Custom Catalogs allow you to build your own catalog and include both Provider-fulfilled Rewards such as gift cards, as well as Company-fulfilled Rewards, such as Swag. You can use the links below to jump to instructions for creating a Custom Catalog, creating a Custom Company-fulfilled Reward, and creating a provider-fulfilled Reward.
Creating & Configuring Custom Catalogs
Creating Company-Fulfilled Rewards
Company-fulfilled Redemption Instructions
Creating Provider-fulfilled Rewards
Viewing & Editing Custom Catalogs
Editing Rewards in a Custom Catalog
Creating & Configuring Custom Catalogs:
Recognize allows you to create any kind of Reward you want, which your company can then fulfill manually. Recognize manages the redemption process and someone on your staff takes care of making sure Rewards are delivered to employees.
- From your Company Admin Portal, Select 'Rewards' from the navigation panel on the far left
-
To create a new catalog, select the'Create Catalog' button in the top right-hand corner, or to edit settings for an existing catalog, select the 'Settings' button next to the catalog you'd like to make edits for
- If you're creating a new catalog, select the 'Create' button in the Custom Catalog module
NOTE: If editing an existing catalog, please skip to step 4.
- Create a name for your catalog in the 'Name' text box, and consider that the end user will be able to see the catalog name
- Select a currency for the catalog from the currency drop-down
- Choose a points-to-currency ratio for your catalog in the box under 'Points Ratio to 1'
- Optionally, you can add Roles that would be able to access the catalog under 'Roles for Access'
- From the drop-down under 'Funding Account,' choose which funding account will cover any Provider-fulfilled Rewards that are added to the catalog - your Company-wide funding account is selected as the default, but you may want regional catalogs to be funded from separate accounts, for instance
- Toggle on 'Enable' to make your catalog available for redemptions if you are ready, or return to the catalog settings later to enable your catalog
- Toggle on 'Require approval for gift card redemptions' if you would like to be able to approve all gift card redemptions within the catalog - this would require Managers and Company Admins to review pending redemptions regularly
- Click the 'Save' button to finish creating your catalog
Creating Company-Fulfilled/Custom Rewards:
Once your Custom Catalog has been created, you can add or edit Rewards within the catalog. We refer to Rewards that are managed and fulfilled by someone at your Company as Company-fulfilled Rewards. These Rewards are non-instant, and require a Rewards Manager to be listed (unless you're utilizing Recognize webhooks) so that pending redemptions can be approved and Rewards can be delivered to the redeemer. These types of Rewards require no advance deposit to Recognize, so you can build and enable them at any time. To add or edit Company-fulfilled Rewards, see the below instructions.
How To Create Custom Company-Fulfilled Rewards:
- From within the Company Admin portal, select the 'Rewards' tab to navigate to your catalogs
-
Select the 'Catalog' button within the table next to the catalog for which you wish to add or edit Rewards
- From within the catalog, select the 'Create Reward' button in the top right corner
- Select the 'Add from template' option from the drop-down if you would like to use one of Recognize's templates for your Company-fulfilled Reward
-
Select the 'Add custom' option from the drop-down if you would like to create a Company-fulfilled Reward from scratch
- In the text box under 'Title of reward,' give the Reward a name that users will see during the redemption process (e.g. half-day off work)
- In the text box under 'Description of reward,' describe the Reward in detail so that redeemers will know what they will be receiving (e.g. good for redeeming one afternoon off work!)
- In the text box under 'Reward type,' label the type of Reward that's being offered (i.e. experience, SWAG, time off, etc.)
- In the text box under 'Categories,' you can create additional categories to serve your reporting needs that are more specific, and these categories will also show up in the user's view of the catalog as a way for them to filter and search (i.e. Apparel, Books, Sporting Events, etc.)
- In the text box under 'Instructions displayed to the user upon approval or denial,' XXXXXX
- In the right-hand corner, there is also an option to upload an image of the Reward (recommended for best user experience)
- Reward variants are options that the redeemer will see when they go to redeem a Reward
- In the text box for 'value,' determine a value for your variant, which will show users how much the option costs in points
NOTE: If you are offering apparel in different sizes, you will want to offer your size options as separate variants, but keep the value of each consistent.
- In the text box for 'quantity,' you can include the number of items for that variable that you have in inventory, if applicable
- In the text box for 'label,' you will describe the item itself - for example, you may use Small, Medium, Large for shirt sizes, or 12 oz, 24 oz, 50 oz for water bottles, etc.
- Click 'Remove' next to a variant to remove it as an option
- Click 'Add variant' to add additional options for redemption
- Under 'Reward options,' you can limit how often employees can redeem for the item - for example, if you have a 'Coffee with the Boss' Reward, you may want to limit this to once per quarter
- Under 'Total quantity,' you can set inventory limits for the item altogether, which will override the variant-level quantities
- Toggle 'Require Approval' to 'ON' (unless you are using a third-party to fulfill Rewards through Recognize webhooks), and select an employee from your company to manage inventory and fulfillment of the Reward in the 'Rewards Manager' box
NOTE: Any employee can be made a Rewards Manager, which will give them limited access to the 'Manager Portal' where they can review pending Reward redemption and approve or deny them. They will also receive notification of pending Rewards where action is needed. For more information on Approval Processes, see our article: Approving or Denying a Reward
- Toggle 'Enable' to 'ON' when you are ready to make the Reward available for redemption (the catalog itself must also be enabled for employees to view the Reward)
- Click the 'Add' button to finish creating the Reward
Company-fulfilled Redemption Instructions:
If you are using Company-fulfilled Rewards, it is recommended that a message is included with further instructions to the employee, which they will be able to view when a rewards manager approves or denies each Reward. These instructions can include how to claim the Reward, when it will be delivered, or any other specific information the rewards manager would like to relay.
Adding Redemption Instructions for Company-fulfilled Rewards
Begin by creating or editing a Reward in the 'Rewards' tab in the Company Admin Portal. In the box under 'Instructions displayed to the user upon approval,' include your specifics for how an employee can claim the Reward. You can also include a message about what to do if the Reward is denied.
The text you enter serves a template that will be displayed to the rewards manager that they can then edit upon approval or denial. When a reward manager goes to resolve a submitted redemption, they will see the following:
As mentioned, the message entered as part of the instructions for the Reward is displayed here and can be customized. Once confirmed, the message is then displayed to the user in an email along with the outcome of their redemption.
Creating Provider-fulfilled Rewards:
Recognize works with a third-party provider to give Mid-Market package and above customers access to tons of gift card options that you can include in your Custom Catalog. The beauty of Provider-fulfilled Rewards is automated fulfillment, although you can still choose to use an approval process if you'd like. The experience of adding Provider-fulfilled Rewards is a lot like adding a Company-fulfilled Rewards, except there is less to customize.
Once you have successfully deposited funds for gift card rewards and have received confirmation from the Recognize team that those funds have been loaded onto your account, you will then have access to create Gift Card Rewards in your Rewards Catalog.
To find out how to deposit funds for gift cards, see our article: 'Rewards: Deposit Money for Gift Cards'. Below, you will find instructions on how to add gift cards to your Custom Catalog.
- From within the Company Admin portal, select the 'Rewards' tab to navigate to your catalogs
-
Select the 'Catalog' button within the table next to the catalog for which you wish to add or edit Rewards
- From within the catalog, select the 'Create Reward' button in the top right corner
- Select 'Add gift card' from the drop-down menu
- Select the gift cards you'd like to add to the catalog or edit from the available Recognize Gift Cards offerings by clicking the 'Add' or 'Edit' buttons next to each card
- You'll then be able to view a vendor description, along with terms and conditions for the gift card
- Under 'Title of the reward,' you will see the name of the Reward that employees will see upon redemption, which cannot be edited
- You will also see a 'Reward type' and 'Delivery type,' which also can't be edited for Provider-fulfilled Rewards
NOTE: Instant Rewards still respect approval process and will not be delivered until approved
- You can optionally set a limit for how many times an employee can redeem for the Reward, but if you do not wish to limit redemptions, please leave the field blank
- Depending on the gift card vendor, you may be presented with different options for the gift card variants. You will either have a fixed number of options for the variant amounts, or an open range for options that can be set according to your company's needs, which will be specified.
- If the gift card you are adding allows for any variant within a given range, you can enter your preferred variants under 'Reward options' in the text box for 'value.' These variants are how users will know how much the Reward option costs in points
NOTE: The conversion of points to currency is based on what you have set for your catalog's point-to-currency ratio.
- To remove variants, simply click 'Remove' next to the variant
- To add additional variants, click 'Add variant'
- If you wish to have an approval process for the reward, you can assign one from the 'Rewards Manager' drop-down
NOTE: The Rewards Manager is optional for gift cards, and by default, pending redemptions will go to the Company Admins for approval if you've opted for an approval process within your account's overall settings. Any employee can be made a Rewards Manager, which will give them limited access to the 'Manager Portal' where they can review pending Reward redemption and approve or deny them. They will also receive notification of pending Rewards where action is needed. For more information on Approval Processes, see our article: Approving or Denying a Reward
- Toggle 'Enabled' on when you are ready to make the Reward available for redemption (the catalog itself must also be enabled for employees to view the Reward)
- Select the 'Add' button to finish creating the Reward option
- If you chose a gift card with fixed variants, you will see check box options as shown below
Continue this process of adding gift cards until you are happy with your Custom Rewards catalog. You can always edit or remove gift card options at any time by going to Company Admin > Rewards and clicking into your catalog.
NOTE: The company is not charged for any gift cards until the employee has made a gift card redemption and (in the case of an approval process) the Company Admin or Rewards Manager has approved it
Viewing & Editing Custom Catalogs
To view or edit your Custom Rewards catalog(s) as a Company Admin:
- Select 'Menu' in the upper right-hand corner of your screen
- Select 'Company Admin' from the drop down menu
- Select 'Rewards' from the left side menu
- Select 'Catalog' next to the currency you'd like to view within the table
- You'll find details for your Rewards (both active and disabled) for that currency in the table at the center of the page
Editing Rewards in a Custom Catalog:
From time to time, you way wish to review and edit offerings in a Custom catalog that you've built. Below you will find instructions for editing both company-fulfilled and provider-fulfilled Rewards.
Editing Company-fulfilled Rewards
If you would like to edit the configuration of a company-fulfilled Reward in Recognize, such as changing a Rewards Manager, setting redemption limits, or altering variants offered, this can all be done easily within the 'Rewards' section of your Admin Portal.
*Note that Managed Catalogs do not allow company-fulfilled Rewards, so these instructions only apply to those using Custom Catalogs with company-fulfilled Rewards.
- Click 'Menu' in the upper right corner of the page
- Select 'Company Admin' from the drop-down menu
- Select 'Rewards' from the navigation menu on the far left
-
Find the Custom Catalog (titled by name of currency) the gift card you wish to edit belongs to from the table, and click the 'Catalog' button next to it
-
Locate the gift card you wish to edit from the table, click the 'Edit' button in the 'Edit' column
- Here you can edit any of the following information:
- Title of the Reward
- Description of the Reward (users will see this description on the Rewards redemption page)
- Categories (determines what categories the Reward will show up for on the Rewards redemption page)
- Instructions displayed to the user upon approval or denial
- Enable address capture for reward - this allows the employee to input an address for fulfillment
- SKU - this field can optionally be used to track your inventory
- Reward Variants - you can change the increments at which users can redeem their points for the item
- Reward Options
- How often can this be redeemed by each employee (optional limits)
- Total Quantity - Update the total quantity of items in stock
- Require approval & assign or change Rewards Manager (optional, but recommended for company-fulfilled Rewards)
- Enabled (makes this reward redeemable) - you can turn this off if you'd like to temporarily or permanently disable the Reward so that users can no longer see it as an option for redemption
-
Update image - in the right-hand corner of the screen, you can change the image for the item
- When you are finished, remember to click 'Save'
Editing Provider-fulfilled Rewards
If you would like to edit the configuration of a provider-fulfilled gift card in Recognize, such as changing a Rewards Manager, setting redemption limits, or altering variants offered, this can all be done easily within the 'Rewards' section of your Admin Portal.
*Note that Managed Catalogs do not allow for this level of customization, so these instructions only apply to those using Custom Catalogs.
- Click 'Menu' in the upper right corner of the page
- Select 'Company Admin' from the drop-down menu
- Select 'Rewards' from the navigation menu on the far left
-
Find the Custom Catalog (titled by name of currency) the gift card you wish to edit belongs to from the table, and click the 'Catalog' button next to it
-
Locate the gift card you wish to edit from the table, click the 'Edit' button in the 'Edit' column
- Here, you can edit any of the following information:
- How often can this be redeemed by each employee (optional limits)
- Reward options (variants) - you can select the increments at which users can redeem their points for the item by either checking the boxes next to each variant or designating your own variants if permitted by the gift card
- Designate Rewards Manager (optional - not recommended for automatic gift cards)
- Enabled (makes this reward redeemable) - you can turn this off if you'd like to temporarily or permanently disable the Reward so that users can no longer see it as an option for redemption
- You can also view the vendor description, as well as access terms and conditions for the gift card on the right side of the page
- When you are finished, remember to click 'Save'