Visible Results Protects New Zealand Data Centre Operations By Securing Additional Patents
New Zealand Customer Relationship Management (CRM) specialists, Visible Results, has been awarded a patent to cover its
loyalty technology and processes in its international Data Centre based in New Zealand. These will protect the processes
used in global loyalty programmes that rely on the company’s unique thermal read-write technology.
The new patents provide protection to Visible Results’ international operations hub and DataCentre located in Auckland,
which processes information captured at the point-of-sale from retail transactions worldwide. As customers complete a
purchase, the GraphiCard ™ loyalty card is swiped through a freestanding counter-top unit. Its unique thermo-chromic
process enables the message on the face of the card to change with every transaction.
Messages can convey such information as updates of points earned, particulars of instant winner games and details of
special offers. The face of the card can also provide media space for vendor advertising.
Visible Results gained a number of US, European and Asia-Pacific patents for this technology when it acquired United
States company GraphiCard Systems International in February 2001. The company has subsequently developed related
processes and technologies as part of the overall CRM system that runs client programmes, and for which it has now
secured patents.
The New Zealand patents bring the number owned by Visible Results to five, with an additional nine at the application
stage.
Visible Results Auckland DataCentre employs around thirty-four people, and is responsible for eight CRM programmes in
New Zealand, including Mobil Max, BLOCKBUSTER® Rewards and Dymocks Booklover, and a further thirty programmes
internationally. It services over 3.2 million members worldwide. Seventy-seven other programs are operated under licence
on Visible Results’ patented CRM platform. As well as the unique GraphiCard loyalty card technology, Visible Results’
CRM applications currently include call centre management systems, loyalty card programme management software, campaign
development and management software, retail specific customer segmentation models and behaviour prediction models. Each
application is available as an ASP or hosted service, and clients throughout the world interact with the applications in
their own language via a secure web interface.
Visible Results currently operates programmes in fifteen countries and five languages, and is planning to extend both
the global reseller network and suite of CRM applications over the next 12 months.
About Visible Results
Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand the Visible Results Group of Companies has, since its inception in 1997, emerged
as one of the world’s leading customer relationship firms, serving a growing client base across the general retail
industry. The company currently operates programs in fifteen countries globally, including the USA, Australia, New
Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Spain, Colombia, China and Hong Kong.