My name is Boris, and I’m an Air Canada Air Miles junkie.  It’s an insidious disease, an addiction that creeps up on you slowly.  But when it finally takes hold, you’re left with little choice but to succumb.  The addiction is so consuming that you end up making really stupid decisions – like booking a flight from Toronto to New York, by way of Manchester, England, to earn an extra 47 points.  Sure, the flight is 23 hours long, but you’re and addict so time is irrelevant…and there’s an extra 47 points to earn!

 Simply stated, loyalty programs work.  Thus the reason we’ve seen a proliferation of these programs over the last 10 years. The programs are so prevalent today that I actually find myself saying “no thank you” to many programs, which is odd. Mr. Bozic, we would like to give you free stuff, and my answer is “Nah, I can’t be bothered”.  There’s an explanation for that thought process, some things are just not worth the effort.  There’s a big difference between free fast food and a free flight. I have to hand it to Air Canada, when it comes to a loyalty rewards program; they’re good, really good.  It’s a shame that doesn’t always translate to great customer experiences.  (more…)

One of the unfortunate by-products of the “information” age is that content is required, every minute of the day.  Be it 24 hour news stations, sports stations or online publications etc.  There’s no time to think things through.  In-depth research and analysis takes times, and nobody seems to have it today.  We live in a 24 hour news cycle, and the competition is fierce.  The more salacious or provocative a story is, the greater the chance that eyeballs will be directed to it.  Case and point, Alberta.  Our friends and colleagues in that province must feel like they’re under siege.  It’s a constant bombardment of the “sky is falling” narrative. This is not an “it’s not fair” sentiment an eight year old says that when you make them go to bed by 9:30 pm.  The shame is that there does not appear to be much balance in the news with respect to the price of oil, and the impact it will have in Alberta.  There are contrary opinions in this regard, but you have to look for it.

I came across an article which suggests that the price for a barrel of oil has hit bottom.  This is not a lone opinion, and one individual who is suggesting this has a wee bit of knowledge and credibility in this regard.  (more…)