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Managing Award Networks

Updated

Award Networks are a crucial component of employee recognition and reward systems. They provide a structured way to control how employees redeem their points within your organization. Efficiently managing these networks streamlines the redemption process, boosts user satisfaction, and ensures rewards align with your company's policies and goals.

 

This article covers the essential aspects of managing Award Networks, from adjusting basic settings and options to adding new networks and configuring award choices. Whether you want to fine-tune point expiration rules or create specific groups to manage award access, this guide offers detailed instructions and insights to maximize the effectiveness of your Award Networks.

 

  1. Award Networks Settings
  2. Award Options
  3. Global Settings

 

Award Networks Settings

To access Award Network settings:

  1. On the homepage, select the ‘Admin’ button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
  2. Click the 'Marketplace,’ then ‘Award Networks’ from the left navigation menu. 

The page will display all active Award Networks. Each Award Network will show the number of active Award Options available, the points to be spent, and the number of users awarded points to spend in that network. Click on an Award Network tile to begin editing.
 

Basic Settings & Options

The 'Basic Settings & Options' tab allows the management of Award Network details and basic settings. Enter or edit the Award Network name in the field provided. Below, toggle the award options 'On' that should be available for redemption. For each Award Option, click the caret icon and select the countries where the option will be active. Click 'Save' after making changes.
 

See available custom catalogs under the 'Custom Catalogs' tab. To add catalogs to an Award Network, follow the Custom Item Catalogs support article.

 


The 'Integrated Stores' tab applies only when working with Awardco to implement a Swag Store. Adjust the settings in this tab with the assistance of the representative handling the Swag store configuration.

 

 

Limited Groups

To control which user types can redeem via specific Award Networks using metadata, add Limited Groups. Metadata is required during user file uploads to create these groups.

  1. Select 'Add Limited Group' from the 'Limited Groups' tab or from an Award Network's tile on the main Award Networks settings page.
  2. Name the group and click 'Add Limited Group'.
  3. Click the pencil icon next to the newly created Limited Group.
  4. Click the caret next to 'Fields and Values' and select 'Add Field'.
  5. Select a metadata header and click 'Add to Limited Group'.
  6. Under the newly added field, select '+ Add Value' and choose the applicable metadata tags.
  7. Use the dropdown to manage Award Options for the Limited Group. Toggle 'On' any applicable options.
  8. Press 'Save Changes'.

 

Note: All fields within a Limited Group use logical “AND” and values are logical “OR”.

For example, the image below illustrates a limited group within the ‘Standard’ Award Network named ‘Product - Germany’. This configuration permits only users with the ‘Product’ metadata value under the ‘#Department’ metadata header AND the ‘Berlin’ metadata value under the ‘#City’ metadata header to redeem points in this Award Network.
 


This example below shows a Limited Group under the ‘Standard’ Award Network named ‘Award Eligibility’. This configuration only allows users with the ‘Product’ OR ‘Sales’ metadata values under the ‘#Department’ metadata header to redeem points in this Award Network.

 

 

Point Expiration

This feature controls when awarded points expire and return to the Company Account in the Points Summary, encouraging users to spend points within a set period.

  1. Toggle 'Point Expiration' to 'On'.
  2. Enter the number of months points are valid (1–72 months).
  3. Set 'Email Reminder' to 'Yes' to enable expiring points alerts. Use the Email Template Easy Editor to create a template labeled 'Points Expiring'.
  4. Click 'Save Changes'.


For further details on Point Expiration, refer to the following support articles:

 

 

Adding an Award Network

To provide different redemption options for points issued through a specific program, follow these steps to create a new Award Network. Please note that once an Award Network is created, it cannot be archived or deleted. If all redemption options in an Award Network are disabled, they will not appear on the spend points landing page, but users will be unable to spend points associated with that network.

  1. Press 'Add New Network' on the Award Networks settings page and click 'Create'.
  2. In the 'Basic Settings & Options' tab, name the network and select award options for redemption.
  3. To allow specific groups (segmented by metadata) to use the new network, follow the instructions in the 'Limited Groups' section.
  4. Set a point expiration by navigating to the 'Point Expiration' tab.
  5. Click 'Save'.


The newly created award network will now appear in the ‘My Active Networks’ section of the Award Networks settings page. Specify this award network in the settings of any programs where you plan to award points eligible for redemption in this network, including:

 

Award Options

This tab displays all active Award Network options available to be added to active Award Networks. Click on an active option to learn details about each redemption choice.

 

Details

This tab provides a brief description of the award option, screenshots showing how it will appear to end users, the ability to enable the option, and a view of which Award Networks are using it.
 

 

Included Items (eGift Cards Only)

This tab applies to eGift cards only and provides a list of currently available cards by country. Select the desired country from the dropdown menu, then click ‘Show eGift Cards’. A list will appear with all new or adjusted offerings in that country and their associated card fees. Click ‘Download List’ at the bottom of the page to export this information as a CSV file.

 

Note: There may be eGift cards available in countries that are only supported via custom catalogs. Please reach out to your Awardco point of contact for more details.
 

Country Availability

The Country Availability tab lists all countries where users can redeem points for that award option. Awardco is constantly expanding award options and availability, so check this tab periodically if you don't see a desired country on this list.

 

 

Option Settings

The Option Settings tab allows you to edit the following configuration options. Note that some settings may only appear for specific award options:

  • Display Name: How the option will display on the spend points landing page.
  • Description: A message that will appear to users on the main page of the award option.
  • Suggested Categories (Amazon Only): Only applies to Amazon; determines the tiles a user sees when first accessing the Amazon section of the spend points landing page. Separate each category with a comma.
  • Specific Keyword Exclusions: Words that will exclude specific items from searches, in addition to global exclusions already implemented. Separate words with a comma. Supports both partial and exact matches (exact matches use double quotes, e.g., “example”).
  • Catalog Banner Image: Upload an image or select a provided banner (1055x480 px).
  • Monetary Settings: Depending on the award option, one of two toggles will display:
    • Global vs. Listed: For items with tax and shipping, ‘Global’ uses the Tax Buffer from Advanced Settings for award orders. ‘Listed’ lets you set default and country-specific tax rates.
    • Company Pays vs. User Pays (eGift Cards and Virtual Prepaid Cards Only): Determines the gift card fee threshold per country and who pays it. Click ‘Add Country’ and enter a fee percentage for each desired country. Note that you cannot have the user pay in one country and the company pay in another.
  • Notification Settings (Cash Only): Notify specific contacts about cash out redemptions. Click the pencil icon next to the ‘Default’ line item to designate one email contact to receive all cash out notifications. Alternatively, select ‘Add Country’ to add an email contact for each country where ‘Cash’ awards are available.

 

 


Click ‘Save Changes’. To remove an award option, click ‘Disable this Option’.

 

Adding an Award Option 

Award Networks support various options, including Amazon and Virtual Prepaid Cards. To add a new option:

  1. Click Add Option and select Setup New next to the desired option.
  2. Check the box underneath Enable this Option to automatically connect your redemption account as the payment method for this Award Option upon setup.
    1. Note: This feature simplifies Award Option setup. Contact your TCSM or CSM with any questions.
    2. The Cash Out redemption option will not have this connection available.
  3. Enable it in the preferred Award Network using the instructions in the Basic Settings & Options section.

 

Some features may require configuration by your Awardco point of contact, while enabling other options is self-service.

 

After adding an option, enable it under your chosen Award Network by following the ‘Basic Settings & Options’ section of this article.

 

Global Settings

The Global Settings tab contains the following settings that apply to all active Award Networks:

  • Restricted Content Filters: Select the checkbox next to each option to eliminate the following from being redeemed across any Award Network (we highly recommend enabling all filters):
    • Sexual Content (Intimate items, lingerie, adult entertainment, etc.)
    • Weapons (Gun accessories, knives, swords, tasers, etc.)
    • Substances (Alcohol, recreational drugs & accessories, etc.)
  • Global Keyword Excluder: Enter terms to exclude items from searches containing those terms. Separate each keyword with a comma. This field supports both partial and exact matches. Partial matches will match any portion of a word, while exact matches can be made using double quotes around a word (e.g., “example”).
  • Turn on Awardco Intelligence to improve the redemption experience with AI. Learn more in the Leveraging Awardco Intelligence in Award Networks support article .
  • Require Checkout Confirmation: Toggle this on to require users to acknowledge a custom confirmation message before placing an order. This is useful for tax-related notifications or similar information.
  • Allow Cross Country Redemptions: Enables users to redeem awards set for countries other than their own in user data uploads.
    • Cross Country Rules - These cross country rules are based on Metadata. Select metadata from the dropdown. In the next field to the right of “Allow Redemption in”, select the countries in which the user with the applicable metadata can make redemptions pertaining to the specified countries. Combining values of the same metadata assumes an “or” logic, while combining values of different metadata assumes an “and” logic.
  • Award Options Order: Select the icon to the left of each Award Network title to reorder how award options appear to users on the spend points navigation bar and after the popular/top choices sections on the spend points landing page.


Press ‘Save’ once finished.
 




 

 

 

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

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