;
- free Windows client for offline work;
- controllers for the management of gaming and other automatic machines.
Thus, the solution of a complex problem turns into four simple steps:
- We install "Server Positive" in the local network of the water park.
- We use the tools "Server Positive" to integrate its software with the server. In those places where integration causes difficulties - we use a free Windows client for offline work. We equip automatic machines with new controllers or reprogram the old ones to work with the server.
- We convincingly offer all tenants the same way to integrate with the server.
- We hold a meeting at which we determine the size of bonuses, logical gift chains and rules for mutual payments. As a result, we configure the server. We are ready to work.
Let’s look at the second example. Small businesses of several friends in the same city.
Imagine four completely successful businesses: a store selling household appliances, a fitness club + a beauty salon, a cafe and a playground for children's slot machines. When we say that a business is successful, we perfectly understand that each of these enterprises could work even better - there is no limit to perfection. They could serve more customers, sell more products. But how they can attract additional customers? Strong wish only is not enough. Prices cannot be reduced. The market is competitive. How to stand out among others?
Big sellers for this purpose use their bonus systems. Recently, the well-known network "Epicenter" launched its own. Big businesses already have an advantage. They have a huge range of products, and bonuses for that reason look quite liquid. But in our example we are talking about small or medium businesses. How much launching of its bonus system is justified for each of the participants in the example?
Firstly, good software with a bonus system is not cheap. Secondly, the bonus system is not always effective for small businesses. For a client of a small household appliances store, bonuses are not very relevant because household appliances are not bought often. Clients of a fitness club or beauty salon will rather appreciate a convenient location or trainer / master than bonuses. Children would be happy to become regular customers of the playground, but you need to convince their parents. The bonus system is unlikely to help attract additional customers, and for the regular ones will simply turn into a discount. The same applies to customers of cafe. Only instead of the trainer / master the chef / waiters will act as a criterion. In order for the client to appreciate the skills and diligence of the staff - the client must be pre-lured.
And now, when our friends realized all this - they decided to help each other. To do this, we again use the capabilities of the "Server Positive". But we place it not in a local network, but in the "cloud". To identify customers, we don’t use electronic media (although we can), but mobile phone numbers of customers. Two-factor identification will provide the necessary security. And in this application we do not need internal non-cash payments. It remains to decide which of the participants will administer mutual payments. All the rest is similar to the preparation in the water park described in the first example. And further, we solve problems of our participants with benefit for all. For example, now the seller of household equipment can motivate its customers with liquid bonuses that can be used immediately at other participating businesses. You can, for example, give as a gift time on the slot machines to the children of the buyer. The platform with slot machines advertises not only itself, but other participants send their customers to it. Clients of fitness club now do not just raise the bar in training - they earn a new mixer for their kitchen. And when the cafe wants to bring a new pizza to the market - all begin to give customers a pizza on a "second free" basis.
These examples are not exhaustive. Opportunities to create different incentives for customers are opening up in a huge number. A bit of fantasy and suddenly expensive bonus systems of large stores begin to look pale with their boring possibilities. Our friends have tools to persuade customers to buy, the arrays of clients of each participant have merged and increased in several times. Possibility of acquainting customers with new offers is simplified, etc. Flexibility of bonus-gift offers, which our friends can change with the settings of the server, does not allow customers to get used to and always pleases with creativity. Our friends' businesses are receiving new impetus.
Here come few boring scientific arguments.
Any enterprise has a circle of regular, one-time and potential customers. As potential clients we consider all people who are located in the region of the enterprise's work, they can be affected by the company's advertising or they have acquaintances who can recommend the enterprise. The marketing efforts of the company are aimed at expanding the range of potential customers, moving from potential to one-time and from one-time to regular. Let's ask ourselves: how do the arrays (the array in the terms of mathematics) interact with customers from the enterprises of our friends from the example. The answer is obvious: they can accidentally overlap partially. But, after the launch of the unified bonus-gift system, these arrays will not only unite, but there will also appear opportunities to manage them. For example, to turn people who were not even potential customers for the enterprise, into one-time customers.
As a summary, we list the advantages of introducing a single bonus-gift system under the control of the "Server Positive":
- ease of implementation without changing the usual management software;
- low cost of launching the loyalty system;
- a sharp increase in the potential customers of each enterprise;
- a wide variety of different schemes that allow to influence the behavior of customers;
- transparency and ease of administration;
- the ability to change and adjust the scheme of work quickly, depending on changes in external factors.
More details about all these advantages will be discussed in the next article.