3022: AI and Loyalty Innovation: Inside Emirates National Oil Company Group's (ENOC) Yes Rewards

[00:00:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. Quick question for you all. How do you launch

[00:00:09] [SPEAKER_00]: a loyalty program that not only survives a global pandemic but thrives in an incredibly

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_00]: competitive market? Well today my guest is the head of loyalty at Emirates National

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Oil Company or ENOC for short. And here's the mastermind behind the Yes Rewards program,

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: the UAE's first rewards initiatives that is making waves across the region. And with

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: more than 15 years of experience across diverse industries from banking, advertising to fashion

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and now oil and gas, his unique approach to customer loyalty of keeping interactions

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_00]: simple while driving deeper engagement through data-driven automation is refreshing as it

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_00]: So today we'll talk about how he single-handedly launched Yes Rewards, a program that has earned

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: accolades from the Best Rewards program and government sector at the second annual CX

[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and Loyalty Awards. I want to also dive into the technological backbone of this

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: program, have a look under the hood and see how AI and machine learning are being

[00:01:13] [SPEAKER_00]: used to deliver real-time, personalized rewards to their customers. But my guest

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00]: will also share his thoughts on the evolution of loyalty programs, the critical role

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: of partnerships and co-brands and what the future holds for customer engagement in this

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: digital age. I just want to take a time out to express my gratitude to everyone

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[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_00]: It's time to shift gears somewhat and introduce the person that you've all been

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: waiting for today. So buckle up and hold on tight as I beam your ears all the

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: way to Dubai where my guest is going to share the strategies that he employed to

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: turn Yes Rewards into a regional success story and how he's also shaping the

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: future of customer loyalty at Enoch. So a massive warm welcome to the show.

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do?

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm Suri. I head up the Yes Rewards program at the Emirates

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_01]: National Loyalty Company. I partly look after data, CRM and loyalty as part of my

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_01]: portfolio with Yes Rewards. For those who don't know, Yes Rewards is the

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_01]: loyalty program at the Emirates National Loyalty Company or Enoch for short.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a program based out in Dubai. I've been in the city for now over

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_01]: 12 years and been working in CRM customer loyalty for all my time in Dubai.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: One of the things I always try and do every day is take a completely different

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: topic and understand how technology is transforming that area and loyalty

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: and rewards programs are such a hot topic right now. So I've got to ask to

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: begin with what was it that inspired the creation of Yes Rewards program

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: How would you say it differs from traditional loyalty programs in the region?

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean Yes Rewards came out of this whole concept that we had in the region

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_01]: that fuel again being a daily commodity and necessity in this region was

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_01]: so let's say that I would say regulated back in the day and we got

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_01]: competitors. It was Adnok in Abu Dhabi, Enoch and Emirat which is the

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_01]: oil company, Emirat and Enoch in Dubai. The competition wasn't as aggressive

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_01]: as it is today. You've got retailers like fuel delivery companies like

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Kaffir coming up and all of that and then that's when you know we did

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_01]: realize that we needed to do something to a reward customers start

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_01]: collecting data, data being the new oil and rewarding our consumers

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_01]: for things that they do every day fueling being one of them. One of the

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_01]: non-fuel business was the profitable business because again, you know,

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01]: oil being a commodity there is only a very limited margin I would say

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_01]: in fuel but when it comes to non-fuel and convenience business or

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_01]: the automotive business that's where the margins lie. And how do

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_01]: you get your fuel customers or your you know these guys to come

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_01]: from your fueling business and move them into your non-fuel business

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_01]: and get them to kind of experience your other brands and the services

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_01]: that you offer and that's where the whole concept of creating a

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_01]: rewards program came about. Again, you know, you rightly said loyalty

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_01]: today has been very very tech heavy suddenly there's this whole

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_01]: advent of changing from switching away from physical card programs

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_01]: to digitized apps and so on and so forth gamification and you

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_01]: know, there's so many new tech words that have now come along

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_01]: as programs have evolved and that's exactly how we started out.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_01]: I said, how do we use tech? What is it that we can do when it comes

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_01]: down to rewarding customers and of course, how do we reward

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_01]: customers for things that they do with us anyway and you know give them

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_01]: it's like a thank you for coming in transacting shopping and

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: fueling with us. And it's how you're using tech that put you on

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: the ROI radar and there's a lot of hype around AI and data-driven

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: decision-making at the moment, but I don't think I think there's

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_00]: so much hype but a lot of businesses are struggling to understand

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: well how does this work in my world? How is it going to deliver

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: an ROI and generate business value etc. So for everybody listening

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: that's maybe looking at exploring these technologies in their

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: business, how has AI and data-driven automation, how has that

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: shaped the Yes Rewards program particularly in enhancing real

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00]: tangible things like customer experience and customer engagement?

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_01]: AI is the big buzzword right now and I'm still very

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_01]: conservative when I use this term as far as programs are concerned

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_01]: because I think like us everybody's trying to figure out what

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_01]: to do with AI and how do you actually how do you materialize

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_01]: this whole big new field of artificial intelligence into

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: programs. I would still say we're at a stage where we would

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_01]: look at machine learning and automations to start building

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_01]: algorithms that are automated and offer customers real-time

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: value. I mean from a program perspective one of the big

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_01]: things that we focus on is instant rewards and identifying

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_01]: customer segments and customers the moment they come into our

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_01]: network and giving them could be an offer, it could be a

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_01]: segment based reward for maybe a transaction that they make

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_01]: in fuel and giving them a reward out in non-fuel business

[00:07:56] [SPEAKER_01]: or maybe if you've got a consumer who is coming to wash

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_01]: his car in the automotive side of things, triggering an

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_01]: instant reward for him which could be valid for the

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_01]: next 20 minutes while he waits for his car to get all

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_01]: shiny and clean to walk into a convenience store and

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_01]: burn a voucher that has that validity. So I mean a lot

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_01]: of it is or let's say all of it is tech-driven.

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Is everything AI backed? I mean, of course not at the

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_01]: moment. We're still sort of trying to see how we are

[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_01]: able to kind of automate better automate campaigns

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_01]: and rewards that are in but do we focus a lot on

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: customer data and segmentation? Absolutely. Yes. So that is

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_01]: the crux of what we do and we've seen immense value

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_01]: and I would say returns coming out of using segmentation

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_01]: and real-time rewarding when it comes down to programs.

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_01]: I guess one of the big things or the change that has

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_01]: happened with tech is that back in the day if you had

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_01]: a physical card by the time you accumulated a reward

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_01]: worth redeeming, you know, it would take you a number

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_01]: of visits to come to a store and you would never have

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_01]: a digital coupon or a digital voucher that you could

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_01]: instantly get. Today that has changed, you know,

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_01]: with of course with mobile phones in your hands

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_01]: and customers trained on applications. It's made it

[00:09:29] [SPEAKER_01]: so much easier to kind of trigger these notifications

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_01]: trigger these offers and engage customers with

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_01]: digitized offering which you can actually monetize

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and track on how they are being redeemed and used

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_01]: and, you know, it also allows you to learn

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_01]: as a program to see, you know, what works and what

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_01]: doesn't work. So you become far more agile compared

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_01]: to what I think programs were in the past. And yeah,

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_01]: that's where we're at, you know, so we keep learning

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_01]: every day and we're able to sort of adapt quicker

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_01]: than we would have otherwise. And yeah, tech's been

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_01]: at the forefront of whatever we do.

[00:10:13] [SPEAKER_00]: You make it sound very easy there, but as you said

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: it is about adapting, it is about learning every day

[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00]: and I suspect you come across a few challenges

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: along the way. Are there any challenges that you

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00]: faced while launching the first fuel reward program

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_00]: across the UAE? I'm sure there's a few. I heard

[00:10:30] [SPEAKER_00]: a bit of a laugh there, so I know there's going to be

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_00]: more than a few. But can you share some of those

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and how you ultimately overcame them to get where

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_01]: you are now? I mean, of course, you know, every

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_01]: program that launches has its set of challenges

[00:10:42] [SPEAKER_01]: and I mean we had a number of challenges and

[00:10:45] [SPEAKER_01]: one is of course integrating tech into systems

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_01]: that you use every day. So that was the

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_01]: biggest challenge, but one of the more interesting

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_01]: or I would say, you know, the memorable stories

[00:10:57] [SPEAKER_01]: that I have about the S-Rewards program is the

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_01]: fact that when we wanted to launch there was

[00:11:03] [SPEAKER_01]: COVID in the air and there were no cars on the

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_01]: road. So, I mean, it sort of blew up,

[00:11:10] [SPEAKER_01]: literally blew up in our face at the time we

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_01]: wanted to launch because we said, hey, we've

[00:11:13] [SPEAKER_01]: got a fuel rewards program coming out and

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_01]: you've got COVID and people were asked to stay

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_01]: home. So, you know, circumventing that. Luckily,

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, the UAE handled it really well

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_01]: and we were sort of back on, you know, regular

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_01]: lives pretty quick compared to many other

[00:11:32] [SPEAKER_01]: countries that had a harder time managing

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_01]: COVID. We launched back, I remember, 2021,

[00:11:38] [SPEAKER_01]: was it November or 2020 November? Yeah.

[00:11:42] [SPEAKER_01]: And we started and we went with a big bang.

[00:11:45] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we said let's go big. Let's

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_01]: go out with a raffle draw, let customers

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_01]: win a car for even signing up to the

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER_01]: program and I think it was backed by

[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_01]: senior management and yeah, we never

[00:11:57] [SPEAKER_01]: looked back since. So it's been a

[00:12:00] [SPEAKER_01]: fair bit of challenges but at the same

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_01]: time, one of the things that we did is

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_01]: we spent time on, you know, testing

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER_01]: what we were going to do, right? So

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_01]: ensuring our tech stacks were working,

[00:12:13] [SPEAKER_01]: the campaigns that we wanted to run, we

[00:12:15] [SPEAKER_01]: could execute them real time and the

[00:12:18] [SPEAKER_01]: fact that, you know, we wouldn't have any

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_01]: setbacks when it came to, you know, tech

[00:12:24] [SPEAKER_01]: failures or certain tests going here by

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_01]: and all of that. So, you know, COVID was

[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_01]: a sort of a double-edged sword. It forced

[00:12:30] [SPEAKER_01]: us to test more but it also gave us

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER_01]: that much, that extra bit of time to

[00:12:34] [SPEAKER_01]: kind of get some of the glitches that

[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_01]: we probably anticipated, you know,

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_00]: fixed in time. And I think a mistake

[00:12:42] [SPEAKER_00]: that a lot of businesses make when they

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_00]: try to create or launch their own

[00:12:45] [SPEAKER_00]: reward programs is they almost mistakenly

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_00]: think that they've got to do it all

[00:12:49] [SPEAKER_00]: themselves. So I've got to ask what

[00:12:51] [SPEAKER_00]: role did partnerships and collaborations

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_00]: play in the success of Yes Rewards and

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_00]: how do you identify the right partners?

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_01]: So, well, I mean, we had great

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_01]: tech partners. We had Comarc as our

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_01]: loyalty partner in terms of the

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_01]: back-end tech and systems. They've

[00:13:09] [SPEAKER_01]: been, I mean, also helping us manage

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_01]: a lot of the campaigns that we set

[00:13:13] [SPEAKER_01]: and taking care of, let's say, what

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_01]: I would call day-to-day operational

[00:13:17] [SPEAKER_01]: tech operations from, you know, away

[00:13:20] [SPEAKER_01]: from us and managing it for us. So the

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER_01]: things that we focus on is more the

[00:13:24] [SPEAKER_01]: business side of things rather than,

[00:13:27] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, spending time trying to set

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_01]: up things, campaigns or rules and

[00:13:33] [SPEAKER_01]: business rules and things like that

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER_01]: on systems that you may or may not

[00:13:36] [SPEAKER_01]: be as familiar with. As far as

[00:13:39] [SPEAKER_01]: commercial partnerships is concerned,

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, when we kicked off the

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER_01]: program, it was a program that

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_01]: focused more on the brands that

[00:13:46] [SPEAKER_01]: we had. So we've got, of course,

[00:13:49] [SPEAKER_01]: we are a fueling company. So we've

[00:13:50] [SPEAKER_01]: got the oil, the petrol side of

[00:13:54] [SPEAKER_01]: the business. We've got a convenience

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_01]: store which is again owned by us,

[00:13:57] [SPEAKER_01]: a brand called Zoom. We've got

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_01]: an automotive brand called AutoPro

[00:14:02] [SPEAKER_01]: which is again Enoch-owned and

[00:14:06] [SPEAKER_01]: unique to the UAE is the fact

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_01]: that you test and register your

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_01]: cars every year, you know, to

[00:14:12] [SPEAKER_01]: ensure road worthiness. So, I mean,

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_01]: we had four or five of our internal

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_01]: partner brands that we launched

[00:14:18] [SPEAKER_01]: with and soon after we had a

[00:14:20] [SPEAKER_01]: co-branded car in the markets. We

[00:14:22] [SPEAKER_01]: got a bank in place, got a

[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_01]: fuel cut out and that was

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_01]: our first partnership. So we,

[00:14:28] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, sort of evaluated a

[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_01]: couple of ways. One, of

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_01]: course, does it make sense

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER_01]: for the consumer? Does it

[00:14:35] [SPEAKER_01]: make sense for the program? I

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_01]: mean from a strategic perspective

[00:14:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and also from a commercial

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_01]: perspective at the end of the

[00:14:42] [SPEAKER_01]: day, you know, we have to be

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_01]: commercially viable so that

[00:14:45] [SPEAKER_01]: we can continue to give value

[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_01]: back to our consumers as well.

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, that was, I

[00:14:52] [SPEAKER_01]: think, the crux of it. We

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_01]: always kind of sort of kept

[00:14:55] [SPEAKER_01]: it simple and want to

[00:14:57] [SPEAKER_01]: overcomplicate it. But now

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER_01]: our partnership side of things

[00:15:01] [SPEAKER_01]: is expanding. We're looking

[00:15:03] [SPEAKER_01]: at travel, we're looking

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_01]: at lifestyle, we're looking

[00:15:05] [SPEAKER_01]: at leisure and things that

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_01]: would make sense for our

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_00]: consumers. Now, of course,

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_00]: building momentum, launching

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER_00]: in that massive way that

[00:15:13] [SPEAKER_00]: you did is a great way to

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_00]: start but that is only part

[00:15:17] [SPEAKER_00]: of the journey. So how do

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_00]: you ensure that the Yes Rewards

[00:15:20] [SPEAKER_00]: program remains relevant,

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_00]: remains appealing to such a

[00:15:24] [SPEAKER_00]: diverse customer base in a

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_00]: rapidly evolving market?

[00:15:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Because it's almost like

[00:15:28] [SPEAKER_00]: you've overcome a lot of

[00:15:29] [SPEAKER_00]: challenges and then you

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_00]: get where you need to be,

[00:15:32] [SPEAKER_00]: but then you unlock even

[00:15:33] [SPEAKER_00]: more challenges, right,

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_01]: sometimes? Yeah, so I

[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_01]: mean one of the key, one

[00:15:37] [SPEAKER_01]: of the biggest challenges

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_01]: in Dubai UAE is the

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER_01]: fact that you're deep. I

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER_01]: mean you've got over

[00:15:43] [SPEAKER_01]: 90 nationalities and you

[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_01]: know how every nationality

[00:15:48] [SPEAKER_01]: or let's say a customer

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_01]: segment is like, I would

[00:15:51] [SPEAKER_01]: like to call it behave so

[00:15:52] [SPEAKER_01]: differently. You know what

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_01]: appeals to people from

[00:15:55] [SPEAKER_01]: the subcontinent versus

[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_01]: people from Europe versus

[00:15:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Americans or Australians or

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Africans can be completely

[00:16:01] [SPEAKER_01]: different. So one of

[00:16:03] [SPEAKER_01]: the big challenges was of

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_01]: course communication. You

[00:16:05] [SPEAKER_01]: know, do you Arabic,

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER_01]: do you use Arabic as

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER_01]: a language or do you

[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_01]: keep it neutral as English

[00:16:12] [SPEAKER_01]: being a common language

[00:16:13] [SPEAKER_01]: between everybody? What are

[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_01]: the offers that you want

[00:16:18] [SPEAKER_01]: to run? I mean because

[00:16:20] [SPEAKER_01]: you would be our convenience

[00:16:22] [SPEAKER_01]: stores would stock certain

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_01]: products which would may

[00:16:24] [SPEAKER_01]: or may not make sense

[00:16:25] [SPEAKER_01]: to certain communities and

[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_01]: could could be very

[00:16:27] [SPEAKER_01]: relevant to the other. So

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean it was we had a

[00:16:31] [SPEAKER_01]: we've had a set of

[00:16:33] [SPEAKER_01]: multiple sets of challenges.

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, but one thing

[00:16:37] [SPEAKER_01]: that we are steady and

[00:16:38] [SPEAKER_01]: very very constant about is

[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_01]: ensuring that we look at

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_01]: data in every decision

[00:16:43] [SPEAKER_01]: that we take. Of course

[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_01]: there is that element of

[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_01]: that feel and the fact

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_01]: that we've been in the

[00:16:48] [SPEAKER_01]: region now for I mean

[00:16:49] [SPEAKER_01]: please most of us who

[00:16:51] [SPEAKER_01]: work for the program

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_01]: and with the Enoch have

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_01]: been in the region for

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER_01]: over I would say over

[00:16:56] [SPEAKER_01]: 10 years on average.

[00:16:57] [SPEAKER_01]: So we have a sense

[00:16:59] [SPEAKER_01]: of the city which is

[00:17:00] [SPEAKER_01]: the human element of

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER_01]: you know understanding

[00:17:03] [SPEAKER_01]: this market, but at

[00:17:05] [SPEAKER_01]: the same time we ensure

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_01]: that we remain focused

[00:17:09] [SPEAKER_01]: on what data tells us.

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_01]: We adapted a lot.

[00:17:13] [SPEAKER_01]: We test a lot.

[00:17:14] [SPEAKER_01]: You know some and I

[00:17:16] [SPEAKER_01]: think there is no

[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_01]: there's no harm in

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_01]: continuing to test.

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean that you will

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_01]: fail many times as well

[00:17:22] [SPEAKER_01]: and that's it's a

[00:17:24] [SPEAKER_01]: good thing, you know

[00:17:24] [SPEAKER_01]: because if you're

[00:17:26] [SPEAKER_01]: trying to do something

[00:17:27] [SPEAKER_01]: different you you've

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_01]: got to fail a couple of

[00:17:30] [SPEAKER_01]: times. So we've had

[00:17:32] [SPEAKER_01]: those sets of challenges

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_01]: as well.

[00:17:35] [SPEAKER_01]: We've of course had our

[00:17:37] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, we've had

[00:17:38] [SPEAKER_01]: our instances with tech

[00:17:39] [SPEAKER_01]: sometimes letting us

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_01]: down as well and

[00:17:42] [SPEAKER_01]: ensuring that you

[00:17:44] [SPEAKER_01]: know we're able to get

[00:17:45] [SPEAKER_01]: things back up and running

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_01]: as quickly as needed

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_01]: because again, you

[00:17:49] [SPEAKER_01]: know where it's in

[00:17:50] [SPEAKER_01]: a few is an essential

[00:17:51] [SPEAKER_01]: commodity. So the moment

[00:17:53] [SPEAKER_01]: there is an issue

[00:17:53] [SPEAKER_01]: somewhere could be

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER_01]: less and it could be

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER_01]: as small as a coffee

[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_01]: voucher not working

[00:17:58] [SPEAKER_01]: for a customer or

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_01]: do you know something

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_01]: more serious wherein

[00:18:02] [SPEAKER_01]: you could have a

[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_01]: system failure.

[00:18:07] [SPEAKER_01]: And the thing

[00:18:08] [SPEAKER_01]: is how fast do you

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_01]: get back and then

[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_01]: how soon can you

[00:18:13] [SPEAKER_01]: kind of circumvent

[00:18:13] [SPEAKER_01]: those issues and fix

[00:18:14] [SPEAKER_01]: those problems and make

[00:18:16] [SPEAKER_01]: sure that you don't

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER_01]: have those again.

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean we ensure

[00:18:21] [SPEAKER_01]: that a our

[00:18:22] [SPEAKER_01]: partners are cued

[00:18:24] [SPEAKER_01]: in on everything

[00:18:25] [SPEAKER_01]: that we do.

[00:18:26] [SPEAKER_01]: We're regularly focused

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_01]: on testing not just

[00:18:29] [SPEAKER_01]: within our you

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_01]: know internal environments

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER_01]: but also outside

[00:18:33] [SPEAKER_01]: we actually test on production

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_01]: environments as well.

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_01]: We go down to the sites

[00:18:36] [SPEAKER_01]: we see what's happening

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_01]: trying to also talk

[00:18:39] [SPEAKER_01]: to our staff who interact

[00:18:41] [SPEAKER_01]: with customers every day

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_01]: and getting feedback from

[00:18:43] [SPEAKER_01]: them on what works

[00:18:44] [SPEAKER_01]: and what doesn't

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_01]: and constantly innovating

[00:18:48] [SPEAKER_01]: the kind of rewards that

[00:18:49] [SPEAKER_01]: we give back to our

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER_01]: consumers and seeing

[00:18:51] [SPEAKER_01]: you know what kind

[00:18:53] [SPEAKER_01]: of ticks the bucket

[00:18:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and you know and what

[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_01]: what ticks the box

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and what doesn't.

[00:18:57] [SPEAKER_01]: So it's a mix of

[00:18:59] [SPEAKER_01]: you know it's a mixed bag.

[00:19:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah I get that

[00:19:03] [SPEAKER_00]: completely and earlier

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_00]: in our conversation

[00:19:05] [SPEAKER_00]: you also mentioned a

[00:19:06] [SPEAKER_00]: great word simplicity

[00:19:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and I think that's so

[00:19:09] [SPEAKER_00]: overrated especially

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_00]: when dealing with complex

[00:19:12] [SPEAKER_00]: technology.

[00:19:12] [SPEAKER_00]: So in your experience

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_00]: how important is simplicity

[00:19:16] [SPEAKER_00]: in that customer interaction

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_00]: process especially

[00:19:19] [SPEAKER_00]: when dealing with such a

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_00]: wide range of demographics

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER_00]: too.

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean I think

[00:19:25] [SPEAKER_01]: simplicity is the crux

[00:19:26] [SPEAKER_01]: of any program

[00:19:27] [SPEAKER_01]: and you know sometimes

[00:19:28] [SPEAKER_01]: what does happen is

[00:19:30] [SPEAKER_01]: that as far as loyalty

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_01]: practitioners or CRM

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_01]: practitioners we get

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_01]: emotionally involved

[00:19:35] [SPEAKER_01]: with creating very complex

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_01]: promotions.

[00:19:38] [SPEAKER_01]: So you know what if

[00:19:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Neil comes in fuels

[00:19:41] [SPEAKER_01]: let's trigger a runoff

[00:19:42] [SPEAKER_01]: for a car wash

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_01]: and then if he's there

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_01]: let's trigger a runoff

[00:19:45] [SPEAKER_01]: for the convenience store

[00:19:46] [SPEAKER_01]: and many times you can

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER_01]: over complicate it

[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_01]: and confuse the whole thing

[00:19:50] [SPEAKER_01]: where your consumer actually

[00:19:51] [SPEAKER_01]: goes I don't know what's

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_01]: going on.

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_01]: You know what is it that

[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_01]: you want me to do.

[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_01]: So while

[00:19:58] [SPEAKER_01]: tech will allow you

[00:19:59] [SPEAKER_01]: to do all of these

[00:20:00] [SPEAKER_01]: these fun things

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_01]: but the reality is

[00:20:03] [SPEAKER_01]: you know it is

[00:20:05] [SPEAKER_01]: the program expert

[00:20:06] [SPEAKER_01]: so the loyalty guys

[00:20:07] [SPEAKER_01]: will understand this

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_01]: technology from a customer

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_01]: standpoint he's coming

[00:20:10] [SPEAKER_01]: to fuel with you

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and maybe pick up his morning

[00:20:13] [SPEAKER_01]: coffee or just wash his car.

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_01]: So if you over complicate it

[00:20:16] [SPEAKER_01]: what you're going to

[00:20:18] [SPEAKER_01]: lose your customer

[00:20:20] [SPEAKER_01]: you know you're going to lose

[00:20:21] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean he's not going to

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_01]: understand what you're

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_01]: trying to do

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_01]: and secondly if it's not

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER_01]: if it's not simple enough

[00:20:27] [SPEAKER_01]: he's not interested.

[00:20:29] [SPEAKER_01]: Right so I think simplicity

[00:20:31] [SPEAKER_01]: is very very important

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_01]: no matter how far tech

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_01]: goes and you could be

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_01]: running the craziest

[00:20:39] [SPEAKER_01]: you know data

[00:20:41] [SPEAKER_01]: queries and all of that

[00:20:42] [SPEAKER_01]: in automations and all

[00:20:44] [SPEAKER_01]: of it in the back end

[00:20:44] [SPEAKER_01]: but at the end of the day

[00:20:45] [SPEAKER_01]: from a customer standpoint

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_01]: it has to be something

[00:20:48] [SPEAKER_01]: as simple as

[00:20:50] [SPEAKER_01]: you know just a click

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_01]: of a button and

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_01]: that for me is

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_01]: you know it's very overrated

[00:20:55] [SPEAKER_01]: you know we forget

[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_01]: being simple

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_01]: and I think if you're simple today

[00:21:02] [SPEAKER_01]: that's that's a big win

[00:21:02] [SPEAKER_01]: in itself.

[00:21:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Completely agree with you

[00:21:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and the golden rule

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_00]: in IT is always

[00:21:09] [SPEAKER_00]: you can only improve

[00:21:11] [SPEAKER_00]: what you measure

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and especially at a time

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_00]: where every tech project

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_00]: is under close scrutiny

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER_00]: for the kind of ROI

[00:21:16] [SPEAKER_00]: that it can deliver

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_00]: before implementing any

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_00]: technology or

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00]: how do you measure the success

[00:21:22] [SPEAKER_00]: of the Yes Rewards program

[00:21:24] [SPEAKER_00]: and what metrics do you

[00:21:26] [SPEAKER_00]: consider most indicative

[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_00]: of that customer loyalty

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER_00]: because again it could

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_00]: be quite tricky

[00:21:31] [SPEAKER_00]: but how do you do this?

[00:21:32] [SPEAKER_01]: I think I mean there are

[00:21:34] [SPEAKER_01]: some basic measures

[00:21:35] [SPEAKER_01]: of course I mean one

[00:21:37] [SPEAKER_01]: is looking at the revenue

[00:21:38] [SPEAKER_01]: that your program drives

[00:21:39] [SPEAKER_01]: in terms of customer engagement

[00:21:42] [SPEAKER_01]: in terms of lifetime value.

[00:21:44] [SPEAKER_01]: One of the big things

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_01]: that we like to measure

[00:21:47] [SPEAKER_01]: is lifetime value

[00:21:48] [SPEAKER_01]: because that from a loyalty

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_01]: perspective

[00:21:52] [SPEAKER_01]: you know that is

[00:21:53] [SPEAKER_01]: that tells us what is

[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_01]: the program stickiness

[00:21:56] [SPEAKER_01]: and how many how many

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER_01]: of your customers

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER_01]: engage with you on

[00:22:01] [SPEAKER_01]: let's say a weekly

[00:22:01] [SPEAKER_01]: or a bi-weekly basis

[00:22:03] [SPEAKER_01]: and how

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_01]: and do you really

[00:22:06] [SPEAKER_01]: up the needle when it comes

[00:22:07] [SPEAKER_01]: to customer spends as well?

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_01]: You know do loyal customers

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER_01]: actually spend a little more

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER_01]: than people who are not

[00:22:12] [SPEAKER_01]: on the program?

[00:22:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Do they shop more frequently

[00:22:16] [SPEAKER_01]: or do they at least engage

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_01]: with

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_01]: you know

[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_01]: a few more brands

[00:22:21] [SPEAKER_01]: than they would otherwise.

[00:22:22] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean if you were

[00:22:23] [SPEAKER_01]: a fueling customer

[00:22:24] [SPEAKER_01]: would you

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER_01]: would you

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER_01]: you know be open to

[00:22:28] [SPEAKER_01]: walking into a convenience store

[00:22:30] [SPEAKER_01]: and trying

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_01]: a new product

[00:22:33] [SPEAKER_01]: or for

[00:22:34] [SPEAKER_01]: or if you were a convenience

[00:22:35] [SPEAKER_01]: store customer

[00:22:35] [SPEAKER_01]: would you try

[00:22:36] [SPEAKER_01]: two more products

[00:22:38] [SPEAKER_01]: or do something that you

[00:22:39] [SPEAKER_01]: wouldn't do otherwise

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'll be able to drive

[00:22:42] [SPEAKER_01]: that behavior.

[00:22:43] [SPEAKER_01]: And I mean as far as measuring

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_01]: you know campaigns

[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_01]: like this is concerned

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean A B testing

[00:22:48] [SPEAKER_01]: goes a long way

[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_01]: but you can have

[00:22:51] [SPEAKER_01]: various various

[00:22:53] [SPEAKER_01]: you know

[00:22:54] [SPEAKER_01]: measures

[00:22:54] [SPEAKER_01]: when it comes down to consumers

[00:22:56] [SPEAKER_01]: who you know

[00:22:57] [SPEAKER_01]: to measure churn

[00:22:58] [SPEAKER_01]: you know there could be

[00:23:00] [SPEAKER_01]: consumers who don't come

[00:23:01] [SPEAKER_01]: to you as frequently

[00:23:02] [SPEAKER_01]: or let's say could be brand

[00:23:03] [SPEAKER_01]: agnostic when it comes down

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_01]: to a category like us.

[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_01]: But are we able to get them

[00:23:08] [SPEAKER_01]: into our gas stations

[00:23:10] [SPEAKER_01]: that one more time

[00:23:12] [SPEAKER_01]: and ensure that

[00:23:13] [SPEAKER_01]: we're able to give them an experience

[00:23:14] [SPEAKER_01]: so that they keep coming

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER_01]: more frequently.

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER_01]: And I mean

[00:23:18] [SPEAKER_01]: it is things like these

[00:23:20] [SPEAKER_01]: that you need to constantly

[00:23:21] [SPEAKER_01]: keep doing you know

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_01]: bucketing them in different

[00:23:24] [SPEAKER_01]: segments and then transitioning

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER_01]: them from let's say a low

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_01]: values or a low frequency

[00:23:28] [SPEAKER_01]: segment to a higher value

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER_01]: higher frequency.

[00:23:31] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think if you were

[00:23:33] [SPEAKER_01]: able to kind of

[00:23:35] [SPEAKER_01]: overall drive that sort

[00:23:36] [SPEAKER_01]: of customer behavior

[00:23:38] [SPEAKER_01]: a lot of things naturally

[00:23:40] [SPEAKER_01]: fall in place.

[00:23:42] [SPEAKER_01]: So you're right right from

[00:23:44] [SPEAKER_01]: spends to

[00:23:45] [SPEAKER_01]: you know

[00:23:47] [SPEAKER_01]: average transaction values

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_01]: and then of course lifetime

[00:23:50] [SPEAKER_01]: value for consumer.

[00:23:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And you've already experienced

[00:23:53] [SPEAKER_00]: fantastic

[00:23:55] [SPEAKER_00]: success with this program

[00:23:57] [SPEAKER_00]: but I mean with one eye

[00:23:59] [SPEAKER_00]: on 2025 are there any

[00:24:01] [SPEAKER_00]: future innovations

[00:24:02] [SPEAKER_00]: or enhancements

[00:24:03] [SPEAKER_00]: or just ways that you see

[00:24:05] [SPEAKER_00]: the EPS rewards program

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_00]: evolving particularly

[00:24:07] [SPEAKER_00]: with the advancements

[00:24:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I've got to mention that

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER_00]: buzzword again AI

[00:24:10] [SPEAKER_00]: and customer data analytics

[00:24:12] [SPEAKER_00]: but how do you see this

[00:24:13] [SPEAKER_00]: evolving next year?

[00:24:15] [SPEAKER_01]: So I think a lot of it

[00:24:16] [SPEAKER_01]: is going to be related

[00:24:17] [SPEAKER_01]: to partnership tech

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_01]: where you know we're

[00:24:21] [SPEAKER_01]: looking at the blockchain

[00:24:21] [SPEAKER_01]: in a big way

[00:24:23] [SPEAKER_01]: because you know back in

[00:24:24] [SPEAKER_01]: back in the day if you

[00:24:26] [SPEAKER_01]: were integrating with a third

[00:24:27] [SPEAKER_01]: party

[00:24:28] [SPEAKER_01]: in a partner which would

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_01]: which would mean

[00:24:32] [SPEAKER_01]: months on months on end

[00:24:33] [SPEAKER_01]: of API integrations

[00:24:35] [SPEAKER_01]: and testing and so on

[00:24:36] [SPEAKER_01]: and so forth and you know

[00:24:37] [SPEAKER_01]: hundreds of thousands of dollars

[00:24:39] [SPEAKER_01]: spent on

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_01]: you know getting two systems

[00:24:42] [SPEAKER_01]: to talk to each other.

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Today you've got blockchain

[00:24:44] [SPEAKER_01]: systems which can do that

[00:24:45] [SPEAKER_01]: for you in

[00:24:47] [SPEAKER_01]: you know one not even one

[00:24:48] [SPEAKER_01]: third.

[00:24:51] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean nominal costs

[00:24:52] [SPEAKER_01]: second they ensure that

[00:24:53] [SPEAKER_01]: you're very very agile.

[00:24:55] [SPEAKER_01]: You have digital contracts

[00:24:58] [SPEAKER_01]: you automate the entire

[00:25:00] [SPEAKER_01]: journey you can actually

[00:25:01] [SPEAKER_01]: simulate the money

[00:25:02] [SPEAKER_01]: you're going to make

[00:25:03] [SPEAKER_01]: and you know so I mean

[00:25:05] [SPEAKER_01]: something that would take you

[00:25:06] [SPEAKER_01]: three months can today be

[00:25:07] [SPEAKER_01]: delivered in 15 days.

[00:25:10] [SPEAKER_01]: So partnerships of course

[00:25:11] [SPEAKER_01]: is a big focus for us

[00:25:13] [SPEAKER_01]: come 2025

[00:25:15] [SPEAKER_01]: and

[00:25:16] [SPEAKER_01]: as far as

[00:25:18] [SPEAKER_01]: the AI space is concerned

[00:25:19] [SPEAKER_01]: we are also looking at

[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_01]: streamlining and automating

[00:25:23] [SPEAKER_01]: customer offering.

[00:25:24] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure we'd be able

[00:25:25] [SPEAKER_01]: to kind of

[00:25:26] [SPEAKER_01]: that in and deliver it

[00:25:28] [SPEAKER_01]: in 2025

[00:25:28] [SPEAKER_01]: but these are things

[00:25:30] [SPEAKER_01]: we're going to start

[00:25:31] [SPEAKER_01]: working on we're trying to

[00:25:32] [SPEAKER_01]: understand how we can actually

[00:25:34] [SPEAKER_01]: automate customer offers

[00:25:36] [SPEAKER_01]: based on

[00:25:38] [SPEAKER_01]: parameters that we

[00:25:39] [SPEAKER_01]: sort of

[00:25:41] [SPEAKER_01]: let machine learning

[00:25:42] [SPEAKER_01]: or let the systems

[00:25:43] [SPEAKER_01]: kind of understand

[00:25:44] [SPEAKER_01]: based on certain customer

[00:25:46] [SPEAKER_01]: behavior wherein

[00:25:48] [SPEAKER_01]: someone who's you know

[00:25:49] [SPEAKER_01]: coming into our network

[00:25:51] [SPEAKER_01]: and showing certain patterns

[00:25:52] [SPEAKER_01]: of behavior

[00:25:55] [SPEAKER_01]: you know be able to then

[00:25:57] [SPEAKER_01]: get a targeted offer which

[00:25:59] [SPEAKER_01]: would be very relevant to

[00:26:00] [SPEAKER_01]: him so you know you'll

[00:26:02] [SPEAKER_01]: get away from mass segmentation

[00:26:03] [SPEAKER_01]: to literally hyper segmentation

[00:26:05] [SPEAKER_01]: or individual offering

[00:26:08] [SPEAKER_01]: and that for me

[00:26:10] [SPEAKER_01]: has been something

[00:26:11] [SPEAKER_01]: very very interesting in the day

[00:26:13] [SPEAKER_01]: you can do that

[00:26:14] [SPEAKER_01]: using AI

[00:26:15] [SPEAKER_01]: or and you can integrate

[00:26:17] [SPEAKER_01]: that into your loyalty engine

[00:26:18] [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's a game changer.

[00:26:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Well thank you so much

[00:26:22] [SPEAKER_00]: for joining me on the podcast

[00:26:23] [SPEAKER_00]: today shining a light on

[00:26:25] [SPEAKER_00]: exactly how AI

[00:26:26] [SPEAKER_00]: data-driven automation

[00:26:28] [SPEAKER_00]: can improve

[00:26:29] [SPEAKER_00]: the customer experience

[00:26:31] [SPEAKER_00]: so many golden insights for people

[00:26:32] [SPEAKER_00]: listening all around the world

[00:26:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and for yourself

[00:26:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to see if there's something we can do

[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_00]: in return for you now

[00:26:38] [SPEAKER_00]: because some of the biggest names

[00:26:40] [SPEAKER_00]: in business, VC funding

[00:26:42] [SPEAKER_00]: and tech have either been guests

[00:26:43] [SPEAKER_00]: or might even listen to this podcast

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_00]: so is there one person

[00:26:47] [SPEAKER_00]: that you'd love to have private

[00:26:48] [SPEAKER_00]: breakfast or lunch with

[00:26:49] [SPEAKER_00]: who would it be and why

[00:26:51] [SPEAKER_00]: he or she might just hear

[00:26:52] [SPEAKER_00]: this and let's see what

[00:26:54] [SPEAKER_00]: we can manifest together

[00:26:55] [SPEAKER_00]: let's see what we can make happen

[00:26:56] [SPEAKER_00]: who would it be and why?

[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Well somebody I really

[00:26:59] [SPEAKER_01]: admire in the tech space

[00:27:01] [SPEAKER_01]: is of course Elon Musk

[00:27:02] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean I'm a big fan

[00:27:04] [SPEAKER_01]: of the things he's done

[00:27:06] [SPEAKER_01]: it's remarkable

[00:27:07] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if I'd ever

[00:27:08] [SPEAKER_01]: ever in my life get to even see him

[00:27:10] [SPEAKER_01]: but again

[00:27:11] [SPEAKER_01]: if we manifest this together

[00:27:13] [SPEAKER_01]: fingers crossed maybe one day.

[00:27:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Well let's

[00:27:17] [SPEAKER_00]: throw it out into the universe

[00:27:18] [SPEAKER_00]: let's see what we can make happen

[00:27:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I'd love something to

[00:27:21] [SPEAKER_00]: occur there

[00:27:22] [SPEAKER_00]: but just let me know

[00:27:23] [SPEAKER_00]: I want an invite to that particular party too

[00:27:26] [SPEAKER_00]: but for

[00:27:27] [SPEAKER_00]: anyone

[00:27:28] [SPEAKER_00]: for anyone listening just want to

[00:27:30] [SPEAKER_00]: find out more information

[00:27:31] [SPEAKER_00]: about you anything

[00:27:32] [SPEAKER_00]: we talked about today

[00:27:34] [SPEAKER_00]: where would you like to point

[00:27:35] [SPEAKER_00]: everyone listening?

[00:27:37] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean my LinkedIn

[00:27:38] [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's where I'm

[00:27:39] [SPEAKER_01]: most active work wise

[00:27:41] [SPEAKER_01]: so yeah it's a really

[00:27:42] [SPEAKER_01]: thing that's that's me on LinkedIn

[00:27:44] [SPEAKER_01]: if there's anybody interested in

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER_01]: speaking chatting

[00:27:47] [SPEAKER_01]: they're on a bouncing ideas

[00:27:48] [SPEAKER_01]: regarding loyalty

[00:27:50] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm happy to happy to hear

[00:27:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Awesome.

[00:27:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Well I'll get a link

[00:27:54] [SPEAKER_00]: added to the show notes

[00:27:55] [SPEAKER_00]: so people can find you

[00:27:56] [SPEAKER_00]: nice and easy and I do

[00:27:57] [SPEAKER_00]: urge anybody listening to check you out

[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_00]: you were a single-handedly responsible

[00:28:01] [SPEAKER_00]: for the launch of the

[00:28:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes Rewards program

[00:28:04] [SPEAKER_00]: across the UAE

[00:28:05] [SPEAKER_00]: which was the first

[00:28:06] [SPEAKER_00]: fuel rewards program in the region

[00:28:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and also we didn't talk

[00:28:10] [SPEAKER_00]: about this in the interview there

[00:28:11] [SPEAKER_00]: but it won the best rewards program

[00:28:13] [SPEAKER_00]: in the government sector

[00:28:14] [SPEAKER_00]: for customer happiness

[00:28:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and so much more

[00:28:17] [SPEAKER_00]: we could have talked about this

[00:28:18] [SPEAKER_00]: in a lot more detail

[00:28:19] [SPEAKER_00]: but just thank you for

[00:28:20] [SPEAKER_00]: shining a light on this

[00:28:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I know it's going to be useful

[00:28:22] [SPEAKER_00]: for people listening

[00:28:23] [SPEAKER_00]: so thank you for

[00:28:24] [SPEAKER_00]: sharing your insights today.

[00:28:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.

[00:28:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks so much Neil.

[00:28:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Rainy Woods, thank you for having me.

[00:28:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So from launching UAE's

[00:28:31] [SPEAKER_00]: first fuel rewards program

[00:28:33] [SPEAKER_00]: to leading innovations

[00:28:34] [SPEAKER_00]: in customer engagement

[00:28:36] [SPEAKER_00]: my guest journey with

[00:28:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes Rewards

[00:28:38] [SPEAKER_00]: offers a fascinating look

[00:28:39] [SPEAKER_00]: into the future of loyalty programs

[00:28:42] [SPEAKER_00]: and as we heard

[00:28:43] [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's that

[00:28:44] [SPEAKER_00]: approach that is centered around simplicity

[00:28:46] [SPEAKER_00]: combined with the intelligent use of data

[00:28:50] [SPEAKER_00]: it's that that's enabling Enoch

[00:28:52] [SPEAKER_00]: to deliver real-time rewards

[00:28:54] [SPEAKER_00]: rewards that resonate

[00:28:55] [SPEAKER_00]: with a diverse customer base

[00:28:57] [SPEAKER_00]: and I think his insights

[00:28:59] [SPEAKER_00]: into the challenges of

[00:29:00] [SPEAKER_00]: launching a major program

[00:29:01] [SPEAKER_00]: during the global pandemic

[00:29:02] [SPEAKER_00]: will not only resonate

[00:29:04] [SPEAKER_00]: with many people listening

[00:29:05] [SPEAKER_00]: but it also reveals

[00:29:06] [SPEAKER_00]: the importance of agility

[00:29:08] [SPEAKER_00]: testing

[00:29:09] [SPEAKER_00]: and that relentless focus

[00:29:10] [SPEAKER_00]: on customer experience

[00:29:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and it was also interesting

[00:29:13] [SPEAKER_00]: to learn more about

[00:29:14] [SPEAKER_00]: the growing impact of AI

[00:29:15] [SPEAKER_00]: and automation in loyalty

[00:29:17] [SPEAKER_00]: and my guest seemed to suggest

[00:29:19] [SPEAKER_00]: that the future will see

[00:29:20] [SPEAKER_00]: even more personalized

[00:29:21] [SPEAKER_00]: and dynamic customer interactions

[00:29:24] [SPEAKER_00]: but I think it's all about

[00:29:25] [SPEAKER_00]: emphasis on the importance

[00:29:26] [SPEAKER_00]: of partnerships and collaborations

[00:29:28] [SPEAKER_00]: as well as the technology

[00:29:30] [SPEAKER_00]: this is what underscores

[00:29:31] [SPEAKER_00]: the value of building ecosystems

[00:29:33] [SPEAKER_00]: that enhance customer offerings

[00:29:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and drive engagement

[00:29:36] [SPEAKER_00]: that's where the magic happens

[00:29:38] [SPEAKER_00]: but what ideas

[00:29:39] [SPEAKER_00]: and strategies that you've learned today

[00:29:42] [SPEAKER_00]: will you apply any of these

[00:29:43] [SPEAKER_00]: in your own business

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_00]: have you got other

[00:29:45] [SPEAKER_00]: strategies that you'd like to share with me

[00:29:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I'd love to hear how

[00:29:49] [SPEAKER_00]: you're going to better leverage data

[00:29:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and technology

[00:29:51] [SPEAKER_00]: to build stronger

[00:29:53] [SPEAKER_00]: more loyal customer relationships

[00:29:56] [SPEAKER_00]: as always email me

[00:29:57] [SPEAKER_00]: techblogwriteroutlook.com

[00:29:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

[00:30:00] [SPEAKER_00]: just at Neil C Hughes

[00:30:02] [SPEAKER_00]: let's keep this conversation going

[00:30:04] [SPEAKER_00]: and remember stay tuned

[00:30:05] [SPEAKER_00]: for more episodes

[00:30:06] [SPEAKER_00]: where we'll continue to explore

[00:30:08] [SPEAKER_00]: the latest trends in strategies

[00:30:09] [SPEAKER_00]: that are shaping the world of tech

[00:30:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and business

[00:30:13] [SPEAKER_00]: but that's it from me

[00:30:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll speak with you all again tomorrow

[00:30:16] [SPEAKER_00]: bye for now

[00:30:23] you