Avoid investing in the wrong program by considering these points
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If you are searching for a new recognition provider, or implementing a new recognition solution, don’t forget to ask your potential partner these nine critical questions before you sign the dotted line.
1. Who should be involved in the buying and implementation process from our side?
Your HR team is crucial, but don’t forget key executives, IT, and internal communications teams. They will be critical for providing feedback, approvals, and helping you avoid potential pitfalls.
2. What are the recognition best practices in my industry? What other clients do you have in my space?
Every industry is unique. Ask your recognition partner what recognition best practices, tweaks to objectives, or cultural challenges to be aware of in companies like yours.
3. How does your solution provide a variety of purposeful, meaningful recognition experiences?
Your recognition solution should connect people to your organization’s purpose. Can your partner help you create personal, memorable recognition moments tied to your purpose using various types of recognition and awards (offline, mobile, symbolic, etc.)?
4. How will you help us get adoption quickly?
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Usage may take a while – you can’t just buy some software and put up a social page to create cultural change. Ask your vendor what communication strategies, promotional tools, manager training, and other game plans they have for creating launch excitement and long-term organic recognition growth.
5. How robust are your communication and branding services?
The truth is, some providers talk a big game, but have few creative resources to offer. Do they have an in-house design group of brand experts who can create a look and feel that matches your organization? Can they create customized messages and themes for you, or even help you define your organization’s purpose and guiding principles, if needed, so you have a framework of behaviours to point your recognition at?
6. What resources will we need during implementation?
Ask about what the handover process looks like—who will need to be involved, what are the specific deliverables, what’s the time commitment? Also ask about rollout best practices: do they recommend a global, phased, or pilot approach?
7. What is the final cost for our entire solution?
Make sure the cost and budget are transparent, clear, and include everything (services, shipping, etc.). You may want to ask about how global equity impacts your overall budget, if applicable, and what budget should look like as your program grows in years 2, 3, and 4+.
8. How do I measure ROI?
What is their plan for establishing baseline measures and measuring the impact of your solution against pre-established business goals? Be wary of vendors that only look at usage and participation, as that is not a meaningful or long-term way to measure the true impact of recognition.
9. How do you keep the solutions fresh and new?
Will they be hands-off after launch? Will your solutions get stale? Or does your partner have a plan, with best practices, to support you as you grow your recognition initiatives and strive for ongoing culture improvement?