A CSM Perspective on Customer Loyalty at VMware

Influitive Customer Story - Dynatrace

February 22, 2023

I became the CSM for VMware after Tiffany and Audrey launched VMware’s new and improved Champions and loyalty program. It’s such a unique use case for Influitive, and it’s a complex program. When I came in, I saw how methodical and thought out the plan was, not only for the event but for their Rewards versus Champions programs. And because of the thought and planning that went into the programs, I was really excited to support their team at VMware Explore along with Influitive Content Strategist Kathryn Verdoni.

 

Driving Engagement on Both Sides of the Table at VMware Explore

Our main purpose was to make sure that the VMware team saw value in us being there, supporting their efforts but also allowing them to enjoy the event and connect with attendees.

Of course, I wanted to help VMware hit their registration targets, but I also wanted to get to know the VMware Champions and potential Rewards members. Tiffany and Audrey are so passionate about their advocates, I wanted to help ensure the members’ transition from the old program to the new program was seamless. As their CSM, it was also important for me to learn what advocates liked (and didn’t like) about the previous program and what drove them to return again and again. 

As anyone who’s attended a professional event knows, it’s really about the engagement. People came up to the table and asked us, “What’s VMware Rewards?” We would give them an explanation, sometimes walking them through the program and helping them onboard right then and there. For this event, we had QR codes that took people to the program, and we could be right next to them as they went through the first challenges. We would also let them know about other activities happening at the event and ways to engage 365 days a year. 

At one point, there were about 50 people standing around the booth, with five of us trying to get around and speak to everybody. You want to have that face time with potential members aka event attendees, so the more bodies and support you have at an event is of huge value. Of course, getting people into the program and then engaging them later is another story, but you have to get members into the program first in order to grow and learn from members and improve the program. That’s exactly what we helped the VMware team do, which was awesome.

We also got to have conversations with VMware team members who had input into the communities or program but didn’t necessarily know the ins and outs of the program. We got to learn more about VMware and also answer questions about Influitive. It was a very collaborative space, making sure we’re all running as a well-oiled machine.

I think it put Tiffany and Audrey at ease knowing they had people from Influitive on board, and we had the support of the rest of our Influitive team behind us, too. If something wasn’t working as it should, we could ping our offsite team and stay on that line of communication so that they could really focus their attention on making those connections with their members—knowing the issue would be resolved. These kinds of events are always stressful. Something always goes awry or needs tweaking, and as far as the platform is concerned, we handled those elements for the VMware team.

During our last dinner together after the event, they told us, “We’re so happy that you both came so that we could actually enjoy those events.” That was a really powerful moment.

 

During our last dinner together after the event, they told us, “We’re so happy that you both came so that we could actually enjoy those events.” That was a really powerful moment.

It was so rewarding to see Tiffany’s and Audrey’s excitement spread to their advocates. And I got the best of both worlds: having that face time with people from a new program and building relationships with the program admins. It was a huge success, and we exceeded our targets that VMware had set.

 

The Uniqueness of the Loyalty Program

From the moment I began working with Tiffany and Audrey, I could tell that they had internal buy-in from other teams because of the way they’ve integrated their programs with their other existing communities, which are extensive. And I know they had really hard conversations to get to this place, but they were able to navigate those conversations so well is amazing. Other teams saw the value in the loyalty program based on the conversations that Audrey and Tiffany had, which is something that some customers find hard to achieve. They built out an ecosystem that supports each other and doesn’t see each other as competing, which is unique and interesting. Check out Audrey and Tiffany’s Influitive customer story to learn more about their loyalty program journey.

They built out an ecosystem that supports each other and doesn’t see each other as competing, which is unique and interesting.

A lot of people are very hesitant to change, but having those really tough conversations can build an existing community into a really beautiful thing. VMware is a perfect example of that. You need to get a lot of internal buy-in and have many conversations around why it’s important for this change. And if you don’t know what to do, talk to your CSM. We’ll bring in an expert and have difficult conversations with you in order to support you. 

No one is an island. As a CSM, we’re always there because their success is our success. We’re in it together, and even though I’m not part of your business, I’m always an open door in terms of hearing and listening and helping provide as much support as I can.