In 2005, when Southfield-based Flypaper Marketing (then known as Merchant Internet Group) was acquired by Netlink, a leading national IT and business process solutions company, it had three employees. Today, it has 30 and was recently named the preferred vendor for the North American Association of Subway Franchisees – more than 23,000 members strong.
Flypaper has retained its own identity within the Netlink structure; it deals in particular with primary customer loyalty and marketing management solution. Basically, Flypaper helps stores and franchisees keep in touch with their customers via custom e-newsletters, loyalty targeted coupons and other promotions.
Flypaper's director of operations Mya Mazzone explains a typical Flypaper-client relationship, by using the example of Panera Bread franchises with at least 13-18 stores. "All of their locations would be on board with an email club, a customer loyalty program. Your home location becomes the location you sign up at and emails are skinned to be coming from that particular location."
Flypaper generates reports on which franchise signs up the most members, which can be used to motivate individual restaurants. Reports also tell franchisees how many email club members use a coupon and how many print it out. Members can rate a coupon's usefulness and send comments about the restaurant.
Mazzone says this feedback is important. "If a customer is having an issue with a merchant, the manager has the opportunity to turn that customer into a lifelong customer," by righting the wrong or issuing extra coupons, she explains. The Flypaper account manager is able to deal with any technical issues customer may have, such as trouble printing a coupon.
Now that Flypaper is fully integrated with Netlink, Mazzone says the partnership is for the best. "We didn’t lose any customers and I know they are much happier. We've been able to up our services, update our templates and be much more creative as well. Even just our standard service is just that much more eye-appealing."
Flypaper also works with Starbucks, Nick-N-Willy's Take-N-Bake Pizza, Burger King and Domino's Pizza franchisees and several hundred individual accounts. With the addition of the Subway franchisee relationship, Mazzone foresees the need to bring another account manger on board within a year.
The parent company, Netlink, has over 1,000 employees and is actively acquiring smaller firms to broaden its organization. Mazzone says, "Netlink, in general, is growing in leaps."
Source: Mya Mazzone, Flypaper
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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