Appealing to Repeat Loyal Customers (Pt III)

Tech Tips

Retail Spotlight: Luv To Cook

Free Training Seminar: Working Smarter 2006

Meet Our Staff

Referral Program

Appealing to Repeat, Loyal Customers (Pt III) from Joel R. Evans, Ph.D. & Barry Berman, Ph.D.

Part 3: The Value of Frequent Shopper Programs

In this article, we continue our discussion about gaining the loyalty and increased patronage of current customers. Our focus is on the value of frequent shopper programs.

WHAT IS A FREQUENT SHOPPER PROGRAM?

It is one awarding special discounts or prizes to people for their continued patronage. In most such programs, customers must accumulate a certain number of points (or their equivalent), these points are redeemed for cash or prizes. Here are examples:

1-800-Flowers.com sends its registered members email reminders for special occasions (such as birthdays), provides them with express checkouts and online order tracking, and offers them regular special buys.

Through the Rite Aid drugstore chain's Rite Rewards program, members can take advantage of unadvertised in-store specials and get 10 percent off Rite Aid branded products every day.

Lettuce Entertain You, a chain encompassing 30 different restaurant concepts, has a Frequent Diner Program whereby customers earn points toward future dining, gym memberships, free airline travel on United Airlines, and more.

The AT&T Rewards program is offered to valued customers. It is automatic, and customers earn a reward every 6 months based on their average AT&T usage: free calling, frequent flyer miles, or gift certificates from various retailers.

For the remainder of the article or more on this subject, press here.

Tips for Calling into Support at Advanced Retail Management Systems

When calling into Advanced Retail Management Systems always write down the trouble ticket number that is given to you by the support coordinator. Reference that number if you call back about the same issue. If you don't know the ticket number then our support coordinator can look it up for you.

There are very good reasons for this. If we open the same ticket on related calls we keep all the notes in order. For Gold Support clients that will allow you to see that call on-line and all in one call. Should you have the same issue at a later date then you could go on-line and read the notes on how the issue was solved the 1st time.

If you are on Silver Support be sure to reference your call ticket number to prevent another incident from being charged to you. That is provided that the call was not previously closed and the issue is the same one.

When should you call into emergency Technical Services (ETS or after hours support)? You should only call into ETS if you have a serious interruption in your business, i.e. your Point of Sale is down. All ETS calls are billed separately form your support agreement. Please listen to the off-hours message and prompts. They are different from regular business hours.

Remember, if you are calling in about training issues please have that scheduled with one of our trainers. You should also schedule any hardware setup calls. These types of calls are client service calls and are billed separate from your support agreement. It is possible to put these types of calls in our support queue but they are put in with a lower priority and they are not subject to the 1 hour response time. An invoice will be generated for all Client Service Calls. We encourage you to make an appointment for these types of calls.

Who sells over 20,000 sku's of merchandise covering specialty food items, top brand kitchen utensils, appliances, bake ware, gadgets and 10,000 pounds of chocolate annually? The answer is, Love to Cook, northern Utah's premier culinary specialty store. Owners Chris and Nancy Beykirch purchased the 30-year-old Logan, Utah tradition in 1999 and have raised it to regionally recognized heights.

Love to Cook prides itself on the best products and the finest customer service. And yes, in 2005 they sold 10,000 pounds of chocolate! A dedicated staff of 12 to 19 professionals, including resident chefs who appear regularly on the local television stations, enhance the products and services at Love to Cook. These resident chefs, along with guest chefs, teach a complete line of cooking classes at Love to Cook.

In the spring of 2005, Chris and Nancy put away their existing point of sale and inventory control system, Cougar Mountain, in favor of Retail Pro. When asked what the differences in the two systems were, Chris responded, "night and day." With Retail Pro Chris has an accurate inventory that is real time within the store. He found the accounting link in Retail Pro to be a real time saver. The fact the all the screens are customizable to their specific needs help make Retail Pro easy to learn.

You do not need to travel to Logan, Utah to shop at Love to Cook. Their convenient website, www.luvtocook.com, is open all the time. The only remaining question is what should I make with 10,000 pounds of chocolate?

FREE Retail Pro Training Seminars

WORKING SMARTER 2006
"Retail concepts that allow you to work Smarter not Harder"

Advanced Retail Management Systems will be conducting FREE Retail Pro Training Seminars in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and additional locations to be announced.  As a current Retail Pro user, you will not want to miss this opportunity.  Some of the topics that will be covered are as follows:

        ·Making Smart Buying Decisions
        ·Inventory Screens and Printing
        ·Using Sales, Receiving, and On Order totals in Inventory
        ·Merchandise and Summary Reports
        ·Smart Customer Relationship Management
        ·Maximizing your use of the Customer Record
        ·Smart Loss Prevention through Auditing
        ·High Security in System Preferences
        ·Exception Reports
        ·E-Commerce
        ·New products for Retail Pro

The seminars will be presented by Jeana Thomas, Retail Systems Specialist with ARMS.  Jeana has consulted with countless retailers across the United States, her background includes an in depth knowledge of Point of Sale and Inventory Control Systems with a 20 year history in retailing.  Here's what one attendee had to say about attending last year's seminar: "The seminar with Jeana was very helpful in determining that Retail Pro is continuing to go where retailers need to be".  We encourage you to attendWORKING SMARTER 2006 - this valuable event will help you get more out of your Retail Pro System. Click Here to learn more and register for an upcoming seminar in your area.

Meet Our Staff

Judie Frohmader, Support Coordinator

When not manning the Support Coordinator Desk, Judie enjoys the wide variety of sporting events in the area.   Her constant companion is, Zeus, her 6-year-old Pug.  If the need arises for technical support be sure to say hello to Judie.  

Referral Program

We have streamlined our business referral program to make it attractive to you and show our thanks for sending us new business. Here are the Details of the new plan.

Advanced Retail Management Systems Lead Referral Plan:
Receive $500 credit on account or 4 Client Service hours every time you refer a new customer that purchases Retail Pro®. 

Retail Pro® has grown to be the premier Inventory Control/POS software for small to mid-tier retailers.  Whether you know a single store or a 100 store chain, Retail Pro® provides the technology for retailers to excel.

Call your sales person today or click here  below to refer another retailer and start earning valuable rewards!