Ford + Lincoln Rewards: Missing Points Journey Redesign
Client & Ecosystem: Ford Motor Company & Lincoln Motor Company (Ford Re-Imagine / Global Own)
Role: UX Creative Director / Senior UX Strategy Lead
Core Competencies: Self-Service UX Design, Call Deflection Strategy, Service Design, Friction Reduction, Cross-Brand Design Architecture
Key Business KPIs: Inbound call center volume reduction, self-service claim completion rate, resolution cycle time, customer satisfaction (CSAT)
Platforms: iOS, Android, Responsive Web (FordPass & Lincoln Way ecosystems)
My primary objective was to align customer care operations with digital product teams, shifting the paradigm from reactive call handling to proactive digital self-service.
Key Strategic Pillars:
Call Driver Analysis: Collaborated with customer service leaders to identify the top friction drivers behind missing points calls (e.g., dealer sync delays, missing receipt data, unlinked vehicle accounts).
Dual-Brand Experience Strategy: Built a scalable, core UX framework that served both the utilitarian, trust-driven design language of Ford Rewards and the white-glove, effortless standard of Lincoln Access Rewards.
Proactive Status Transparency: Shifted the strategy from simple "claim forms" to proactive status tracking, preventing queries before they occurred.
SOLUTION + EXECUTION
1. In-App Discovery & Transaction Transparency
We embedded key moments of discovery directly into the rewards history feed, providing immediate context before users felt the need to contact support.
Real-Time Transaction Status: Introduced clear visual indicators for "Pending," "Processing," and "Credited" points with estimated processing timelines.
Contextual "Don't See Your Points?" Prompts: Placed gentle discovery triggers at natural points of friction in the transaction history, guiding users straight into the digital resolution flow.
2. Streamlined Self-Service Claim Journey
We designed a step-by-step digital claim flow that replaced phone support with a seamless in-app submission tool.
Smart Data Input & OCR Upload: Built guided forms allowing users to submit repair order numbers, dealer details, or VINs, backed by receipt camera uploads for instant proof-of-service.
Instant Verification Logic: Integrated backend validation to immediately confirm eligible service transactions and auto-populate known dealer details.
3. Automated Claim Tracking & Feedback Loops
In-App Claim Status Hub: Provided a dedicated dashboard where users could track submitted claims without reaching out to support agents.
Proactive Push Notifications: Integrated real-time alerts when a claim was received, approved, or credited, closing the loop with complete transparency.
Significant Call Deflection: Successfully diverted a high volume of missing points inquiries away from phone channels and into digital self-service.
Operational Cost Savings: Reduced customer support overhead costs associated with manual point lookups and agent processing time.
Accelerated Resolution Time: Shortened average claim resolution timelines, converting a major point of friction into a moment of brand trust.
High Self-Service Adoption: Achieved strong user adoption of the new digital claim submission tool across both Ford and Lincoln mobile apps.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To reduce expensive call center volumes and improve customer satisfaction across both Ford Rewards and Lincoln Access Rewards, we redesigned the end-to-end "Missing Points" problem-resolution journey. By transforming a fragmented, support-heavy workflow into an intuitive, transparent self-service digital experience, we empowered users to discover, track, and claim uncredited loyalty points directly within the FordPass and Lincoln Way apps.
THE CHALLENGE
A primary driver of customer dissatisfaction in loyalty programs occurs when earned rewards fail to credit automatically after dealership service visits or vehicle purchases.
For Ford and Lincoln customer operations, this friction created two major operational pain points:
Inflated Customer Support Costs: A significant percentage of all call center queries were repetitive requests from customers asking where their missing points were or how to claim them.
Opaque Resolution Experience: The existing loyalty experience lacked visibility into transaction processing times and offered no digital mechanism to request missing points, forcing users to rely on phone support as their only recourse.