Being able to redeem points for Rewards is a key feature of the Recognize platform. Not only does Recognize Rewards provide your employees with a digitized and seamless redemption process, but it also allows for complete autonomy in selecting something meaningful in return for employee contributions at work. To help give you options for your programs, Recognize offers two types of Rewards: Company-Fulfilled Rewards, and Provider-Fulfilled Rewards, and, there are two types of catalogs that can be created: Custom Catalogs and Managed Catalogs.
Read on to learn more about Recognize's Rewards feature and step-by-step instructions for enabling Rewards!
Use these links to jump to more information about the respective topics:
Enabling Rewards
Checking Your Organization's Reward Balance
Enabling Rewards:
Here are some helpful instructions for setting up and leveraging the Rewards feature of the Recognize platform:
- Select 'Menu' from the upper right corner of Recognize
- Select 'Company Admin' from the drop-down menu
- Select 'Settings' from the navigation panel on the left
- Select 'Rewards' from the quick-navigation panel on the right side of the 'Settings' page
- Toggle 'Allow rewards' from 'OFF' to 'ON'
NOTE: Points are not redeemable for Rewards when 'Allow Rewards' is OFF. This is to ensure that your staff doesn't accumulate a tremendous amount of points before Rewards are offered and available for redemption. Any points earned prior to enabling Rewards will remain non-redeemable points.
- If you wish for your employees to be notified by SMS when redemptions are made, toggle 'Allow SMS notifications for redemption' from 'OFF' to 'ON'
- If you wish for all employees to receive respective notifications by Email or SMS by default, toggle 'Email' and/or 'SMS' from 'OFF' to 'ON'
- If you wish for new employees to receive respective notifications, toggle 'Email' from 'OFF' to 'ON'
- You'll also want to decide whether or not sending recognitions, receiving a like, or sending a like (+1) will earn users points. To configure those point settings, select 'Points' from the far left navigation menu
- Select 'Settings' in the upper right corner of the points page
- Set 'Point Values' that will be awarded to users for Sending a Recognition, Receiving a Like on a Recognition or Sending a Like on a Recognition. Remember: these points can add up quickly. You must check the box 'Redeemable' to make these points redeemable for rewards. Otherwise, the specified points for these actions will be awarded, but will not be able to be redeemed for rewards. We recommend that if you are going to offer these points, to make all points Redeemable to avoid confusion of point totals for end users
- The 'Hide points for end users' option will hide all mention of points to end users.
NOTE: If this option is toggled to 'ON', users can still receive redeemable points if Rewards are enabled and Badges have point values attached to them. Having this 'ON' will, however, hide the Rewards catalogs from end-users, so they will not be able to redeem any points earned
- Once you have finished editing these point values, select 'Save point settings' to save your changes
Depositing Rewards Funds:
Once Rewards have been enabled for your organization, you'll find that you can offer two types of Rewards to employees:
- Provider-Fulfilled (gift cards for external vendors - e.g. Starbucks, Amazon, etc.)
- Company-Fulfilled (company-sponsored items - e.g. merchandise or time-off)
For provider-fulfilled Rewards, Recognize works with a third-party vendor to offer a wide range of digital gift card options for recipients. A deposit must be made to Recognize prior to offering provider-fulfilled Rewards so that they can be funded and fulfilled automatically. Recognize does not charge a 'per redemption' fee, and we only pull funds from your Rewards funding account to cover redemptions when they are made by your employees. In other words, when you make a deposit, we place it in a holding account, and it remains there until points are redeemed by your employees for Rewards.
NOTE: Deposits are not required for company-fulfilled Rewards since your internal team would fulfill those types of Rewards. Be sure that if you are using provider-fulfilled Rewards and are planning to send a bulk recognition that you have enough funds in your account to cover any potential redemptions.
Depositing Funds to your Rewards Bank
- As mentioned above, Recognize does not charge a fee per redemption. There is a deposit fee of 5% for credit cards and a $30 deposit fee for ACH Pull. Check and ACH Push deposit options have no associated fee. Beyond that, 100% of the money deposited into the system goes to your gift cards. If a user redeems a $5 gift card, they get a $5 gift card, and there is no fee to the company.
- You transfer the money to us, we place it in a holding account, and it is your money until redeemed.
Fees for Deposits:
| ACH (push)* | FREE | (Recommended, takes 24-48 hours) |
| ACH (pull)* | $30 | (Takes 5 business days) |
| Wire transfer | $16 | (Takes up to 24 hours) |
| Checks | FREE | (Could take several weeks to receive) |
| Credit/Debit cards | 5% | (Usually immediate) |
Push - Transaction is initiated and funds are transferred from your sending account — you are pushing the money into the destination account.
Pull - Transaction is initiated and funds are transferred from the receiving account — you are pulling the money in from the source account.
There is a minimum deposit amount of $1000. Our team can also set a low balance threshold for your account to alert us when the balance falls below a specified amount upon which point we can reach out to you. If you would like to set a low balance alert, please contact accounting@recognizeapp.com.
- To deposit money with Recognize for Rewards, please send a request to accounting@recognizeapp.com and include the following:
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The amount you would like to deposit (minimum of $1000)
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How you wish to deposit your funds (ACH push, ACH pull, Wire transfer, Credit/Debit, or Check)
- If you choose to send a check, the mailing address (also included on your invoice) is as follows:
Recognize Services Inc.
312 SW Greenwich Dr
Suite 594
Lee's Summit, MO 64082
- If you choose to send a check, the mailing address (also included on your invoice) is as follows:
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The amount you would like to deposit (minimum of $1000)
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Once we receive the above details regarding your deposit, our team will send you an invoice. To ensure proper credit, please include your invoice number on the check, if applicable.
- Once payment is received and funds have been applied to your account, you will receive a confirmation email from us.
- Recognize also provides downloadable reports for accountants, which can be accessed from the Company Admin portal. Once we receive your payment, you'll see it show up as a line item in the Transactions table in Company Admin > Rewards > Transactions.
- After we've applied your payment, when you go to your Rewards catalog and select 'Create a reward' in the menu, you'll now see the option to add a gift card.
Refunds for Rewards Funding Account
In the event you wish to cancel your account and have your remaining Rewards balance refunded to you, a $50 fee will apply, and your refund will be provided by way of wire transfer.
For example, if your company deposits $1,000 for gift cards, and staff has redeem $250 in gift cards, we'll send you a wire transfer of $700.00 should you request a refund of your balance.
| Deposit | $1000 |
| Redemptions | -$250 |
| Return balance fee | -$50 |
| Balance returned | $700 |
Holiday Rewards Deposits
Over the holiday period, we traditionally experience a significant increase in employee redemptions for Rewards, and we're thrilled to see so many organizations taking the opportunity to Reward and motivate their teams!
To help ensure a seamless experience for your staff, and provide you with the peace of mind that Rewards will be distributed promptly, we recommend appropriately funding your Rewards account with this in mind prior to the Holiday rush.
If you have any additional questions about depositing funds for provider-fulfilled rewards, please reach out to us at accounting@recognizeapp.com.
Creating Catalogs:
We love to give you options with Recognize, and that is what led us to have two types of catalogs - one that you can manually build and customize to your company's needs, and one that is built for you automatically that requires very little effort on your part, but adds all available Rewards for the currency and doesn't offer customization flexibility. The former of the two, Custom Catalogs, can consist of both Company-Fulfilled Rewards and Provider-Fulfilled Rewards, but the latter of the two, Managed Catalogs, are limited to just Provider-Fulfilled Rewards. Below, you will find links to help articles that walk through each type of catalog in more detail.
Building Custom Rewards Catalogs
Managed Catalogs
Now that we've covered catalog types, let's discuss Reward types and how to add Rewards to a Custom Catalog.
Creating Rewards:
Company-Fulfilled Rewards
Company-Fulfilled Rewards are Rewards that are offered and supplied by your organization. You can create any kind of reward you want and add it to your Recognize Custom Catalog, and the Reward can be redeemed by employees using points earned through Recognition. Recognize manages the redemption process, and your organization manages and fulfills the redemptions. This requires no deposit into a Rewards funding account, and you can get as creative as you wish! You'll just need to make sure you have the bandwidth to monitor and fulfill redemptions. For more information on how to create a Company-fulfilled Reward, see our article: Building Custom Rewards Catalogs
Provider-Fulfilled Rewards
Provider-Fulfilled Rewards are rewards offered and fulfilled through Recognize's third-party vendor. Once you have successfully deposited funds for rewards and have received confirmation from the Recognize team that those funds have been loaded onto your account, you will then be able to create Gift Card Rewards in your Rewards Catalog. Recognize supports major US brands and a multitude of international Reward options for your company to add to your Rewards catalog. You can find a list of eGift cards that we support here.
NOTE: To use Provider-Fulfilled rewards, your organization must be in our Mid-Market package or higher.
For more information on how to create Provider-Fulfilled Rewards for a Custom Catalog, please see our article: Building Custom Rewards Catalogs
For more information on how to create a Managed Provider-fulfilled Rewards Catalog, please see our article: Managed Catalogs
Redeeming Rewards:
Follow these steps to easily browse and redeem rewards:
1. Access the Rewards Page
- Click on the 'Rewards' icon in the top-left navigation menu.
2. Browse and Filter Rewards
- View Options: Rewards are displayed in either a grid view or carousel view, organized by category.
- Catalogs: At the top left, you can select a specific Catalog to browse rewards. (The number of catalogs shown depends on your organization’s setup.)
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Filters:
- Instant Delivery: Check the ‘Instant Delivery’ box to see only rewards that are delivered instantly.
- Search: Use the search box on the left to find a specific reward.
- Categories: Filter by Category or click ‘Select All’ to view rewards from all categories.
- Country: If applicable, filter by Country based on your organization’s setup.
- Redeemable Rewards: Click the ‘Redeemable’ button to see only rewards available based on your current points balance.
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Cost: Sort rewards by minimum redemption cost using the ‘Low’ or ‘High’ buttons.
3. Understand Reward Details
- If a Reward requires more points than you have, it will show an ‘Unavailable’ label.
- Each Reward displays:
- The minimum and maximum points needed (bottom-left corner)
- The delivery type (e.g., "Instant Delivery" or "Extra Time Required") in the bottom-right corner.
4. Select a Reward
- Click on the image of the Reward you want to open the Reward details page.
- On the details page, you can:
- Learn more about the vendor and Reward.
- See instructions for how to redeem the Reward.
- Review Terms and Conditions for delivery and other important details.
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Note: Vendor-fulfilled rewards (e.g., gift cards) cannot be refunded once selected and confirmed.
5. Redeem the Reward
- Choose the variant (e.g., amount, size, or other options) for the Reward, if applicable.
- Click the ‘Redeem’ button.
6. Confirm Your Redemption
- A pop-up window will appear to confirm your redemption.
- To finalize, click ‘Redeem’.
- If you change your mind, click ‘Cancel’ to return without redeeming your points.
Approving Rewards:
Approving Rewards as a Rewards Manager
Once an employee has selected a Reward, if an approval is required by the designated Rewards Manager, it must be approved via the Manager Portal. There can be more than one Rewards Manager at an organization, and Rewards Managers will only have access to approve or deny Rewards that they've been assigned to.
- Start by selecting 'Menu' from the top right corner of the page
- Select 'Manager Portal' from the drop-down menu
- Select Redemptions from the left-side navigation menu to access the 'Redemption approval' page.
- Click 'Pending' in the upper right-hand tertiary menu from the Redemption Approval page
- Select one of two actions for each 'Pending' reward:
- Approve (accepts the selected user reward)
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Deny (declines the selected user reward)
- After clicking either action, a small pop-up window will appear, and you can either select the 'Confirm' button to complete the approval, or 'Cancel' to back out
Approving Rewards as a Company Admin
Regardless of who is assigned as a Rewards Manager, Company Admins have the ability to 'Approve' or 'Decline' rewards additionally. See below to learn how to approve Reward redemptions as a Company Admin.
Steps to Approve Rewards as a Company Admin:
- Once an employee has selected a reward, if an approval is required, it can be approved by a Company Admin. Start by selecting 'Menu' from the top right of the page
- Select 'Company Admin' from the dropdown menu
- Select 'Rewards' from the left-side navigation menu
- Click 'Redemptions' in the upper right-hand tertiary menu to access the Rewards page with pending approvals
- Select one of two actions for each 'Pending' reward:
- Approve (accepts the selected user reward)
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Deny (declines the selected user reward)
- After clicking either action, a small pop-up window will appear, and you can either select the 'Confirm' button to complete the approval, or 'Cancel' to back out
Reward Fulfillment Overview:
To further expand the Reward selection for our customers, we have opted to begin including non-instant Rewards in our catalogs. Companies will now have the option to add third-party Provider-Fulfilled Rewards that have a deferred delivery, with a typical fulfillment wait time of 3-10 business days. Any Rewards that have fulfillment wait times will be noted within the catalog for end users to view, with a label underneath each Reward as shown below. More exact fulfillment times will be listed in each Reward's terms & conditions. Likewise, any Rewards that are instant will now be specifically marked as such, and users will be able to filter specifically for instant Rewards.
Viewing Instant vs. Deferred Delivery Reward Options as a User
- Select the 'Rewards' button in the main toolbar in the top left of your screen
- Select filter for 'Instant Delivery' from the left side of your screen if an instant Reward is preferred
NOTE: Any Rewards that have an Approval Process will not be listed as 'Instant'
- Rewards with a deferred delivery are specifically labeled beneath the name of the Reward to the right
- Click on a Reward to open more details
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View terms and conditions for the Reward, where you will find specifics about expected delivery
Checking Your Organization's Reward Balance
You'll want to check your organization's Rewards balance on a regular basis if you're using provider-fulfilled Rewards, and make sure you are topped off enough to cover redemptions. See the below steps for how to find your organization's current Rewards balance.
- Select 'Menu' from the top right corner of your screen
- Select 'Company Admin' from the drop-down menu
- Click 'Rewards' from the main left menu
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Click into the catalog where your provider-fulfilled Rewards are set up
- You will then be re-directed to a dashboard for that catalog, where you will be able to view your Rewards Deposit Balance in the top left corner of the screen, alongside the number of points that amount will cover should redemptions occur
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It's important to also be aware of your organization's total 'Unredeemed Points', since this is the amount of points out there that could potentially be redeemed by employees
NOTE: Striking a balance between the two will be important for user experience, because if your funds fall too low, user redemptions will be blocked
Reviewing Rewards Reporting:
As a Company Admin, you can also view redemption and transaction reports within the Rewards tab of the Company Admin Portal.
- After navigating to the Company Admin portal, select Rewards from the far left navigation menu
- You can pull a report showing all redemptions made by navigating to the 'Redemptions' tab in the upper right-hand tertiary menu
- You can also pull a detailed transaction report by navigating to the 'Transactions' tab in the upper right-hand tertiary menu
- Determine the time interval for your report results
- Under 'Export', select which output format you'd prefer
NOTE: These types of reports will download straight to your computer rather than going into the Documents > Download section in the Company Admin Portal
- For Transaction reports, you'll have an extra filter option to export 'Credit' or 'Debit' only, if you'd like to look at one or the other
NOTE: Both types of reports will download straight to your computer rather than going into the Documents > Download section in the Company Admin Portal
For more information on Rewards reporting, see our article: 'How to download an accounting report of all the reward redemptions?'