The success of any customer loyalty program depends on a firm's ability to use the data to drive positive change. Some companies spend substantial time and energy on data collection and analysis only to find they lack a clear plan forward once the results are reported. Burke developed TRACTION™ to bridge this gap between customer loyalty measurement and customer loyalty management. TRACTION™ takes the guesswork out of the action planning process and ensures that firms receive the maximum return on investment from their customer loyalty programs.

The TRACTION process begins immediately after the customer loyalty data are analyzed. Trained facilitators lead a cross-functional group of subject matter experts through a clearly documented process to do the following:

• Clearly explain the customer loyalty results
• Tie Critical Improvement Issues to internal processes and activities
• Prioritize Critical Improvement Issues for action
• Identify root causes of problems
• Develop detailed improvement strategies
• Finalize an action plan.

A typical TRACTION engagement includes three onsite workshops:

Steering Committee Workshop: Burke facilitates a session with a cross-functional steering committee to share the results, tie Critical Improvement Issues to internal processes, and prioritize opportunities for action.

Action Team Kick-off: Burke meets with Action Teams that have been selected to work on key Critical Improvement Issues. The teams are familiarized with the customer loyalty results and given clear objectives for the action planning phase.

Action Team Presentations: Burke leads the steering committee through a review of the improvement strategies and facilitates a session to finalize the action plan.

At each step in the process, employees from a variety of departments take ownership and are involved in identifying problems and developing solutions.

TRACTION allows firms to make the most of their valuable customer loyalty data by quickly focusing on internal problem areas and defining clear improvement plans.