GiftCard Partners Blog

Trust is crucial to the success of your company, and the satisfaction of your employees. Companies where there is trust between management and staff are more successful, produce more valuable stock, and have more successful employees. Here are 3 key ways to building trust with your staff:
Involve employees in decisions that affect them. This shows that you trust your employees capability. This does not mean that you need to pull everyone in on every minute decision. However, involved people in decision making that is going to have an affect on their work responsibility, even if they do not make the final decision, shows management's confidence in employees ability.
Be transparent and consistent in your actions. This shows reliability to employees. It allows employees to understand management patterns and thought processes.
Pay attention to relationships. Employers understanding what employees want is critical. The connection between employees and managers often dictates how engaged and satisfied employees are, and maintaining that relationship should be one of management's top priorities to ensure success.

Do you remember that Customer Loyalty Program your company has in place? Oh that’s right I think Bob’s looking into that every other Thursday. Well it’s time to take it to the next level, it could be the difference between having a successful year that’s one for the books and barely making it through. Entrepreneur released an article explaining the importance of a Customer Loyalty Program and how it is more valuable than ever “in this age of social connectivity.” Word-of-mouth has gone to a whole new level…and spreads like wildfire. It’s important to invest financial resources into making your current customers feel appreciated, after all they could end up being a spokesperson for your company or for your competitor. The article highlights 5 ways to improve your Customer Loyalty Program. Here’s a couple that caught our eye:
Refresh the ‘Thank You’- Give your 'Thank You’ a facelift, after all it’s seen by all of your customers. Entrepreneur states, “…ideas for improvement include lacing in a promotion to instigate immediate action…” Why not offer gift cards to new customers to show that you appreciate their business, whether it’s to
SUBWAY for a healthy lunch or family night at
Boston Market they're sure to be grateful.
Improve your feedback channel- Most company’s don’t realize how critical your customer feedback can be. Make sure that you are getting relevant information and turning it around to give your customers the best experience they can have. *Tip: Maybe you understand the importance of customer feedback and find it hard to pry it out of your customers? I smell an incentive. Try rewarding them with gift cards to their favorite restaurant or clothing store! To find out more ways to kick start your Customer Engagement Program check out
5 Ways to Take Customer Loyalty to the Next Level here.

Using gamification as a tool for employee motivation is a fairly new strategy, but continues to prove its effectiveness in many different applications. Gamification can be used for Health and Wellness programs, to motivate a company to complete a specific goal, or as a running motivator to balance the seriousness of the workplace with some old-fashioned competition and non-disruptive social interaction. Keeping gaming in the workplace up to date, simple, and competitive are the most important, and often challenging aspects of this type of reward and recognition program. Gaming is not as effective or engaging if employees cannot view the standings and identify their competition continuously. Gamification of employee engagement can also help create a model for future engagement efforts. Since the game takes feedback from employees it creates incredibly useful data on how to engage your specific employees and what will get them excited about work, the competition, and socializing with their co-workers. This data can hel pemployers decide how to spend their rewards budget. Whether your workforce is interested in extra vacation time, a gift card to a favorite restaurant, or another type of reward the gaming data will help you determine how best to reward your employees. Gamification provides incredible ROI because it solicits a consistent feedback loop from employees to management and helps to retain employees and keep them satisfied in their professional setting. How do you use gamification in your rewards program?
For more information on gaming in the workplace check out this article from Mashable.

According to a new survey performed by the National Business Group on Health employees are excited and engaged in Health and Wellness programs that offer carrot rewards for fitness and health goals reached. The same survey also indicated that employees are significantly less engaged in Health and Wellness programs that raise employee health contributions if fitness goals are not met. The survey from NBGH indicates 80% of employees endorse carrot based wellness programs, while only 29% endorse stick based programs. These survey results are further proof that using a positive reard system is going to provide lower health costs for your company, and healthier happier employees who feel the support of their employer in their personal wellness plan. Providing even small denomination gift cards for retailers such as GNC, or the
CVS/Pharmacy Select Card that only debits on healthy items will help employees reach their goals and provide the carrot reward they need to feel the cooperation from their employer. Providing carrots are a low-cost, high ROI way to manage health care costs and keep employees healthy and satisfied in their jobs.
For more information on the National Business Group on Health survey check out this article from BusinessInsurance.com.

Employers and employees alike are hit hard by their company’s limited funds. Keeping a motivated workforce doesn't have to drain your budget. And it doesn’t have to drain your time and energy either. If raises and bonuses are out of the question, employers are forced to get creative in order to keep motivation high, and to reward and recognize their employees. Forbes recent article titled, “5 Ways to Keep Your Employees Motivated Without Breaking the Bank,” outlines several ways for employers to implement creative ideas, that are also unique, and most importantly budget-friendly. One such idea is, have a ‘Boss Does Your Work’ promotion. This fun incentive works great in an office with a break room and bathrooms that employees are in charge of keeping clean. Consider offering employees the chance to have their managers take over these chores for the month, in turn for meeting specific goals. If you know your employees are looking for a little extra, gift cards to SUBWAY for a healthy lunch can work perfectly. Or, say ‘Thank You’ to them and their family with a night out to dinner with Boston Market or The Cheesecake Factory gift cards.
Discover more creative ideas for motivating employees without ‘Breaking the Bank’ by reading the full article here. Can you think of anymore?