CRMI Launches First Membership Rewards Program for Customer Service Professionals.

CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- Members earn points as they participate in training programs, events and services that provide career development resources and strengthen job skills

Professionals involved in all aspects of customer interaction within their organizations can "earn as they learn" by joining the new CRMI Membership Rewards Program, a first-of-its-kind membership program announced today by the Customer Relationship Management Institute (CRMI). CRMI is a one-stop shop for a wealth of information, training and services needed to assist organizations in driving revenue and profits through increased customer loyalty.

Members of the CRMI Membership Rewards Program (www.crmirewards.com) earn points as they participate in various training programs, seminars/webinars, CRMI's annual SCORE Conference plus selected services offered by CRMI and its business partners. Similar to how airlines, hotels and credit card companies reward their best customers, CRMI members can redeem their points for valuable rewards, such as merchandise and discounts on shopping, dining, travel and entertainment nationwide. Members can manage their accounts and redeem points online.

CRMI is a valuable resource to professionals involved in all areas of customer contact. While the actual nature of their work varies, those in the professions below all share a common goal of establishing superior relationships that build customer loyalty.

Customer Service                        Call Center Operations
    Field Service                           Help Desk
    Technical Support                       Sales & Marketing
    Human Resources                         Professional Services
    Product Management                      Quality Assurance

"Professionals in each of these areas already have access to membership organizations that provide skill building and career resources within their specific fields," said Richard J. Castellano, president of CRMI. "However, these organizations are dedicated to their specific fields, and do not reach out to those in related fields who also have ongoing contact with customers, prospects and suppliers.

"Our goal is to promote cross-functional cooperation and understanding of how all points of customer contact play a role in ensuring customer loyalty and retention," Castellano said. "We think our membership will find this program very appealing because such incentive programs are not part of their affiliation with other business and trade organizations."

CRMI Services Enhance - and Reward -- Professional Growth

CRMI members earn points for participating in CRMI and partner services, such as:

--Training Seminars/Webinars -- Turning Loyalty Into Gold(SM), Turning Employee Loyalty Into Gold(SM) and Turning Service Into Gold(SM), Lean Six Sigma, Chief Customer Officer, etc.

--Annual SCORE Conference - Since 2003, service executives have found the SCORE (Symposium for Customer Operations and Relationship Exposition) conferences to be invaluable in staying current with the latest developments in building loyalty management strategy and improving customer operations.

--Center for Loyalty Research - benchmarking, survey methodology, key account strategies, best-in-class practices, white papers, etc.

--Certification Programs - at Certified Customer Relationship Professional and Certified Customer Relationship Management levels.

--CRMI Services - grant writing, customer appreciation events, speaker bureau, online focus groups, customer & employee surveys, etc.

--Employee surveys and incentive programs - CRMI surveys provide a comprehensive view of the level of employee satisfaction. Incentive programs are useful form the basis of employee, recognition and reward campaigns.

Membership points can be redeemed for valuable rewards, such as gift certificates valid at stores such as Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Circuit City and Best Buy; Marriott hotels; restaurants including Chili's, Olive Garden, Applebee's, Starbucks and Red Lobster; merchandise (home electronics, sporting gear, watches, etc.), donations to charitable institutions (World Wildlife Fund, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, etc.) and exciting vacation destinations.

CRMI Membership Fees and Rewards Points

Members enroll in the CRMI Membership Rewards Program at one of three levels: Executive (CEO/president, Chief Customer Officer/CCO, VP/CFO), Management (director, manager) and Customer Service Professional/CSP (supervisor, individual contributor).

Those who join at any level before Dec. 31, 2005 enjoy special charter membership fees of $300 for one year and $825 for three years. Charter members lock-in these special rates as long as their active memberships remain current. After that date, the one-year membership fee is $350 and a three-year membership fee costs $975. To get started, one-year members receive 1,000 points and three-year members get 5,000 points. Corporate membership rates are available for groups of employees at substantial discounts over the individual rates.

Redemption levels range from 3,000 points for rewards with a value of $25 up to 100,000 points for rewards valued at $1,000. Members earn 4,000 points and receive a discount for attending a SCORE Conference, and earn 1,000 points for each CRMI or partner seminar they attend. Completing the certification program earns 15,000 points, and 3,000 points are given for purchasing a benchmark report. Points are also awarded for purchases of books, tapes and videos, and bonus points are given to those who renew their memberships at each anniversary date and attend consecutive SCORE Conferences.

"Members who take advantage of CRMI and partner events and services can earn points fairly quickly," Castellano said. "We don't expect people to join the program just for the rewards, but they're an added incentive for service professionals to focus on the career development, networking and skill building benefits of CRMI's services."

About CRMI

The Customer Relationship Management Institute (CRMI) provides a range of educational workshops designed to help organizations create a workplace where employees are motivated and skilled, customers are valued and relationships are maximized. CRMI seminars, webinars and white papers focus on best practices in customer and employee satisfaction, loyalty and retention, as well as incentives that boost employee productivity and performance. Since 2002, hundreds of service, sales, quality and human resource professionals from scores of America's top companies have benefited from CRMI's comprehensive programs. For more information visit www.crmirewards.com, email [e-mail] or call [phone].

All trademarks, service marks and company names are the property of their respective owners.