Earn Program Settings

Incentive programs serve as a valuable form of recognition and reward, extending beyond peer or managerial acknowledgments. Earn programs empower employees to take ownership of their incentives by enabling them to earn rewards for achieving goals, completing tasks, and participating in various initiatives. These programs offer organizational customization to align with specific objectives and budgets. This article outlines the general settings of Earn programs and provides a step-by-step guide for their creation and editing. The Building a Monetary Earn Program article also serves as an additional resource.

 

1. Navigating to Earn
2. Adding an Earn Program
3. General Settings
4. Configuring Rules
5. Display Settings
6. Questions Settings
7. Notifications Settings
8. Additional Assistance

Navigating to Earn

To access Earn program settings:

1. Log in to your Awardco account.
2. Select the Admin button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
3. From the left navigation menu, select “Recognition,” "Programs," then "Earn Programs.”
   
    

On this page, you can toggle Earn programs "on" or "off." This setting controls the visibility of Earn programs to employees on the homepage. The screenshot below illustrates the homepage with this feature enabled.

The text entered in the "Page Title" field will appear as the tab name in the navigation bar.

Below the toggle, a list of all active Earn programs is displayed. Clicking on a program name allows you to edit its settings. To duplicate an Earn program, click the "..." icon to the right of the program name. Archived Earn programs can be accessed by toggling the "Archived" option.
 

Adding An Earn Program

Let's walk through the process of creating an Earn program. In this example, we will set up a program where employees can claim 10 points for completing HR training.

1. Select "Add Program" at the top right of the screen.
2. Enter a name for the program, a start date, and a start time.
3. To schedule the program to become available at a specific future time, input the desired date and time. The default time zone is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), but you can select your preferred time zone from the drop-down menu.
4. Selecting an end date will automatically archive the program on the specified date, preventing employees from earning further points through it.
5. Once these settings are finalized, select "Create Program."
    

General Settings

In the general settings view, you can modify an Earn program's name and dates after its creation. Additionally, you have the option to upload a custom image that will serve as the header image for the program when users select this recognition type. A selection of recommended images is available, or you can upload your own image with dimensions of 1200px by 600px for optimal display.

Adding a concise program description helps users easily identify and select the relevant program. Including a "Learn More" link provides access to additional details when users click the "learn more" option for each program. This feature can further guide users in choosing the correct program for submissions and understanding its specifics.

The FAQ feature, when enabled, displays a link on the recognition submission page. Clicking this link opens a pop-up window where you can outline program guidelines for users to consider when submitting an award. Click "Edit" to modify the content users see. If any text is entered in the "Display" field, the FAQ link will be visible on the submission screen, even if the message box is empty. The HTML box allows you to input content for the pop-up window using HTML, enabling the inclusion of images, PDFs, or other custom documents.

Select "Next" to save your General settings and proceed.
 

Configuring Rules

The Rules section allows you to define participation eligibility, earning frequency, and budget allowances.

• Reward Giver: Specify who the recognition will be attributed to. Options include the company bot, the earner's supervisor, a specific metadata tag associated with a user, or a designated user within the system. If the metadata option is selected, the system will first check the earner's supervisor for a matching tag, then proceed up the chain of command until a user with the specified tag is found.
• Eligibility Limits: Determine which users are eligible to receive awards through this Earn program. You can choose to make all users eligible or restrict eligibility based on groups, metadata tags, or individual user selections. Only designated users will be able to claim rewards through the program.
  • Claim Limits: These are configured as individual rules. Remember to configure the limit and then save each rule separately. You can opt to have no limits on the Earn program by toggling "No Limits"; however, this is generally not recommended. Rules can be configured using the following fields:
  • Limit Period Based On: Define the start of the limit period. Options include the first day of the current calendar period (year, month, quarter, etc.) or the program's start date. If the latter is selected, limits will be based on the most recent anniversary of the start date (e.g., if today is April 12, 2021, and the program started on June 23, 2019, the most recent anniversary is June 23, 2020; if the start date was March 23, 2015, the most recent anniversary is March 23, 2021).
  • Recipient: Choose either "All Users" to allow everyone in your organization to claim rewards or select a "Role" (Employees, Group Managers, Executive Managers, or Admins) to designate specific roles eligible to claim Earn recognitions.
  • Frequency | Amount: Determine whether to limit claims by frequency (number of submissions) or the total monetary value of nominations within a set period (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually).
  • Show Remaining: When set to "Yes," the number of remaining claims available to a user submitting an Earn request will be displayed on their recognition submission form, based on the limit rules you establish. For example, if users are allowed four Earn requests per quarter, they will see how many they have left for the current quarter on the submission page.

For our example, the reward giver will be the Bot, all users will be eligible to claim a reward once every three months, and the limit period will be based on the calendar year start date. For any claim limit rule created, remember to click "Add Rule" to save your changes.

• Budget: All Earn awards will draw from a single designated budget. Use this tool to select the relevant budget. The "Manage Budgets" option provides a direct link to the Budgets tab.
• Award Network: The award network specified here determines the redemption options available for points awarded through this program. In most cases, "Standard" is appropriate. For information on restricting redemption options, please refer to the "Managing Award Networks" article.
• Approval: Similar to claim limits, the approval option is configured as a rule that must be saved after setup. Remember to click "Add Approval" after configuring each rule to save it to the program. This feature allows for up to three levels of approval. For instance, you can set Level 1 for awards valued $5-20 to route to the recipient's direct manager, Level 2 for $20-50 to go to the department head, and Level 3 for $50+ to require VP approval. Multiple individuals can review the same award by creating rules for the same value at different levels (e.g., Level 1 at $0+, Level 2 at $0+). When multiple approval levels are configured, requests will proceed through each level sequentially, starting with Level 1. These tiered levels must be saved as separate rules. Note that managers will not be asked to approve their own awards; in such cases, the award will be forwarded to their immediate manager for approval. Contact your Awardco Client Success representative for any questions regarding this feature.
  • Points | Funds: Designate the point value at which the approval rule will be triggered. For non-monetary awards requiring approval, enter a $0 value.
  • Level: Assign the approval level for this rule, as explained above.
  • Approver: Select who will approve awards for this rule.
    • Supervisor: The system will use the user file hierarchy to identify the recipient's supervisor.
    • Metadata: This option allows for specific identification of the approving party. The approval system will follow the recipient's manager hierarchy until a user matching the specified metadata value is found. For example, to route approvals to department heads, you could include "Job Title" in your file metadata and select "Department Head" here. If the system cannot find a matching individual in the supervisor hierarchy, the approval will go to the platform administrators.
    • Specific User(s): Assign specific users to approve awards routed through this rule.
    • Manual Override: This option allows for the designation of a specific approver for each employee. Manual override must be configured by an Awardco representative and involves user file extensions.

Additional information on approvals can be found in the "Approval Configuration Options" article. For our example, all awards in the Earn program will draw from the Cyber Security budget, users can redeem points through the Standard Award Network, and a single level of approval will be set up: any earn request exceeding 15 points will require approval from the user's supervisor.

Select "Next" to proceed to Display settings.
 

Display Settings

Display settings control how your Earn program appears to users and the options available to them. Configure these settings section by section using the guidelines below.

• Post to Social Feed: Choose whether or not rewards earned through this program will be displayed in the social feed. When "Off" is selected, only the recipient and giver will see the earned recognition. The recognition will still be available for reporting purposes. The monetary value of an earned reward will remain private to the recipient, regardless of the feed visibility setting.
• Banner Image: The banner image serves as a background element on the recognition feed tile. If no custom image is uploaded, the program image will be used as the default background banner. For optimal results, use images with dimensions of 1200x300px without text. Some cropping may occur based on the user's screen size.
• Reward Amounts: This section defines the award value buttons displayed to users on the submission page. For example, to allow users to choose from $5, $10, and $15 when submitting an award in this program, enter these values here.
• Preset USD and Points Amounts: Enter the monetary values you want to display. You only need to enter values in either the currency or points input fields; the system will automatically convert between the two. Enter values in this field even if you are only displaying labels on the recognition submission screen. This section tells the system the value to assign to the buttons displayed to users earning awards.
• Preset Amount Labels: Labels should be used when a specific award tier or meaning is associated with the earned amount. This meaning should be widely communicated through internal training documents during platform rollout. The labels entered here will correspond directly, one-by-one, with the values in the currency and points amounts field above. For example, if you've selected "Labels" in the Units section and entered 5, 10, and 15 points, and "Bronze," "Silver," and "Gold" as labels, the program will only display the "Bronze," "Silver," and "Gold" labels with values of 5, 10, and 15 points respectively to the user submitting the award.
• Show Amount Selection to Recipients: When this is toggled "on," users claiming rewards will select an award amount. If toggled "off," an approval process is required for an amount to be selected, and the initial approver will be responsible for choosing the reward amount.
• Custom Amounts: Enabling this option allows users to enter a custom amount in a free-form text field when submitting an earn request. To enable custom amounts, approvals must first be configured. Once approvals are set up, enter an allowed range (e.g., 0 as the minimum and 10 as the maximum).
• Reward Note: This note appears on the approvals page, the recognition in the social feed, and can be included in email communications.
• Allow User to Comment and Comment Prompt: When toggled "on," users claiming a reward will be required to provide a free-form response to a question or instruction entered in the "Comment Prompt" section.
• Tags: In the Tags section, you can make company values or other identifiers available for users to select and attach to their awards. If you use tags for tracking or data generation, selecting "Required (1)" and enabling only one tag will automatically attach that tag to every recognition processed through this program. Edit available tags in the "Hashtags" sub-tab within Settings.
• Achievement Badges: Enabling this option allows users to earn a badge with their earned recognition, which will be publicly displayed on their user profile. Name the badge and upload a badge image. For best results, use a 256x256px image that can be cropped into a circle.

In this program, earned recognitions will be posted to the social feed. The default banner image will be used, and users can claim 5 points for completing HR training by uploading a screenshot of the training completion confirmation screen for approval. The option for users to claim a custom amount between 0 and 10 points has also been enabled.

Select "Next" to proceed to Question settings.

Questions Settings 

The "Questions" settings page allows you to select the questions presented to users when submitting an earn request through this program. The default question is "Please provide a screen shot of the confirmation screen," but you can modify this open-ended question with text specific to your program. The "Add Question" button allows you to include additional questions on the program submission form, such as multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and image uploads. While you can add numerous questions, keeping the submission page concise and straightforward is key to maximizing employee engagement with your recognition platform.

Add Question by Type: Remember to click "Save" after configuring each additional question.

• Multiple Choice:
• Question: Enter the question you want to ask respondents.
• Answers: Type each answer and press Enter to log the entry and begin the next. Ensure your entries are correctly spelled and grammatically sound, as they will appear exactly as entered.
• Short Answer: This option allows you to provide a prompt and an open text box for responses, similar to the "Reason for recognition" field. You can set a minimum or maximum character count to guide the length of user responses.
• Media: The media option allows you to enhance recognitions with icons, GIFs, images, videos, or other engaging elements. When users include images or videos, these will be posted to your company's social feed alongside their recognition text, provided the program allows public recognitions. Incorporating media can make your social feed more lively and celebratory, similar to popular social media platforms.
  • Allow User Uploaded Images: Enable this to allow users to upload their own images with earn requests.
  • Allow User to Select Images from Image Library: Enable this to give users access to a preselected image library. If enabled, choose the categories of images available for recognition submissions. You can manage these images and categories through the Image Library. If multiple categories are selected, you can feature one by clicking the star icon next to it, making it appear first.
  • Allow User Uploaded Videos: Enable this to allow users to upload their own videos with their earn submissions. Videos must be 1:00 minute or less and no larger than 50 MB.
  • You can also specify whether media submission is required or optional using the setting under "Is media required or optional?"

In this example, the default question will be retained, and the submitter will be required to upload an image of the confirmation screen.

Notes:

• If user-uploaded images are allowed and an image is required, a preset image category must also be selected (this functions similarly to recognition programs). This requirement will be updated in a future release to remove the preset image library dependency.
• Images will be visible in the feed if the program is public.
• If the required image upload contains sensitive information or the client prefers it not to appear on the feed, it is recommended to set the Earn program to private.

Click "Next" to save your settings and proceed to the next step.

Notifications Settings

On the notification settings page, you can configure the automated email templates sent for each recognition program you create. Collaborate with your Awardco Client Success Manager to design and upload custom email templates that incorporate your branding and user guidelines. Each of these notification fields is optional; emails will only be sent if the corresponding fields are completed. To opt out of sending notifications, leave the fields blank and click "Finish."

• Needs Approval: This template is sent to approvers as soon as a reward enters their approval queue. Use this template to emphasize the importance of a timely response to ensure smooth program operation.
• Declined Nomination: This template is sent to nominators when an approver declines a nomination. It can be configured to include the message provided by the approver when declining the recognition.
• Recognition: This template is sent to recipients of recognitions through this program. These emails are sent at the time of recognition. If the program does not have an approval process, the email is sent upon submission. If an approval process is in place, the email is sent when the final approver approves the reward.

In this example, the "Earn Approval" email template will be assigned for the Needs Approval notification, and the "Earn Notification" email template will be used for the Recognition notification.
 

Click "Finish" to save the notification settings and complete the setup of your Earn program.
 

Additional Assistance

Configuring your platform's Earn programs can be a detailed process. Remember that your Awardco point of contact (CSM/TCSM) possesses extensive expertise in configuring programs within this feature. If you have any questions about specific settings or wish to discuss your programs at a higher level, your Awardco point of contact is readily available to assist you.

If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.