HP launches one-of-a-kind customer loyalty programme

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

For the first time in Sri Lanka, the global IT giant Hewlett-Packard launched a one-of-a-kind customer loyalty programme, the HP E Club Loyalty Programme earlier this week. Introduced by the HP Sri Lanka Personal Systems Group, the programme is an extension of their Everybody On campaign and aims to enhance service delivery standards, providing a new dimension in customer service and support. It will enable existing HP customers and potential new users to experience world class HP service island-wide and customers will also be eligible for future promotions and rebates.

HP Personal Systems Group Country Business Manager Lakshmindra Fernando (second left) hands over a HP E Club Membership to HP Brand Ambassador Angelo Mathews (second right) while HP Market Development Manager Darshana Dissanayake (far left) and HP Personal Systems Group Channel Marketing Manager and Marketing Specialist Ginsara Dias  look on – pic by Shashika Ranasinghe

“Through the E Club Membership we have created a unique, compelling and believable brand promise for all our existing and potential notebook users, delivering world class after sales support services,” stated the HP Personal Systems Group Channel Marketing Manager and Marketing Specialist Ginsara Dias.

HP Personal Systems Group Country Business Manager Lakshmindra Fernando further explained that service delivery has become a very crucial point today because a lot of customers do not know what they are buying when they buy a notebook and it’s something that has become part and parcel of a person’s day-to-day life. Having that in mind, HP felt the need to ensure that they provide the best levels of service and support to their customers.

Through this programme, once customers purchase any product from the HP consumer notebook or commercial notebook range from authorized HP dealers, they can register the product online at www.hp.lk and become a member of the HP E Club. Customers will receive a loyalty card and this will be passport for superior HP support island-wide. Subsequently, the HP E Club loyalty programme will be extended to desktop computers as well and E Club customers will be given priority status when it comes to service at all HP service centres. Furthermore they can receive extended warranty at a concessionary rate and receive all promotions and bundle offers from the HP Personal Systems Group on a priority basis. Customers will also be the first to know of all HP events and product launches and will receive exclusive invitations to such activities.

“It’s going to be quite encouraging because this is the first time an IT company is launching something of this nature because what we believe is that we don’t just want to sell a product and forget about it. We need to ensure that our customers are happy and will come back for more products and will talk about the HP experience to other customers as well so it’s not just about bits and bytes, it’s also about delivery and customer satisfaction as well. We are no longer merely selling the hardware component; we need to deliver more with the emergence of the notebook market,” said the Country Business Manager.

He went on to say that previously, there was no compelling reason for HP to launch a service of this nature because the market was then dominated by desktops and with the introduction of notebooks, people have switched to notebooks quite dramatically which also means that users need to be extra careful about the usage. Subsequently, the interest in service delivery increased and HP felt that it was time to step up their level of service and stand above the rest.

“HP has been doing very well this year, we foresee an increase in sales as the market is changing shape now; technology adoption in rural areas is quite widespread so because of that the penetration is quite high and as a result we see big growth. We have many programmes lined up in order to tap into this market and we will be putting these programmes into action next month or so,” added Fernando.

He added that HP is currently the number one both worldwide and in Sri Lanka in the sale of notebooks. Statistics show that worldwide notebooks comprise of 90 per cent of sales and desktops a mere 10 per cent and in Sri Lanka sales comprise of 70 per cent notebooks and 10 per cent desktops.