Checking-In In Places: Another Method of Building Customer Loyalty

Mobile apps, like Foursqures, Facebook Places, and Twitter Places, allow people to check-in in places they visit and share their locations with their friends. On Foursquare, members can earn “points” by checking-in places. The more places a member checks-in, the more points s/he earns. Members can compete on the weekly “leaderboard” and see which friend earned the most points for the week. It seems like a real fun game, but what does this mean to business?

On Foursquare, after members check-in in a business, they will receive exclusive member discounts offered by the venue. If a member checks-in in a place more than anybody else, s/he becomes the “mayor” of the place and can enjoy even more specials that are only available for mayors. Foursquare help business capture those potential frequent customers. Now, Foursquare has 4.5 million users, and the number is still growing. Moreover, members can check-in in the space (as stated in the embedded CNN News video, an interview of Foursquare’s Founder and CEO, Dennis Crowley).

I checked-in places on Facebook and Twitter when I was in the City. It was fun! It seems to me that retailers are leading the mobile trend again because I saw signage in the stores of GAP, Macy’s, Lord & Taylors, H & M, and actually almost every retail store in Manhattan, asking people to check-in in their locations on Facebook for exclusive discounts. However, I did not find many promotion flyers in hotels or restaurants.

Referring back to our previous discussion on mobile trend and the mobile coupon concept introduced by Target, what role does cell phone play in today’s business? What is the future of cell phone apps in business? As a customer, how do you like or dislike these location apps? How do you balance between “sharing information” and “protecting your privacy”?

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Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?

Time has changed. I see more and more college students wearing piercings and tattoos nowadays, but is it OK for hotel staff to wear piercings and tattoos? The answer is “no, no, no.” According a report at USAToday.com, customers across the board do not want to see any hotel workers with pierced eyebrow, pierced tongue, tattooed arm, or nose ring. Some may argue that tattooed and pierced workers may seem more acceptable in edgy boutique hotels as compared to the big franchised hotels, but the survey results did not find any differences among a variety of lodging products. Many respondents believe people who wear visible tattoos and piercings are taking a high risk of their professional lives. If you stay in a hotel, do you mind being served by tattooed and/or pierced staff? What if you are the one who makes the hiring decision? References: USAToday.com: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010 Picture was downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010P

Where Coffee Meets Culture: My Experience with Orientation, Socialization, and Culture at Dutch Bros (by Karina Martinez)

When people think of Dutch Bros, they usually picture colorful drinks, loud music, free stickers, and baristas so friendly they’ll jump in the car with you. As someone who has had the opportunity to work for Dutch Bros, I can say that the energy customers feel isn’t an act; it is the result of intentional and effective HR practices that are focused on orientation, socialization, and culture. From your very first day, you experience how these practices shape the entire Dutch experience. Orientation, Socialization, Culture In HR management, orientation is the introduction of the role and company to new hires. This is intended to help them feel welcomed and informed. Socialization goes beyond the initial training process; it’s how new hires grasp the organization’s values, behaviors, and traditions over time. Together, these fun...

Average/Below-Average Looking People Can Earn as Much as the Attractive Ones

Research has shown that attractive people can not only charm interviewers (and thus get hired easier), they are also more likely to earn more as compared to those with average or below-average looks. Accordingly to a Wall Street Journal report , attractive people can earn 3% - 4% more than a person with below-average look. If such difference adds up over a person’s lifetime, an attractive person can earn up to $230,000 more than an ugly worker; even an average-looking person can make $140,000 more. Another relevant Wall Street Journal report also suggests that workers who exercise regularly can earn 9% more than those who do not. If that is the fact (I believe it is), is it legal? Can employers do that? Linchi Kwok and Otto @SyracuseU Career Fair To my knowledge, no law or regulation under EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) considers a person’s look as a protective class. It is true that people in general have an idea of what kind of person they feel attract...

Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

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