You Cannot Measure the Immeasurable and here's why...
More than one option
#1
Your employees aren't one-size-fits-all. Why should your rewards program be? Any recognition tool worth its weight should offer multiple options for rewards—trophies, plaques, and a robust catalog of rewards appeal to the individual employee.
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But beyond the rewards options, you increase the ROI of your rewards and recognition platform when it actually gets used. If your employees can only access it on their laptop or it's impossible to use, it's useless. You'll be out thousands for something no one uses because it's too complicated.
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The ROI of a rewards and recognition platform that's intuitive and accessible on any device is far greater than one that collects dust.
Beyond surface-level customization
#2
When you recognize employees who go above and beyond, you enhance the employee experience. A rewards platform should fit into that experience seamlessly—which is where customization comes into play.
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If you can't tailor your program to individual needs, it might not be as valuable as you think. Before you measure the ROI of simply having a recognition software, ask yourself a few questions:
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Can I configure it or does it have an API that allows for full customization?
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Can I personalize the catalog?
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Do I need a dozen integrations to achieve what I need it to do?
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Can I brand the user interface to create a continuous brand experience (even though it's an external tool)?
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Can I customize the design of certificates or other awards?
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If you can't customize to the level you need to create a truly exceptional employee experience, are you really getting a high return on investment?
#3
Integrations for a seamless workflow
Convenience is priceless. And efficiency is even more valuable. You get both when you work with a rewards and recognition partner whose platform integrates smoothly into your existing workflows.
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Your rewards software should integrate with your tech stack, connecting to your most-used tools—like Slack, Salesforce, Microsoft, and more. These integrations create a seamless experience for your team (and employees) while giving you time back from manual, disjointed processes.
And if you work with a rewards provider like Madison, you can even embed recognition features into your everyday tools for even more convenience.
Unbreakable security
#4
Data breaches cost companies millions of dollars every year and erode employee and customer trust. And while you can quantify the cost of poor security, you can't put a price tag on peace of mind.
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Uncompromising security is a non-negotiable—one that protects you, your employees, and your customers, and provides a sense of peace. Top rewards and recognition providers follow strict security and privacy protocols, including:
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CCPA
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CPRA
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GDPR
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And other data privacy regulations
They also use security features like single sign-on (SSO) to keep everything as secure as possible and give you that much-needed reassurance that your data is protected.
Robust reporting and analytics
We use data to drive smarter decision-making, build better products, create a better customer experience—everything. And just as your other tools collect data, so should your recognition platform.
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But it's not enough to collect data. You need to be able to organize and analyze it to pull out meaningful insights. If you can't, you can kiss ROI goodbye. Here's why:
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Without reports or analytics, you can't capture what happens in the platform or measure performance against benchmarks
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Without real-time data dashboards or visualizations, data is just lots of information with no way to interpret it.
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Look for a rewards tool that includes a robust reporting suite to track:
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Executed recognitions activity
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Platform activity
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Point issuance and redemption activity
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Approval status
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Budget activity
#5
Accessibility for all
#6
Beautiful interface. Intuitive platform. Smooth integrations. Sounds like the perfect rewards and recognition platform, right? While these are all nice to have, you won't get a high return on investment if your platform isn't fully accessible.
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A quality rewards and recognition provider builds its software with accessibility at the forefront and every employee in mind. That means following accessibility standards, like:
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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations
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AA Level and US Section 508
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European Accessibility Act (EAA) (EN 301549)
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Accessibility Canada Act (ACA)
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Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA)
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Israel Standard (IS5568)
And it means creating a stellar experience for every employee, in every geography, with any accessibility requirement.
A dedicated partner
#7
Does your rewards and recognition provider give you the "service" part of software-as-a-service (SaaS)? Do they just onboard you and then leave you to figure everything else out on your own?
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A dedicated account manager who acts as an extension of your team can significantly increase your ROI by providing ongoing support, taking time to truly understand your business needs, and answering questions. Having one person dedicated to your success helps you get more out of the platform.
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Here are a few things to look for to boost ROI when hiring a partner for your rewards and recognition program:
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Is there a customer success or account management team who's available to support you?
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Will they speak the language and understand what you need?
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Will you get a true partner or solely someone to sell you something?
When you get a partner, you also get increased ROI. It's that simple.
Global fulfillment
#8
Whether you're a small business with a few dozen local employees or a global enterprise with a distributed workforce, you should be able to reward and recognize every single one of them—regardless of location.
If they don't, a portion of your employees may feel less appreciated because their rewards are delayed, got lost or stolen, or sat in customs for weeks.
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And we'd argue that when employees don't receive their rewards or have to wait longer than other employees, you defeat the purpose (and ROI) of a recognition program.
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To achieve the highest return on investment of your recognition platform, work with a partner who offers in-country fulfillment options and provides regionally relevant merchandise
Human support
#9
No matter how intuitive your rewards platform is, you'll likely have questions or need some additional support at one point or another. While AI and chatbots have come a long way, they're not a replacement for a human support team.
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Chatbots can answer surface-level questions, but when you need a human being on the other end of your email or phone—one who can understand your needs on a deeper level—AI simply won't do.
And if you're not getting the answers you need to be successful with your rewards and recognition program, are you really getting the ROI you thought? Probably not.
SOCIAL RECOGNITION
Maestro makes employee recognition a bonding social experience--connecting employees with one another, and no feature does that better than MaestroCheer.
TOP RECOGNITION
Madison was named #2 Recognition Provider in a statistical photo finish for first place in HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen 2022 Ranking.
LIFE EVENTS
When employees feel their professional and personal life events matter, work-life balance is a natural byproduct, and so is employee satisfaction.
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