15 Questions to Ask in Selecting an Employee Recognition Software

Pst,  HR leaders. Over here.  Did you know the right employee recognition program will help your organization build a positive company culture and supercharge employee morale? Of course you did, but have you investigated the platforms that ensure your recognition efforts are top-level? Great, now you just need to know which questions to ask in selecting an employee recognition software.

The right software should align with your company values, be user-friendly, and provide meaningful recognition. Whether you’re looking for social recognition, service awards, or simply to up-level the employee experience, the perfect program is out there. And, by asking the right questions, an HR professional can identify the right employee recognition software platform for their unique team. Let’s dive into it:

What is Employee Recognition Software?

You probably already know by now, but employee recognition software is a digital tool designed to facilitate and manage an employee recognition program within an organization. Essentially, this type of software allows companies to easily acknowledge and reward employees for their hard work and accomplishments. With it, employers can send out praise, points, or even monetary rewards like gift cards and time off.

An effective employee recognition program can be hugely beneficial for companies:

• It helps boost job satisfaction by making employees feel valued. When your company has a culture of employee appreciation, your teams will become more motivated and engaged in their work.
• It also enhances productivity. Recognized employees are more likely to go the extra mile, creating a more dynamic and efficient workplace that leads to better employee performance.
• Lastly, it can significantly improve employee retention. If your team members are satisfied and productive in their work, why would they seek alternative employment? A solid recognition software fosters loyalty and a sense of belonging among employees.

Internal Questions to Ask Before You Choose an Employee Recognition Software

Before choosing a recognition software, take a step back and assess your company’s needs.

By asking the right internal questions, you can identify necessary features and capabilities. That way your company’s recognition programs align with its culture and objectives.

Here are some internal questions to ask in selecting an employee recognition software:

1. What Do We Want to Achieve With Our Employee Recognition Program?

Before you do anything else, identify the goals for your employee recognition program.

Why do you want to purchase employee recognition software? For example, you might want to increase team productivity or boost employee satisfaction and retention.

All of these things are possible. Whether you achieve them or not largely depends on the software you choose and whether it’s suited to the things you want to accomplish.

By clearly defining what your goals are, you can select software that aligns with your unique workplace culture and objectives. When your goals are well-defined, it becomes easier to evaluate features and costs to determine which tool will lead you to your desired outcomes.

Moreover, having concrete goals helps in measuring the success of the program post-implementation. It allows you to track metrics like employee engagement and satisfaction, helping you understand whether the software is meeting expectations.

2. What Features Does Our Employee Recognition Platform Need to Have?

The right features are crucial to the success of your recognition program. Choose an employee recognition platform that has the capability to support your goals. In other words, what should the employee recognition software do?

Here are a few features that commonly surface during this phase:

• Peer-to-Peer Recognition: A good platform should facilitate easy peer-to-peer recognition. In other words, it should allow employees to acknowledge each other’s contributions. This type of social recognition can strengthen team bonds and boost morale.
• Customizable Awards and Badges: The ability to create customized recognition awards and badges can make appreciation feel more personal and meaningful. It will allow your team to celebrate achievements in a way that resonates deeper with every personality.
• Analytics and Reporting: Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools help you track the effectiveness of your recognition program. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify trends and make data-driven decisions to improve your program over time.
• Integration Capabilities: The ability to integrate with other tools, such as talent management software and communication platforms, will help create a seamless experience. As such, the right integrations can boost adoption rates.

By focusing on these key features, you can select an employee recognition platform that not only aligns with your objectives but also promotes a positive company culture.

3. How Much Money Can We Spend on Employee Recognition Tools?

Budgetary restrictions are real, and operating within them is essential. Employee recognition software costs can vary depending on user count, and every employee reward comes out of that same budget. 

Setting a budget is important for a couple of reasons. First, overspending on employee recognition software can negatively impact other areas of your business. After all, if you burn through all of your cash to recognize employees, you won’t have anything left to spend on initiatives that fuel growth.

Ultimately, a mindful approach to budgeting will help you sustain your recognition program for the long term. The last thing you want to do is invest in a tool you can’t afford, learn to use it, and then have to cancel your subscription after just a single billing cycle.

4. What Do Other People Say About These Employee Recognition Platforms?

Finally, learn what other people think about a particular recognition platform before you buy it.

Online reviews will help you understand how different software platforms work. Even better, you’ll get honest insights from people who have firsthand experience with these tools.

Does the software in question make employees feel valued? Does it improve team morale and retention metrics? Just as important, is it easy to give and receive recognition? What is the employee feedback like? You need answers to the questions, and online reviews will help you get them.

Just remember to read positive and negative opinions. By considering a range of reviews, you can make a more informed decision and select a tool that will meet your needs.

Questions to Ask Sales Reps Before You Choose an Employee Recognition Software

When you’re ready to talk to a sales rep, come prepared with the right questions. That way you can gather the information you need to make a well-rounded decision.

For sales, here are eight questions to ask in selecting an employee recognition software:

5. Who Was This Recognition Software Made For?

Most employee recognition software solutions have a target audience. You want to make sure your company fits within the tool’s specific demographic.

Some platforms might be better suited for small businesses, while others are designed for larger organizations. Some are scalable depending on your need, and a few can supplement a larger employee recognition system.

You want a tool that is specifically tailored to your needs. Purchasing anything else will make it that much harder to reach your employee recognition goals.

6. What Kind of Onboarding Support Do You Offer?

It’s often overlooked, but onboarding support is an important consideration when comparing recognition platforms. This is especially true if you’re new to this kind of tool.

Without the proper training, even the best apps can be underutilized or mismanaged, leading to frustration and disengagement. On the flip side, effective onboarding will increase adoption rates and help your team maximize your new software’s potential (and company value).

The question is, what does good onboarding support look like? It typically includes training sessions, user guides, and responsive customer service. It sometimes features a dedicated support team as well, who can assist with initial setup and answer questions you may have.

When evaluating different platforms, pay attention to the level of onboarding support offered. It could be the difference between your team using a tool or abandoning it completely.

7. Can I Customize This Platform to Meet My Team’s Needs?

Customization is an important factor when choosing employee recognition software.

Your company’s workforce, culture, and goals are unique. Because of this, an off-the-shelf solution may not address your needs—at least not in the ways you want it to.

Customizable apps will allow you to align with your company’s values and objectives. For instance, you can create personalized employee recognition survey questions that accurately measure the impact of your efforts and gather meaningful insights. Or, you can create flashy personalized user options for better public recognition.

Customizable features will also enable you to incorporate branding elements, set your own criteria for employee awards, and design a recognition system that resonates with your team. This tailored approach ensures that the recognition program feels genuine and relevant.

In short, a customizable employee recognition software is not just a tool; it’s an extension of your company’s ethos, designed to foster a culture of appreciation and engagement.

8. Does Your Company Offer a Single Sign-On (SSO) Option?

Single sign-on (SSO) is a user authentication process that allows employees to access multiple applications with a single set of login credentials.

So, instead of remembering different usernames and passwords for each software, employees only need one set of credentials to log in to all their systems. This not only streamlines the login process but also enhances security by reducing the chances of weak or reused passwords.

When choosing employee recognition software, having SSO is important because it enhances security, simplifies access, minimizes IT support queries, and ensures seamless integration with your existing systems. These things can lead to higher adoption rates and product satisfaction.

9. Is Your Recognition Platform SOC2 Type 2 Certified?

SOC2 Type 2 is a security standard that evaluates how companies safeguard customer data. It focuses on five principles: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

A SOC2 Type 2 certification proves that a company follows best practices for data protection over a period of time, not just at a single point. This is especially important for employee recognition software as these tools often handle sensitive information.

Ask your sales rep if their platform is SOC2 Type 2 certified. Then only consider the ones that can protect your employee’s personal data from unauthorized access.

10. Is Your Recognition Program Mobile Friendly?

The average American spends 5 hours and 24 minutes on their phone every day. In other words, most of us are addicted to the supercomputers in our pockets.

Keep this in mind when evaluating recognition platforms. If you invest in a tool that your employees can access on their mobile devices, you’ll enjoy a few benefits:

• Enables recognition—anytime, anywhere—for an on-the-go workforce
• Allows easy giving and receiving of shout outs, boosting morale and engagement
• Aligns with modern work culture, supporting remote and flexible workers
• Adds convenience and promotes consistent usage of the recognition app
• Keeps employees connected and motivated, regardless of their location

11. What Kind of Employee Engagement Reports Are Available?

Your employee recognition software could be a data goldmine.

The right platform will teach you about your team, showing you how they engage with the tool, who the top recognizers and recipients are, and what types of recognition resonate most.

Once you analyze these metrics, you can tailor your recognition strategy to better suit your team. For example, you might discover that certain team members engage more than others. 

You can then investigate the reason why and offer different rewards that appeal to more people.

Ultimately, robust reporting tools will empower you to make informed decisions. That’s why you should ask sales reps about them before buying a particular app.

12. Can I Integrate This Employee Recognition Software With My Tech Stack?

Chances are, your company uses multiple software tools to get work done.

From project management apps to communication platforms, a tech stack that works seamlessly is crucial. That’s why your recognition app should integrate with your existing tools.

Imagine how much more effective your recognition efforts will be when shout outs show up in Microsoft Teams and Slack, for example. Or you can connect to company social media channels so team member accomplishments are broadcast to as many people as possible. Or if the platform links to your larger performance management or HRIS system. (Hint: way more effective!)

A fully-integrated tech stack will lead to a smoother, more cohesive work experience. So, make sure to ask your sales rep about integration capabilities.

Follow-Up Questions to Ask About an Employee Recognition Platform

What do you ask sales reps after your initial batch of questions? These follow-up questions to ask in selecting an employee recognition software can provide deeper insights into features, benefits, and potential pitfalls.

13. How Effective Have Other Recognition Programs Been?

Don’t hesitate to ask sales reps about the success other companies have had with their solution. If they have full-fledged case studies to send you, even better.

Have other companies seen an increase in employee engagement or retention? Are there notable improvements in overall team morale or productivity? When you understand the tangible benefits other organizations have enjoyed, you can evaluate the software more effectively.

14. What’s the Biggest Complaint People Have About Your Platform?

Don’t stop at customer success stories. Ask sales reps what other users dislike about their app.

When you understand common complaints, you can anticipate potential issues and address them before they impact your team. Or, you can simply decide to purchase a different tool.

Just make sure to take what the sales rep tells you with a grain of salt. Their job is to sell you their product. Because of this, they might not be perfectly honest about shortcomings.

15. How is the Recognition Software Contract Structured?

Last but not least, identify the contract terms to make sure that it matches your timeline. This can better help you understand the onboarding, implementation, and review phases of your program.

Like anything in life, there’s a chance the platform you choose won’t fit your unique recognition program. Identifying the terms and cancellation policy will allow you to better calendar a timeline and measure success.

This will also give you an opportunity pivot to other options that might be more suited to your strategies and goals.

Why Do You Need to Ask Questions When Researching Recognition Platforms?

Okay, this one seems self explanatory, but you need to ask questions when researching software. If you don’t, it will be near impossible to make a well-informed decision and choose the right employee recognition platform.

In short, not using our questions to ask in selecting an employee recognition software can set you up for failure (thanks, editors). Smart, strategic questions will help your company achieve:

• A Tailored Fit: Choose a platform that supports your specific recognition program.
• Employee Engagement: Select a tool that other organizations have used to successfully boost employee motivation, productivity, morale, and retention.
• Avoid Drawbacks: Identify common complaints to anticipate issues and mitigate risks.
• Flexibility: Check how you can pivot if your program isn’t implimented effectively.

Build an Effective Employee Recognition Program With Kudoboard

When it comes to building effective programs, try Kudoboard, a powerfully simple employee recognition software.

Using the power of digital cards, shout out boards, and event walls, team members can connect and recognize in authentically meaningful ways. When this happens, employee engagement will explode!

Just as important, this software connects your recognition program to results. With advanced enterprise features and unlimited cards and use cases, the software’s ready to take your culture to the next level. Just remember these questions to ask in selecting an employee recognition software, and you’re good to go.