Regional CX winners celebrated for making the customer’s experience second to none
This new award at this year’s Irish Loyalty and CX Awards recognises brands which make the customer journey as pleasant, simple and frictionless as possible
New for 2023 was the Regional CX Champion awards, rewarding excellence in customer experience among SME and local businesses. Customer experience has become a top priority among businesses of all shapes and sizes over the years for good reason: it is the key to a business’s long-term success and building true loyalty among its customers.
The SME and local business community has long been acknowledged as the life blood of the Irish economy but maybe not so much for customer experience, until now. The programme was developed to recognise those companies that adapt and pivot to deliver valuable customer experience at a local level, and not only attracted significant interest from across all business sectors but also captured the heart and minds of local consumers via the regional vote.
This year’s CX Champions were recognised for making every aspect of the customer journey as smooth, simple, and frictionless as possible providing customers with the positive experience to build long term loyalty.
The Regional CX Champions for 2023 were Chupi Jewellery in Leinster, Woodco Renewable Energy Ltd in Munster, Castle Leslie Estate and Equestrian Centre in Ulster and Connacht Rugby for the Connacht region.
Country Manager for Visa, Conor Langford said that there is a real opportunity in the loyalty and CX space as digital technologies continue to revolutionise the customer experience.
“From our perspective, the rise of digital payments has created a frictionless checkout experience for Irish consumers, and the technology has become so popular that today nearly eight in ten Visa face-to-face transactions in Ireland are made with a quick tap. As a result, we are now witnessing the evolution of loyalty schemes, where we are moving beyond customers having multiple cards for different brands to stamp or scan, to a point where the relationship can be sealed with the wave of a single card or device.”
“This simplicity has led to a much richer level of data that businesses can use to segment their customers so they can reward loyal shoppers, reengage with lapsed consumers, or entice new buyers with personalised incentives,” he said.
These insights also prove invaluable when businesses are building and enhancing their loyalty offers. Langford said that this is also still just the beginning. “As the retail industry continues to change and evolve in line with consumer demand, so too will the loyalty programmes and reward schemes that follow.”
“At Visa, we are proud to be at the forefront of innovation in loyalty, and we look forward to working with partners in the future to develop technologies that will revolutionise the retail industry. Our card data and analytics capabilities will always form the foundation for how we work with businesses to help them scale and grow their customer base,” he said.
Irish Loyalty & CX Awards Winners 2023
2023 Loyalty Launch of the Year
Maxol - Maxol Loyalty App - Loyalty Rewarded
Established (5 years+) Loyalty Programme of the Year
SuperValu - Real Rewards
Retail Loyalty Programme/Initiative of the Year
Tesco | dunnhumby - Building long-term loyalty using personalisation science to reward customers
Customer Experience of the Year Award
Energia - Energia Rewards
Financial Services Loyalty Programme/Initiative of the Year
permanent tsb - Explore Account
Best Customer Experience in Travel & Leisure
WIN | WIN Group - Early Table
Technology Programme/Initiative of the Year
KFC - KFC Rewards Arcade
Loyalty Industry Innovation of the Year
Vodafone - Shake to Win
Regional CX Champions
Leinster Regional CX Champions
Chupi Jewellery - Dublin
Munster Regional CX Champions
Woodco Renewable Energy Ltd - Tipperary
Ulster Regional CX Champions
Castle Leslie Estate & Equestrian Centre - Monaghan
Connacht Regional CX Champions
Connacht Rugby - Galway
CATEGORY: Loyalty All Stars
Margaret O’Donoghue - Loyalty Programme Manager SuperValu Real Rewards
Sarah Prietsman – CVM Senior Manager Mobile & Loyalty – Vodafone Ireland
Jen O’Keeffe – Head of Client Services WIN I WIN Group
Mary Shannon - CRM Operations Manager - SuperValu Real Rewards
Carol Nowell – Sparks Campaign Manager Marks & Spencer
CSR/Community/Green Loyalty Programme or Initiative of the Year
AXA - Axa Parks – Coming Together for Action
Loyalty Programme Marketing Campaign of the Year
Sky - Sky VIP, it’s the treatment you deserve
B2B Loyalty Programme/Initiative of the Year
Dulux Paints Ireland - Dulux Trade Points
Employee Recognition of the Year Award
Marks & Spencer - Delivering unique benefits to help our colleagues
Loyalty Partnership Programme/Initiative of the Year
Electric ireland - Electric Ireland Rewards and SuperValu Real Rewards Loyalty Partnership
Best Utilities Loyalty Programme/Initiative of the Year
SSE Airtricity - SSE Reward – Rewards Worth Experiencing
Best Loved Loyalty Progamme of the Year- Voted by the Public
Insomnia
Irish Loyalty Personality of the Year
Jeff Harbourne - Head of Personal Banking - permanent tsb
Irish loyalty programme of the year
SuperValu