Sunday Times : Rewards & Loyalty 2016 RewardsAndLoyalty2016 | Page 32

KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES COMPANIES WITH ALL SORTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT CONSUMERS – BUT ARE THEY USING IT WISELY, ASKS BABALWA SHOTA. E   lection year has seen a lot of people take to social media to voice their annoyance at being “stalked” by political parties soliciting votes via automated voice messages, endless texts and cold calls. The invariable question that seems to crop up after every rant seems to be the universal: Where do they get my number? The truth is, receiving unsolicited calls from anonymous voices over the phone is big business – just look at the many call centres springing up all over the country, staffed by an interchangeable workforce that tries to entice you into contracts and rewards programmes you had no idea you 30 R E WA R D S & L O YA LT Y S A wanted or needed. Their pitch usually comes via a prepared script that leaves you feeling like you’re not living your best life unless you take that hotel-group time-share, sign up for the shiny cellphone that takes two SIM cards, or renew the gym membership you haven’t used since the second Pilates class left you with a butt cramp of epic proportions. So where do these people get our numbers? And, most importantly, how do they know that you’ve slept at a certain hotel, your phone is a relic, and that you’ve been reading up on belly fat busters? According to Head of Physical Wellness at MMI Holdings Limited Dr Thandu Tshume, technology has proven to be the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to data capturing and tracking customer behaviour. “Technology has provided us with more ways to assess, monitor, track and communicate with our clients. This allows us to cater directly for our client needs, because consumer behaviour is very fluid due to factors such as the socioeconomic status of a country, a client’s personal finances, type and quality of benefits and life changes,” says Dr Tshume, whose clientele runs in tens of thousands since Metropolitan and Momentum merged to become MMI Holdings. One of the country’s most brand-recognisable loyalty programmes is the Pick n Pay Smart Shopper.