Customer Loyalty Program

The Loyalty tab on the Customer Form shows the customer's participation in your business's loyalty program. From this tab you can see how many points the customer has earned, check their lifetime spending, understand the dollar value of their points, and manually adjust their point balance when needed. This article covers every aspect of the Loyalty tab and explains how the loyalty program works from the customer management perspective.

Accessing the Loyalty Tab

To view a customer's loyalty information:

1. Open the Customer Form by navigating to Customers in the main menu and selecting the customer.
2. Click the Loyalty tab at the top of the form.
3. The tab loads and displays the customer's current loyalty program status.

Enrollment Status

The first thing you will see on the Loyalty tab depends on whether the customer is enrolled in the loyalty program.

Not Enrolled

If the customer has not been enrolled in the loyalty program, the tab displays a clear message:

Customer is not enrolled in the loyalty program

This message indicates that the customer is not currently participating. No points are being earned on their purchases, and no loyalty statistics are available. To enroll the customer, follow your business's enrollment process (typically handled during checkout at the Point of Sale or through a customer enrollment form).

Enrolled

Once a customer is enrolled, the tab displays a comprehensive set of loyalty statistics and management tools. All of the sections described below are visible only for enrolled customers.

Loyalty Statistics

The main area of the Loyalty tab displays five key statistics that summarize the customer's loyalty program participation:

Understanding Current Points vs. Lifetime Points

It is important to understand the difference between these two figures:

• Current Points is a running balance. It increases when points are earned and decreases when points are redeemed or adjusted downward. Think of it like a bank account balance.
• Lifetime Points is a cumulative total. It only increases — every point earned is added to this total, but redemptions do not subtract from it. Think of it like a lifetime earnings statement.

For example, if a customer earns 200 points on a purchase and then redeems 150 points at the next checkout, their Current Points would be 50 but their Lifetime Points would be 200. If they then earn another 100 points, Current Points would be 150 and Lifetime Points would be 300.

Adjusting Points

The Adjust Points button on the Loyalty tab allows authorized users to manually add or subtract points from a customer's balance. This feature is essential for handling situations that fall outside the normal earn-and-redeem cycle.

How to Adjust Points

1. Click the Adjust Points button on the Loyalty tab.
2. A dialog box appears asking for two pieces of information:
   • Point Amount — Enter a positive number to add points or a negative number to subtract points.
   • Reason — Enter a brief explanation for the adjustment. This reason is recorded in the system for audit purposes.
3. Click OK (or Apply) to confirm the adjustment.
4. The customer's Current Points balance updates immediately to reflect the change.

Common Reasons for Point Adjustments

Manual point adjustments are used in a variety of situations:

• Corrections — If points were incorrectly awarded or missed on a previous transaction, an adjustment corrects the balance. For example, if a cashier forgot to scan the customer's loyalty card during a purchase, you can manually add the points they should have earned.
• Promotions — Your business may run special promotions that award bonus points (for example, "double points this weekend" or "500 bonus points for signing up for email"). If the bonus points were not automatically applied, a manual adjustment ensures the customer receives them.
• Goodwill Gestures — When resolving a customer complaint or service issue, you may choose to award loyalty points as a gesture of goodwill. This can help retain the customer and demonstrate that their business is valued.
• Account Corrections — In rare cases, points may need to be subtracted. For example, if a transaction that earned points was later voided or returned, the corresponding points may need to be removed.

Audit Trail for Adjustments

Every manual point adjustment is recorded with the adjustment amount, the reason provided, and the user who performed the adjustment. This creates a transparent audit trail that managers and administrators can review if questions arise about a customer's point balance.

How Points Are Earned

Points are automatically earned through purchases at the Point of Sale. The earning process works as follows:

1. A customer makes a purchase and their loyalty membership is identified at checkout (by scanning their loyalty card, entering their phone number, or selecting their customer profile).
2. AccuArk calculates the points earned based on the loyalty program configuration. The configuration determines how many points are awarded per dollar spent (for example, 1 point per $1.00 or 10 points per $1.00).
3. The earned points are added to the customer's Current Points and Lifetime Points balances.
4. The purchase amount is added to the customer's Lifetime Spend total.

This entire process happens automatically during checkout. The cashier does not need to manually calculate or enter points — AccuArk handles it based on the program rules configured by your administrator.

How Points Are Redeemed

Points can be redeemed at the Point of Sale during checkout to reduce the transaction total. The redemption process works as follows:

1. During checkout, the cashier identifies the customer's loyalty membership.
2. AccuArk displays the customer's current point balance and the dollar value those points represent.
3. The cashier (or the customer, on a customer-facing display) chooses to redeem some or all of the available points.
4. The dollar value of the redeemed points is subtracted from the transaction total.
5. The redeemed points are subtracted from the customer's Current Points balance (but Lifetime Points remains unchanged).

For example, if a customer has 1,000 points with a redemption value of $10.00, and their purchase total is $45.00, redeeming all 1,000 points would reduce the total to $35.00. The customer's Current Points would drop to 0, but their Lifetime Points would remain at whatever cumulative total they had earned.

The Loyalty Program Configuration

The statistics and values you see on the Loyalty tab are driven by the loyalty program configuration, which is managed by administrators. While you cannot change the program settings from the Loyalty tab itself, understanding the configuration helps you interpret the numbers you see.

Key configuration settings that affect the Loyalty tab include:

• Points per Dollar — Determines how many points are awarded for each dollar spent. A higher rate means customers earn points faster.
• Redemption Rate — Determines the dollar value of each point (or group of points). This directly controls the Redemption Value displayed on the Loyalty tab.
• Minimum Redemption — Some programs require a minimum number of points before redemption is allowed. If a customer's balance is below this threshold, they cannot redeem points at checkout.
• Point Expiration — Some programs expire points after a period of inactivity. If your program uses expiration, points that have expired will be subtracted from the Current Points balance.

If you have questions about how your loyalty program is configured, contact your system administrator or a user with access to the loyalty program settings.

Common Workflows

Checking a Customer's Point Balance Before Checkout

1. Open the customer record and go to the Loyalty tab.
2. Note the Current Points and Redemption Value.
3. Let the customer know how many points they have and what they are worth, so they can decide whether to redeem during their next purchase.

Awarding Bonus Points for a Promotion

1. Open the customer record and go to the Loyalty tab.
2. Click Adjust Points.
3. Enter the bonus point amount (for example, 500) and a reason (for example, "Holiday Double Points Promotion").
4. Confirm the adjustment. The customer's balance updates immediately.

Correcting a Missed Point Earning

1. Determine how many points the customer should have earned on the missed transaction (purchase amount multiplied by points-per-dollar rate).
2. Open the customer record and go to the Loyalty tab.
3. Click Adjust Points.
4. Enter the point amount and a reason (for example, "Points missed on Invoice #1042 - loyalty card not scanned").
5. Confirm the adjustment.

Tips and Best Practices

• Always provide a reason for adjustments — The reason field creates an audit trail that protects both you and the customer. Be specific about why the adjustment is being made.
• Check enrollment before troubleshooting — If a customer reports that they are not earning points, the first thing to check is whether they are enrolled. The Loyalty tab will clearly show if enrollment is missing.
• Use Lifetime Spend to identify VIP customers — The Lifetime Spend figure is an excellent indicator of customer value. Customers with high lifetime spend may warrant special treatment, additional discounts, or targeted marketing.
• Understand the Redemption Value — When a customer asks how much their points are worth, refer to the Redemption Value on the Loyalty tab. This saves you from manually calculating the conversion.
• Coordinate with your administrator — If customers frequently ask about the earning rate or redemption rate, make sure you know the current configuration so you can answer their questions accurately.

What to Read Next

• Customer Marketing Segments — Learn how to segment customers for targeted campaigns
• Customer Profile Information — Manage core contact details and customer preferences