Corporate Vision Issue 9

CORPORATE VISION / Issue 9 2018 27 the first club™: Innovative. Engaging. Enticing. g the most profitable strategy is to gain repeat purchases from those new customers and keep them engaged for the long term. In our 25 years of experience working together, Denis and I have proven deploying engagement strategies using low cost, high value, frequent rewards that people actually want, delivered with a personalized approach showing Brands listen and care, has helped our Clients dramatically improve overall customer stickiness, frequency of purchase and increased their profits by as much as 40%.” Jill, her co-Founder, Denis Huré and the team employ a diligent approach to new Clients and projects to ensure that the Client’s goals align with TFC’s core competencies, and how to connect them in the most compelling way. “Before exploring bespoke customization and integration on behalf of our Clients we identify fully the desired program outcomes, the existing customer journey, technical requirements, and offer strategies to improve the experience, followed by mutual agreement regarding the scope and budget for every project.” Naturally, loyalty programs providers are far from an exclusive market. Jill takes a moment to explain how the first club’s approach differs to competitors in the sector; “the first club™ is not simply a rewards platform but a full enterprise level loyalty platform that offers the largest and broadest selection of digital entertainment content in the industry with millions of choices delivered instantly to almost any device worldwide and the communication tools, analytics and transactional data to make future interactions matter. The platform is customizable and flexible, Clients can add their own rewards, TFC can manage the points bank and all customer communications, thus allowing any size program or company to offer rewards for their most valued customers and employees.” And Jill adds, there is no need for Brands to have different rewards programs for both, when we can re-purpose the same program for employees allowing them to become more familiar with the program, and more passionate about sharing it with customers, which in turn, creates a more engaged employee!” A core component of staying ahead of competitors is to stay ahead of emerging technology developments. Failing to capitalise on a potentially paradigm-altering trend could result in a considerable loss of market share. Nowhere is this more important than in the technology sector, which is a notoriously fast-moving industry. “As a technology platform we are passionate about researching and employing new trends and adapting new solutions to consistently improve thefirstclub. com experience, adding the latest categories of instant rewards, better ways to deliver the content and making the customer journey frictionless. We help brands take action to give early rewards or recognition to those showing great signs of long term high value, and instant digital rewards are the perfect vehicle for those efforts. We use Artificial Intelligence to mine for data and communicate the value proposition to the customer and, with the comprehensive data in hand, that recognition and reward can easily be tailored to deliver a personalized experience for the customer.” This proactive approach extends to the firm’s internal culture, which in turn affects its clients, as Jill is eager to emphasise. “Our culture is driven by consistently employing vehicles to provide more value and serve our customers. The team all strive to achieve that every day, with every interaction. We empower the team with the latest software and technologies, so we remain at the cutting edge - continuing education is key. We also are one of the first UK companies to be part of ‘Pledge 1%’ to make charitable giving part of our company culture.” Fundamentally, Jill and the first club are certainly believers in product development. Whether that be achieved through reviewing their product line, or through educating their workforce. They understand that standing still in the business world, becoming stagnant, is the path to failure. As such, the future of the first club is built on a need to evolve, adapt, and stay ahead of the market. Jill divulged some of TFC’s immediate plans. “Our imminent improvements include implementing gifting technology, allowing members to share points and rewards with family and friends. And social media sharing will allow members to communicate earned rewards in real time. We will employ data and marketing technology to create personalised, cross-channel customer experiences that deliver exceptional value across email, mobile, social and online channels. We are allowing clients to automate and manage every campaign, publish content, analyse results and optimise on the fly. Further, over the next few months, we will be introducing two new categories of digital content. The first is Charitable Giving, which will be added in the US and UK markets, with plans to expand this category worldwide in 2019. Giving your users the chance to instantly gift to a charity of their choosing simply by using their points in your respective currency or with our ClubCoins. “Additionally, eNewspapers will also be introduced to our offering worldwide updated daily so your Customers and Employees can read a huge variety of their favourite newspapers on any device.” Finally, Jill explains how the first club is tackling an industry-wide rise in fraud, which looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. “Overall, we are at the cutting edge of fighting cybercrime and continue to offer solutions to protect our customers. Transacting with fraudsters, rather than trusted customers can result in monetary loss, damage to reputation, and frustrated customers. Our anti-fraud solution is working hard to combat fraud, screening account activity to detect risky behaviour before transactions are processed. Suspicious activity can then be flagged while legitimate customers enjoy a friction-less experience. During Q1 of 2018 we stopped 90% of fraudulent transactions, protecting our clients and their customers. With recent years showing an alarming increase in cyber-attacks and data breaches, it is reassuring to know that the first club are guaranteeing peace of mind for their clients. Ultimately, the first club have revolutionised the rewards and customer loyalty sector with their scalable, practical and effective solutions to one of the business world’s most prolific issues. Modern trends have dictated a need for instant gratification that plays naturally into TFC’s model. Their strategy for small, incremental rewards is incredibly effective and truly fit-for-purpose. They are, without question, one of the leaders in the industry and are truly deserving of recognition in the Corporate Excellence Awards. Contact: Jill Goldworn Company: TFC International Ltd./ the first club Digital Rewards Address: 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London, W6 7BA, UK Telephone: UK+44 0203 318 3103 US: 001 805 688 0344 B2C: www.thefirstclub.com B2B: www.thefirstclub.net L to R: Denis Hure, CEO Jill Goldworn, President