In today's interconnected world, employees often travel or reside in countries different from their home base. This can create a challenge when it comes to redeeming recognition points for rewards that are relevant and accessible in their current location. Awardco's Cross Country Redemption feature empowers your organization to provide a truly global and localized reward experience, allowing users to access a wider array of redemption options tailored to various countries.
This article will guide you, as an admin, through the process of configuring this powerful feature, ensuring your employees can redeem points for various items, gift cards, and experiences in different countries. It will also explain how end-users will interact with this feature to access their expanded redemption options.
Enabling Cross Country Redemption
To begin offering a broader range of redemption options, you must first enable the Cross Country Redemption feature within your Awardco platform.
Follow these steps:
Log into your Awardco recognition platform as an administrator.
On the homepage, select the Admin button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
Select "Marketplace", then "Award Networks" from the left navigation menu.
Click the “Global Settings” tab at the top of the screen.
Toggle “Allow Cross Country Redemptions” to On.
Configuring Cross Country Redemption Rules
Once Cross Country Redemption is enabled, you'll need to define rules that dictate which countries' redemption options are available to specific users. These rules are highly customizable and can be based on an employee's country code or any metadata uploaded in your user data.
After toggling "Allow Cross Country Redemptions" on:
Click the caret symbol next to “Cross Country Redemption Rules” and select “Add Rule.”
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In the first dropdown menu next to “If:”, select the country(s) and/or metadata fields on which this rule will be based.
Note: If multiple countries or metadata of the same value type are selected (e.g., "Country Code is US OR CA"), the rule will apply an OR logic.
Note: If multiple countries or metadata of different value types are selected or combined (e.g., "Country Code is US AND Job Group is Full-time"), the rule will apply an AND logic.
Next to “Allow Redemption in:”, select the country(s) in which the users defined in the "If" condition will be eligible to redeem options. By default, this field will be pre-populated with “and Home Country,” ensuring users can always access options in their primary country.
Click “Save” at the bottom of the page to apply your new rule.
Rule Example
To illustrate the flexibility of Cross Country Redemption rules, let's consider a common scenario:
Company A is a global organization with employees based in Canada who frequently travel to the United States for extended periods for work. To ensure these employees can easily redeem points for items, gift cards, or experiences relevant to their location while traveling, Company A wants them to also have access to certain redemption options available in the United States.
They would configure the following rule:
If Country Code = CA, Allow Redemptions in US and Home Country.
While the tool can accommodate more complex rules, we generally recommend keeping the structure of these rules as simple as possible for ease of management and clarity.
User Experience
Once Cross Country Redemption rules are configured, users will have a seamless way to access redemption options from different countries.
If users wish to access redemption options in countries other than their home country, they will need to follow these steps:
Log into the Awardco platform.
Click “Spend Points” in the left navigation menu.
Locate the dropdown menu in the top left corner of the marketplace page, which will display their current country (defaulting to their home country).
Click on this dropdown menu and select the desired country from the list.
Upon selecting a new country, the marketplace will refresh, and users will now have access to the redemption options available in that chosen country, in addition to their home country's options.
Implications
When implementing and utilizing the Cross Country Redemption feature, admins should keep the following considerations in mind:
Redemption Options: This feature applies to all redemption options that you have made available on your platform, including gift cards, merchandise, and experiences, as long as they are configured for the selected country.
Shipping Physical Goods: Users will only be able to ship physical goods to the country they are currently shopping in (i.e., the country they have selected from the dropdown menu).
Point Purchasing Power (PPP): Users will carry their home country's Point Purchasing Power (PPP) values with them when shopping in other countries. This means the value of their points will remain consistent with their home currency, regardless of the selected redemption country.
Exclusion of Cash Out: The "Cash Out" award option is explicitly excluded from Cross Country Redemption to prevent unintended purchases and ensure compliance with financial regulations.
Rule Logic: Carefully plan your rules, understanding the "OR" and "AND" logic when combining multiple criteria (countries or metadata) to ensure the correct populations have access to the desired redemption options.
User Communication: It's highly recommended to communicate this new feature to your end-users, explaining how they can leverage it to find more relevant redemption options.
FAQ
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Q: Can users redeem physical items or experiences in other countries using this feature?
A: Yes, if these redemption options are available on your platform and configured for the selected country, users can access them through Cross Country Redemption.
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Q: Will the value of a user's points change if they select a different country for redemption?
A: No, users will retain their home country's Point Purchasing Power (PPP) values. The value of their points remains consistent regardless of the selected redemption country.
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Q: Why can't users "cash out" points in another country?
A: The "Cash Out" option is intentionally excluded from Cross Country Redemption to avoid potential financial complications and ensure compliance.
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Q: How do I ensure my rules are set up correctly for different user groups?
A: We recommend starting with simple rules based on country codes. For more complex scenarios involving metadata, thoroughly test your rules with a small group of users to ensure they are providing access as intended. If you have questions, please contact Awardco Support.
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Q: What if a user's home country is not listed in the redemption options?
A: The "Allow Redemption in" field automatically includes "and Home Country," ensuring users always have access to options relevant to their primary location. If a specific country is missing from the general list of available redemption countries, please contact Awardco Support.
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.