Loyalty isn't just for dogs

Loyalty. We use this word freely when we discuss concepts like love and marriage. We show loyalty to our "home teams," and to our employers. We boast about how loyal our dogs are to our family. But how does loyalty affect the way we shop or do business?

My car battery died recently. My neighbor helped get the car "jump-started," and when I mentioned that it was probably just time for a new battery altogether, he suggested a mechanic around the corner. He made it abundantly clear that this mechanic was not the cheapest or the fastest in town, "but he always gives it to you straight, and when he fixes something, you can bet it's fixed," my neighbor added. This mechanic created a loyal customer in my neighbor through the most uncanny method-- by building trust.

My guess is that these trust relationships are what fosters customer loyalty in most people. I shop at Hy-Vee for groceries because I know their meat is top quality, their produce is always fresh, and they allow me to "drive up" for my groceries (especially great when I have the kids in tow). I have another friend who only wears Nike Brand shoes, after an unfortunate incident with a pair of Adidas sneakers more than 20 years ago...whe she was 8 years old.

In this volatile economic sea, small businesses are relying on loyalty more than ever, just to stay afloat. As an industry trendsetter in customer loyalty programs, Swipe-Rite and SaveSome Solutions can help your business develop a "smart" loyalty program that will help attract and retain customers now, and evolve to meet your customer needs as your business grows.

We believe that creating trustworthy relationships with your customer base is the best way to ensure the strength of your business. Why? Because we have seen it work by applying the principal of "trust" to our own business.

How is your business fostering trust and loyalty? Tell me: @AmySwipeRite

Let us show you how we can help your business today (877) 465-8033

Why We Tweet

First, let me stipulate that by “We” I don’t mean “We the People” or “We Americans.” I am talking specifically about why “We” at Swipe-Rite take part in “Tweeting.”

As a company, we are a Merchant Processing Service Provider, an ATM and Point of Sale Retailer, and a Customer Loyalty Solution Specialist. This industry, with its association with Credit Card Companies (because we provide a way to interface and accept credit card payments) and ATM Fees (yes, those nasty surcharges), can carry with it a sort of negative stigma. This is especially true in recent months as we hear the words “Bank Bail-Out” and “Frozen Credit Lines” repeated on our nightly newscasts. As a result, it has become evermore important for us to earn the trust of our clients.

So, when I approached our Fearless Leaders: Todd, (@ToddSwipeRite), Shannon (@ShanSwipeRite) and Mark (@MarkSwipeRite), about delving into the world of social media, I took my inspiration from Social Media Extraordinaire Chris Brogan (www.Chrisbrogan.com) who wrote “Talk to people because you like the people. Choose people that have something to do with your product, and then, ask them about THEM.” The importance of establishing relationships is, to us, more important than just getting down to business. We realize that trust requires transparency, and when our clients have spent years reading confusing Merchant Processing Statements, often with hidden charges and inflated rates, we had to set ourselves apart by being crystal clear in everything we do as a business. So I thought “What if we gave the world at large access to our lives, our thoughts, our daily events, our favorite music, our families and children and pets…24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on Twitter?” And so our little experiment in Social Media evolved.

Sure, you can read @JerrySwipeRite’s technical service feeds (which are also comedic genius), but you can also check in with Adam (@AdamSwipeRite) and Quintin (@QBSwipeRite), both former Army Rangers turned Sales Agents who share an even greater thing in common: the adventures of first-time fatherhood. And, of course, there’s me. (@AmySwipeRite) I am the most active “Tweeter,” which isn’t always an easy task. Why? Because I manage our eCommerce, Twitter, Facebook and Blog all from home while raising 4 children under the age of 10 (it is SO noisy here).

We Tweet so we can meet you, so we can get to know you, so we can continue to know you. If we have a product or service you need at some point, great; If not…that’s okay too. The important thing to us is that our company stands out as being one of integrity in an industry where trust has been so unfairly violated.