The Loyalty Leap: Turning Customer Information into Customer Intimacy

'If I asked you about your company's profitability, you'd be able to produce income statements and quarterly reports. If I asked about assets and capital expenditures, you'd refer to the balance sheet and cash flow statement . . . But what if I asked how loyal your customers are?' Collecting data is easy for marketers. Figuring out what to do with it is hard. Technology has made it almost routine for companies to know exactly when, where,\ and how their customers shop, both online and off. As soon as someone pulls out a credit card - or even better, a membership rewards card - the data floodgates open. United Airlines knows if you think it's worth $25 to check a suitcase. Verizon know how often you call you mom. Hilton knows if you prefer a higher floor and a room away from the elevator. But after gathering and crunching all this customer data most companies have little or no idea know to use it. They either let it go to waste or abuse it with ill-considered, irrelevant, or even cre