Sticki System Uses RFID to Acquire and Retain Customers

Those who visited Administaff's booth could receive a branded Administaff card containing an RFID tag, then go to a kiosk and fill out a Web-based form. There, the visitor could input the tag's printed number, along with his or her name, title, contact information and data regarding his or her company. By filling out the form, visitors created what The Targeted Group calls an online locker.

From there, those visiting the booth were invited to try out a golf swing analysis program—one of three activity-based systems designed to engage prospective clients and offer organizations opportunities to build relationships with those customers (The Targeted Group was founded by former golf pro Richard Brasser; the other two programs are poker and racing). The golf analysis program records a video of a visitor's golf swing, analyzes it and provides tips and suggestions for improvement. That information is then posted in the visitor's online locker.

A fixed RFID interrogator, set up in Administaff's booth, captured each visitor's RFID-enabled card. The information that visitor had input in the Web-form was then displayed on a computer screen that Administaff's employees could see. "The sales people had access to data about who they were talking to," Evely explains. "This allows for interaction, and takes it to a new level. It is real time, and can enable the salesperson to talk with the prospective client about things that he or she is interested in, rather than approaching them randomly."

The Sticki System, which The Targeted Group plans to continue developing and selling, can be customized to work in a variety of other applications as well, including loyalty programs for fast-food restaurants and retail shops. According to Evely, a national fast-food chain he is not yet at liberty to name intends to implement the system and integrate it with its existing loyalty program and point-of-sale (POS) platform. Customers who opt in will be able to visit a secure Web site, fill in an online profile and place an RFID-enabled sticker on their car's windshield. When those individuals visit the chain's drive-throughs to place a food order, the salesperson will be able to view their preferences and personalize the ordering experience.

"The clerk could know that the customer likes his iced tea with two lemons, and that his usual order is a chicken sandwich," Evely states. "When the customer drives up, the clerk could say hello and ask if the customer would like his usual. This makes service more efficient, and that translates into hard dollars. The customer has an easier, more personal experience, and the fast-food retailer can serve the customer faster, and in a whole new way."