customers are clamoring for rewards programs. research shows 87 percent of shoppers want brands to offer a loyalty program, and 83 percent say rewards make them more likely to continue doing business with a certain brand.

these statistics show loyalty programs are not only in demand, but have the potential to increase customer retention. to do so, businesses must constantly evaluate their loyalty program to make sure rewards are fresh, customers are engaged and participation rates continue to climb.

from time to time, businesses should collect feedback about their loyalty program. think of it like a tune-up where customers provide the necessary tips to improve the performance of your program, similar to what a mechanic does for your car.

to help business owners keep their loyalty program performing at high speeds, here are four ways to collect feedback:

1. send digital surveys or polls

one of the easier ways to collect feedback is through a short poll or survey. you can ask customers to answer a short survey through a variety of digital channels.

here are a few tips and tools to use:

• set up a poll on twitter or facebook

setting up a 3-5 question poll on one of your social media accounts is a simple way to collect feedback that won’t tie up a lot of your time. both twitter and facebook offer tools to create polls in snap, which are listed below, along with a third party option that creates polls for both platforms. expect to pay a nominal fee to create and share the poll.

• facebook poll
• twitter poll
• twtpoll

• send a survey via text or email

some businesses collect email address, others collect phone numbers. depending on what kind of customer contact information you have, you can poll customers via text or email. you’ll find a few tools to use below. again, expect to pay a few dollars to create and send the survey.

• text message survey: txtimpact
• email survey: surveymonkey

2. set up a “feedback point” in your store

your employees are already discussing your loyalty program at the checkout. they’re likely asking, “do you have any rewards to redeem today?” or “are you a member of our rewards program?”

for customers that answer “yes,” ask them if they’re interested in receiving a gift for providing 2-minutes worth of feedback on your loyalty program.

there are two important components to that question. first, customers are given an idea of how long this process will take: two minutes. second, customers are given an incentive to participate.

what’s the incentive? you can get creative here, but you can offer a 10% off coupon or to double the amount of points that the customer earned today.

for stores with slower traffic, the cashier can ask the customer a few questions and record the answers. busier stores can direct customers to a “feedback point” where a different employee will ask a few quick questions.

3. collect feedback at a customer appreciation event

consider collecting feedback at your next customer appreciation event. whether you’re hosting a small bbq or taking a few clients out to a local event, it’s an informal time to pick their brain about your loyalty program.

the idea is to casually ask a few questions about your program. maybe you want to know if customers are happy with the rewards that they receive, or maybe you’re wondering if employees are promoting the program while you’re away.

create a small list of focused questions and run them by customers as they enjoy the event.

 4. set up a focus group

setting up a focus group might sound time-intensive and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. ask a few customers to participate in a 30-minute focus group after your store has closed to gain valuable insight from them.

recruit participants on social media, through email or by offering a special text promotion. the promotion might say, “participate in our 30-minute focus group this saturday and receive a 30% off coupon for your next purchase.”

however you decide to invite customers, make sure there’s an incentive for them to participate. in addition, make the experience enjoyable. have snacks and refreshments, and keep the tone light and casual.

create a list of specific questions that you’ll ask and be sure to keep track of the responses. you might consider recording the session so you can reference it later on.

wrap up

the insight that you gain from customers can be extremely valuable. by implementing the suggestions that customers provide, you can improve your program, which will likely improve your retention rates too.

how do you collect feedback? what works best for your business? share your thoughts in the comment section below.