Got a surprise in my inbox today in the form of a lengthy survey on behalf of Rogers Communications on the subject of potential loyalty rewards programs and what I as a Rogers customer might think about said programs. It was a well thought out survey all said and done, and painted the picture of a very robust rewards program with perks ranging from free on-demand rentals to Blue Jays or Raptors tickets. If I wasn't such a cynic, I might have been moderately impressed. But... For the amount and severity with which the Big 3 Telco's (Bell, Rogers, Telus) gouge Canadian consumers on a regular basis, giving something back via a loyalty/rewards program is such a small step in the right direction. In the end, a reward program of this nature is a very thinly veiled attempt to placate customers into loyalty and stay a very short step ahead of the competition. It lacks innovation and imagination. After all the flak directed at the Big 3 throughout the Usage Based Billing debacle, I hoped that the message might be getting through that we as Canadians are sick and tired of being raked over the coals by ISPs with little to no recourse thereafter. I honestly hoped when I read the opening pages of this survey that the fine folks at Rogers would be looking for a bigger or better olive branch to extend to the Canadian population than Rogers-centric Air Miles. I know it's probably not my place to project my wants onto them... but for a second, I'd like to think they care. As a customer, and a loyal one for a number of years, I'd like to think that the company would be aiming to offer rewards, savings, and bonuses in a more organic and meaningful way. If the program is designed to drive loyalty as the name/purpose suggests, collecting points isn't the answer. You can't buy real loyalty. Loyalty needs trust. Loyalty needs engagement. Logging into a web app to check my points does not equal engagement. Points per dollar don't equal trust. How nice would it be to rather unexpectedly, without membership in a silly program, or being forced to accumulate and manage points, to see a coupon code in your inbox to be redeemed for a free movie download? Maybe a few surcharges removed from your bill at random, or a nice surprise of a fee of some sort waived, or heavily discounted for a month? How does that random act of kindness impact you then? How does that alter your impression of the company? More importantly though, unconscious of your impression... how does that influence your emotional connection with the company? I'd have to think that an occasional surprise thank you to customers would have a greater emotional impact on us customers, thinking the gesture an actual act of kindness... it might almost suggest the faceless corporation actually cares about something other than the bottom line for a minute or two. Ah, one can hope anyway. Either way, without better options in the internet duopoly, giving anything, even if it takes the shape of a loyalty program, back to customers is better than the doing nothing at all that has been the status quo for far too long.