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#478: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Story | TELUS Transforms Loyalty by Delivering Value at Every Connection Point

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In a rapidly evolving telecommunications landscape, where customer choice and switching costs continue to shift, TELUS is rising above the noise. As Canada’s fastest-growing national telco, TELUS is redefining what it means to maintain loyalty—not just through connectivity, but by embedding value into every facet of the customer experience.  

In this edition of Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories, Loyalty360 spoke with Jacob Pullia, who leads the national TELUS Rewards program. Pullia discusses the launch of the unified national program, the strategic partnerships driving deeper engagement, and how TELUS is adapting loyalty to match the needs of a price-sensitive, digitally enabled consumer base.  

Speaker 1:

Good afternoon, Good morning, Mark Johnson from Loyalty360. I hope everyone's happy, safe and well. Welcome to our Leaders in Customer Loyalty podcast series. This is our Brand Stories edition. According to the 2025 State of Customer Loyalty Report, over 60% of brands are actively rethinking or enhancing their customer loyalty programs. Of brands are actively rethinking or enhancing their customer loyalty programs, but what does it take to stand out in an industry where customer engagement is typically low? Enter TELUS, Canada's fastest growing telecom company, which is breaking the mold with its innovative TELUS Rewards program. By delivering real value through personalized offers, compelling content and strategic partnerships, TELUS is redefining what customer loyalty looks like in the telecom space. Joining us today is Jacob Puglia. He's the Director of Content, Strategy and Business Development at TELUS. He's going to take us behind the scenes of this unique transformation and share how TELUS is exceeding customer expectations and setting a new standard of customer loyalty within the telecom industry and any industry actually. It should be a very compelling interview, Jacob. Thank you very much for taking the time to join us today. How are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm good. Thanks, Mark. How are you doing?

Speaker 1:

Doing well. Thank you. First off, for those who may not know, can you tell us a little bit more about TELUS and what you guys do, how you do it and how the company was started?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, definitely so. Telus is the fastest growing national telco in Canada. We have over 20 million customer connections across Canada and we have a diversified telco portfolio. So everything from core connectivity services to new and emerging smart home services, as well as a diversified portfolio with some investments in the healthcare space as well.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and what's led to its great success being the fastest growing telecom company in Canada? How do you guys do that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'd say there's a few things that have led to the success. So one being our network infrastructure excellence. So we've made over $250 billion of investments in Canadian telco infrastructure, mostly our pure fiber network to customers' homes, so big investments in the network that supports our Canadian population. We've really focused in on customer first as underpinning everything that we do in the industry. So we have the most loyal customer base in the Canadian telco industry and industry leading customer retention rates. And then I'd say the other one is strategic diversification. So we've made some big investments, as mentioned, in health care technology and health care innovation. And then the final one would be social purpose, and that really underpins everything that we do. So we're constantly named as one of the most responsible and giving companies, including by Newsweek this past year.

Speaker 1:

OK, we'd love to know a little bit more about your role within the organization, kind of what you do on a daily basis and, more importantly, how did you get to where you are right now? How did you get in customer loyalty, how did you get in customer experience, what led to that kind of position and how did you get there?

Speaker 2:

Yeah for sure. So I started my career in consulting, where I had the opportunity to work with a number of different companies across a range of industries and, more specifically, with Intellis. When I joined had started building out a strategy and partnerships team and as part of that, we look at product strategy across our entire portfolio. So, again, very diversified portfolio of services and, of course, within the product space, a big focus on customer journeys, value proposition definition and customer excellence and, as part of that, our rewards program. We see as something that's strategic and underpins a number of our products and services and, as such, we decided to innovate and invest in our rewards program and our reward transformation, which I can share a bit more about shortly, that's awesome, you know when you look at your role fastest growing telco in Canada you're diversifying the offering, you get to talk about it and you get to make sure that everyone's operationally executing on it.

Speaker 1:

You know what keeps you up at night. What are some of the biggest challenges you face, or maybe even opportunities you feel that you have in your position.

Speaker 2:

So I'd say the big one in the telco sector, and this is not unique to Canada, I'd say it's globally. It's a really price-based market, especially given macroeconomic environments. So as customers look at connectivity as becoming more and more of a commodity, it's. How do you differentiate, how do you drive enough meaningful value to customers that they're feeling like they should be part of the family and you should be their top choice when it comes to telco services? So, as the market becomes easier for customers to switch, how do you actually build that tangible value and that customer relationship and make it meaningful enough that they stick around?

Speaker 1:

Okay, you talked a little bit about tangible value. It's easier now for customers to switch from a telco provider. So you look at some of the changes that are going on within the telco industry. It's evolving rapidly. You touched on a couple different things. How is TELUS kind of responding to that and engaging with the customers as they change?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, customers are increasingly expecting connectivity providers to enable more components of their digital life. So, for example, if I'm at home, I'm expecting my Wi-Fi connectivity to be able to support working from home, streaming in the home, etc. Connectivity everywhere, whether it be for a phone call on the road or data connection wherever it might be. So more and more they're looking at connectivity providers and telco providers to enable their digital life. So where we're seeing the space go and where we're focusing is how to deliver seamless cross-service experiences. So when you're on the go, you have connectivity with us. When you get home and your mobile device connects to the Wi-Fi network that we're managing, we're able to do things like execute a smart home routine, turn on your TV and put on the game. If that's what you were, you know, heading home to watch. Being able to more seamlessly support a customer's life and embed in their lifestyle is really where telcos have the opportunity to play and differentiate again in a very price-based market.

Speaker 1:

Okay, when you look at some of the macroeconomic changes, challenges or some of the pressures that everyone's having I think I saw Canada's CPI came out yesterday, US did as well Inflation kind of a challenge, Some of the economic uncertainty, digital adoption and consumer behaviors that are shifting, you know, when you look at all the kind of changes that you have to keep up with, how do you view the impacts on the customer experience and customer loyalty strategy? Are you seeing or trying to adapt the program to address some of those opportunities?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, definitely. So we're seeing the macroeconomic environment putting more downward pressure on pricing and, of course, impacts on customer loyalty. So what we're doing with the program we're really focusing in on, again, tangible value that we can provide to our customers. So things that we've introduced in our program, like roaming passes Typically if a customer is looking to roam internationally there's a $15 a day roaming pass and again you get that with any telco provider in Canada. We're looking at it to give customers value there so that when they're roaming they have peace of mind, connectivity at no additional cost with roaming passes they get through our program. We're looking at other incentives and perks to help give customers more value throughout, everywhere that they spend, so that their share of wallet doesn't have as much of an impact, given the macroeconomic environment. So we're really focusing in on value and differentiation in the program, especially, again, given some of the external pressures that you mentioned.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you talked about some of the benefits partnerships that you bring to the program, keeping the program fresh and obviously very relevant to your customers. You know you relaunched the National Loyalty Program. Can you talk to us a little bit about what went into the relaunch and some of the expanded perks and partnerships that you have in the program? And you know what inspired this kind of transformation?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and Telus, as a national telco, has always had a stronger presence. We did a market assessment, understood what customers were looking for, what other loyalty programs we're doing, and where we saw high engagement from both of our existing programs. So we came together to bring a national program with tiers based on the services that a household has with us and, again, given our portfolio of services from mobility, home, internet, tv, smart home services, health services we're really focused on providing more value for the entire household and as part of that, our program now has four tiers. Based on the number of services you have determines what tier you fall in, and with every additional service you have, you move up a tier which unlocks incremental perks, incremental value, incremental points earned and, as you mentioned, we have a number of partners that we've brought into the program as well, and our partners are also leaning in on some of the perks and opportunities when it comes to being able to redeem points as part of the program as well.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome Because, as you know, many brands are looking for ways to kind of keep the program top of mind in telco. You know the number of times you're going to engage with that customer is going to be not frequent, right, because you're not retail, you're not a gas or convenience store. So what you're doing is what many brands are trying to do is create the relevant touch points with the customer that can create kind of a deeper engagement long term, correct.

Speaker 2:

Correct and exactly. We're a subscription billing service, so we have that monthly billing relationship and if you think about some of the brands that we're working with, some that are more transactional to your point, that may have, I'll say, closer to a daily or weekly engagement and touch points with customers, as well as some that are more aspirational, like our partnership with WestJet. So we're really looking at the full spectrum and how we have more engagements and touch points with the customer throughout their everyday life.

Speaker 1:

Excellent, and WestJet was the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. You recently added WestJet as a key partner for the updated Telus Rewards program. It's a pretty unique collaboration between a telco and a travel brand. First off, can you tell us a little bit more about how that partnership works and also how are you determining which partnerships are best and most suited for your customers' needs and their values?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So when it comes to determining the best partners and what aligns, I'd say it starts with a shared vision, so appetite for innovation, customer first values and strategic leaders on both sides of the table and that's really what shapes and underpins a strong partnership. And all of those things were true when it came to WestJet. So we see a strong alignment in our brand promise. So WestJet's commitment to connecting Canadians through travel aligns with our mission of connecting people through technology, and we're doing just that. So we brought the two brands together and, you'll see, in the upcoming months we're going to have the opportunity to bring our rewards programs together so customers will have the opportunity to link accounts, earn different perks, be able to transfer points between programs, and what you'll see is that telus is going to help enable um innovative and differentiated experiences through the, the day of travel that's presented by TELUS. Everything throughout that journey is going to become more seamless for the customer when we're bringing our two brands together and really focus on the customer journey and customer first principles.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I know the new TELUS reward program has a tiered benefit structure, kind of based on service enrollment and product enrollment. Can you tell us a little bit about how that structure has worked, how you kind of came up with that structure and you know how you think it's going to deepen or enhance the relationships you have with your customers?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So the structure creates tangible value for customers who choose to add more services with us. And again, we offer services from mobility, internet, smart home TV, health and some new emerging services as well, and the reward experience is one that grows, with our customers reflecting the value that we put as they choose us and we earn their trust with every other connection in their home. So each tier adds incremental benefits, whether it be new perks, higher points earned, but it creates more value for the customer by choosing to have more of their services with TELUS.

Speaker 1:

Okay, personalization is a pretty relevant topic with brands these days, understanding kind of what works. How do you make the kind of the communication, the product, the rewards and incentives personalized so it could be redemption, it can be content, you know, how are you looking at personalization from the TELUS Rewards Program and what are you seeing from an outcome perspective?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'd say we're early on this journey. We're still in an education phase with the relaunch of the program, but as we start to think about personalization, it's back to all the touch points we have with the customer and the household. So, across our services understanding what customers are watching to your point on TV and streaming services that they have through us, to their healthcare needs, to their smart home and daily life we're looking at ways that we can embed offers and perks within their everyday lifestyle patterns and it's definitely top of mind for us as we evolve the program following our relaunch in the last month or two here.

Speaker 1:

Okay, customer loyalty is obviously very important to brands many brands, right. One of the things that we get the privilege of doing is speaking with very smart, well-intentioned but also deeply successful customer loyalty programs like you and the one that you run. So having a qualitative understanding of what customer loyalty means to brands is very important. So what does customer loyalty mean to you and to TELUS?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for TELUS I'd say customer loyalty is fundamentally about customer first and that's in everything that we do, from designing and launching a new product or service to each of the customer journeys we have, and again to the value propositions that we bring to our customers through our rewards program. So we view loyalty as earning their trust and earning the ability to serve them every day and provide more services to the household, and constantly we're putting you know. Customer first is a key principle in everything that we do.

Speaker 1:

Okay, we talked about a little bit earlier, but there's this big discussion right now around value. How can you help me through this, this, this, you know, potentially challenging time, right? So value is kind of a big piece. You know, when you look at value, how's that impacting the telecom, the technology space? With regard to what are customers asking for? How are you bringing more value to them?

Speaker 2:

I'd say customers are more value driven than ever, so it's ensuring they feel we're delivering on our brand promise. Ensure that we're delivering on our brand promise. Ensure that we're delivering on customer-first mentality in everything we do Part of it. Again back to some of the partnerships that we're building. It's our ecosystem of partners that we're integrating into the program, so customers feel like we can be their single partner when it comes to telco services and also work with some of the other brands and Canadian brands that they love and interact with, whether it be daily, weekly or again on a more aspirational, annual basis.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So, when you look at the next big thing, what is Telus working on? The next big thing, what is Telus working on? What's the next big thing that you think? Customer loyalty, or you're going to add or be considering for a customer loyalty, customer experience perspective, what are you looking at?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So following the launch of the national Telus rewards program in the last month or two, here we're still in that education stage of the program, so it's new to many Canadians. So I'd say our first principle there is really simplification, so making sure customers can easily understand the value that the program brings and reasons to interact and engage with the program. From there I think you hit the other big point, which is going to be personalization, so understanding through our partner ecosystem, what other partners they interact with, what their preference is when it comes to perks, benefits, to their preferred currency of points. Even, we're going to be looking to personalize and bring the experience to them across a number of partner brands that we're working with as well.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. And when you look at the program, all the success you have award-winning program won two awards at the 2025 Loyalty360 Awards and it's great to see that success. What are two or three things that you're most proud of regarding your program?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'd say, firstly, the team that's been with the program for a number of years, again starting with a program that we had in Alberta and BC that was really Western focused, to a separate program in Quebec that also had a number of successes and learnings, and being able to bring those two programs together and evolve them into a national program.

Speaker 2:

We have a strong team, so really proud of that I think. The other one I'd say is that we're proud of the amount of value that we're able to bring to Canadians on top of just making us for their core telco services. But the incremental value we're bringing with some of the perks, benefits, being able to increase the value we're bringing to every Canadian household that's with telus is is um a big excitement of mine. And maybe the third one I'd say is um the success of our launch to date with uh, with no marketing and really being through a word of mouth and one-to-one communication with eligible customer base uh. Within a month we saw 100,000 new reward members sign up. So really excited about the opportunity that the program is bringing and, again, the more value that we can drive into every Canadian household.

Speaker 1:

Excellent. You know, when you look at kind of the program, continue to evolve it. You're an active member of loyalty 360. And we definitely appreciate that. And what can loyalty 360 do to help you and your team with your program?

Speaker 2:

yeah, there's a few things. So one again with uh. With the relaunch of the program here, we're still early days in education of the program to more canadian households. So all of the learnings that uh, that loyalty 360, can bring when it comes to personalization and customer preferences as we continue to develop our rewards roadmap and our loyalty roadmap. Secondly would just be the network of other Loyalty360 partners. A ton of great learnings and loyalty leadership that's engaged through Loyalty360 has been tremendous as well. So even at Loyalty Expo, having the opportunity to network with other like-minded individuals was a great opportunity for us to think about how we want to shape and continue to evolve our program.

Speaker 1:

Excellent. Well, thank you very much, Jacob, for the amazing insight on the program and also getting to know you a little bit better. It was great connecting, but you're not off the hook yet. We have our wonderful quickfire questions where we like a short phrase or a few word response. So I get in trouble with Hannah and Ethan. I don't like being in trouble, so the first question I have is what is your favorite word?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean innovation. It underpins everything that we do. We're constantly looking at where is the market going and where can we bring things.

Speaker 1:

Okay, what is your least favorite word that you or others use?

Speaker 2:

Difficult when folks say it's too difficult. You know how do we break down the problem. How do we overcome it. How do we tackle it as a team here. How do we overcome it? How do we tackle it as a team here Okay. What excites you? Ambiguity and autonomy. So open-ended problem and runway to go solve it. Okay. You know what do you find tiresome? I'd say again maybe it's spin with difficult problems, right. How do we just break down the problem into manageable chunks and again start tackling?

Speaker 1:

Okay, you know, is there a book that you've read, or you read frequently, that you'd like to recommend to colleagues?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'd say, playing to win really focuses in on where you should play in the market, how, how you're set up for success and why you have the right to win there, which which is always key.

Speaker 1:

Excellent. You know what profession under the other than the one you currently have? Would you maybe like to try?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean I have content in my portfolio which is always an exciting one, so somewhere in the production creative field would be exciting.

Speaker 1:

Okay and last question how do you want to be remembered by your friends and family?

Speaker 2:

Someone who's very open and honest and a good team member, someone that's supportive and always there.

Speaker 1:

Okay, well, excellent. Well, jacob, thank you again for taking the time to speak with us today. It was a pleasure speaking with you and also getting an update on the TELUS program. Look forward to hearing more about the new program and some of the new partnerships you guys will bring to bear, I'm sure, over the nextELUS program. Look forward to hearing more about the new program and some of the new partnerships you guys will bring to bear, I'm sure over the next year or so.

Speaker 2:

Great Thanks, mark, appreciate the time.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and thank you everyone for taking the time to join us, for our Leaders and Customers, multiseries. Look forward to having you back every Thursday and until then, have a wonderful day.