Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai has launched an alumni rewards programme — Great Lakes Insider — for its 9,800+ alumni across 33 countries. The virtual launch was held at the B-school’s alumni meet, Confluence 2021, recently. The unique programme aims to incentivise and drive alumni engagement.
The institute has partnered with over 300 brands across travel, hospitality, lifestyle, and other sectors, to offer gift vouchers, merchandise, and various other attractive gifts for its alumni. Adidas, Amazon, Myntra, Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Zomato, Big Basket, Book My Show, ClearTrip, Croma, MakeMyTrip, Flipkart, Hidesign, Home Center, Lenovo, Nike, O2 Spa, Philips, Pizza Hut, Puma, Reliance Digital, Westside, Yatra, Samsung are among the top brands involved in the collaboration.
Rewards tracking system
The B-school has set up a SaaS-based rewards portal which tracks alumni activities and associated reward points. The incentives are tied to specific, measurable engagements. The reward points depend on the type of engagement — writing blogs, conducting research with faculty, mentoring students, giving talks, and so on. For instance, if an alumnus is part of a panel which requires 8-9 hours of conducting student recruitment interviews, the reward points credited will be of a higher value. This year, the B-school has planned 12 such activities for the alumni to take advantage of. The alumni can redeem the points against gift vouchers from various partnered brands or they can combine cash and points to redeem certain high-level rewards.
Dean Suresh Ramanathan said, “We are proud to present ‘Great Lakes Insider’ for our vast alumni base spread across the globe. The rewards programme has something for everyone and the perks of being a Great Lakes alumni are now endless. This offers tremendous potential for the students to network, get back in touch with their batchmates, seniors, and junior pass-outs while remaining an integral part of Great Lakes and stay connected forever.”
Fostering a widespread network
Through this programme, the B-school hopes to foster a larger network of ‘Awesome, Active, Alumni’ (AAA) abreast with the happenings at Great Lakes.
Asked if the relationship with alumni can end up being transactional, a Great Lake spokesperson responded, “Not at all. Great Lakes alumni are already very loyal to the institute, as any alumni should be and wear the Great Lakes brand with pride. The mega alumni meets are testaments to prove the same. With a robust rewards tracking system in place, we have ensured that rewards are given to alumni who stay connected, get involved and give back. It is far from just a transactional relationship, but one that can nurture the widespread network.”