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Question for you all…

Is having a mobile application for your rewards and recognition system important? 

Is it needed?

Or is it simply a solution in search of a problem?  Is it marketing bluster and me-too-ism?  Is the development of apps and mobile tools to reward and recognize people really something the market needs and wants (and when I say market, I mean the users of reward systems – not the buyer, not the seller.)

I don’t know. 

Based on the seller side of the equation – mobile is the sh*t… everyone is jumping on.

How Is It Better?

I spend a lot of time with clients and companies that provide reward and recognition solutions to clients and mobile is ALWAYS on the agenda. 

Being the smart ass I am I always push back and ask “why?”

The answer, almost unanimously is: 

“With mobile, when a manger leaves a meeting or an interaction with an employee they can just whip out their phone (or other smart device, ipad, tablet, etc.) and two clicks later reward and recognize that person.”

Yeah… I get what the application can do.  But just because they have the application will they recognize people any more, any better?

Here’s where I become the contrarian and say…

Why use the app when I can just recognize them right then, verbally, genuinely, specifically?  Wouldn’t that be even BETTER than leaving the room, stopping in the hallway (‘cuz you can’t really work a phone or tablet while walking – try it…) clicking an app, opening the app, picking the employee out of a list, clicking a button to choose the type of recognition, adding a value if necessary, hitting submit, then confirm and THEN go to your next meeting?

Just doesn’t pass the test of solving a problem.

Recognition has never been a system problem.  It’s always been a people problem.

Creating a Complex Solution to a Simple Problem

The problem isn’t that we don’t have an easy way to recognize and reward people – the problem is… wait for it…

MANAGERSA DON’T DO IT!

Given the scenario most of my clients provide – simple, easy, quick recognition – via the mobile app – I have to ask – is that better than just sitting across the table and saying … “Great job, appreciate the time you put into this and it will make a difference moving forward.  I, and the company, are glad you’re here.”

The manager can then just jot down – “send ecard and award points to Jim/Mary” in their daily planner (analog or digital) – to be completed at the end of the day or next morning when they sit down at the computer (laptop or desktop, home or office.)

I’m I all wet?  Is mobile really about enhancing and encouraging recognition and rewards – or is it just cooler marketing for reward providers?

I know that cool things can sometimes spur activity… just playing with the app will probably increase recognition activity (for a while)  but I really don’t see mobile apps solving any process problem – and that my friend is what they do. 

IMHO, apps solve process problems.  Lack of recognition in most companies is not a process issue. 

What do you think?  Is mobile important?  Does it solve any problem or is it simply the newest, brightest, shiniest object?

I’m in the latter camp.

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  • Brandon

    Mobile is absolutely important.  In the instance you and your manager walk out of a call, absolutely you should recognize him personally right there.  But what if the person who helped you is in another city or country?  What if that employee is an “offline” employee with little or no access to a computer?  Mobile is an essential tool for driving the success of a program with a substantial number of offline workers.  Keeping within the best practice of Timely recognition, mobile sites/apps allow for people to recognize each other anywhere in the world with their smartphones.  Looking at the stats below, I don’t see mobile recognition going anywhere.
    The number of smartphone users in North America rose 60 percent in the three months ending December 2010 versus the same period in
    2009, according to data from comScore Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web access devices worldwide by 2013, according to a new forecast by research firm Gartner.
    That’s an even more aggressive outlook than Morgan Stanley’s projection that the mobile Web will outstrip the desktop web in five years.
    Looking ahead to 2014, Gartner estimates that 3 billion of the world’s adult population will be able to conduct transactions via mobile or Internet technology.
    The worldwide smartphone market is expected to grow 49.2% in 2011 as more consumers and enterprise users turn in their feature
    phones for smartphones with more advanced features

    • http://twitter.com/incentintel Paul Hebert

      Now that’s some thinking I can get behind.  What you’ve outlined (and I believe in) is that everything is “mobile.”  Even a laptop if you think of it is “mobile” now.  Does it really matter if it is a phone, tablet or laptop – nope – mobile is mobile.

      That said – creating a way for people to access content and application regardless of platform is CRITICAL for future-proofing your services (if future proofing is even possible.)

      My beef was with the idea of mobile as a way to enable a process on a phone in real time vs. just enable the process regardless of platform.  I want the ability to access information and services the way I want to – but I don’t think managers are going to change overall behavior just “because we have a mobile app.”

      Mobile is the new “standard.”  But that is a standard on how we access the web in general – not about how we “recognize” people.

      So I agree that access anywhere is critical – I don’t think access anywhere is going to change much of managers behavior much.

      BTW – the only thing I edited was some formatting…

    • http://twitter.com/jenholmes jenholmes

      Have to agree with Brandon 100%. We no longer live in a world where face-to-face is the dominant form of communication with the workforce. Our colleagues live all over the world, live in different time zones, and don’t always have live access to their teams. Mobile is crucial – tablets are on their way to replacing PCs, first consumer, then enterprise. 

      • http://www.wphebert.com Paul Hebert

        Thanks for commenting Jen. I know that we don’t have as many face2face conversations – but being in a different country or time zone is not a precursor for “mobile” – that is why the internet, email, other networking tools work well – they allow connections over time and space.

        What I guess I should have been more clear on is mobile really means “in transition” – meaning mobile is what you do when you’re not sitting down in one place – regardless of “platform.”

        I know the platform is changing and any company hoping to be successful should have a multi-platform strategy. What I was trying to communicate (and not doing it well) is that saying managers NEED a way to recognize and reward people while “in transition” is a red herring. Having mobile tech doesn’t increase recognition. It enables recognition on a phone – that is very different than trying to claim that having mobile will increase the amount of recognition that occurs in a company. That is a whole different problem and it has nothing to do with the platform the software runs on.

        • http://twitter.com/jenholmes jenholmes

          Thanks Paul. I agree, I don’t think having mobile will increase recognition – at least not initially. Rather, I think it makes it easier for the person doing the recognizing, by giving them more options. If you think about it, how much work is now being conducted away from your desk today? Lots. If that wasn’t the case, you wouldn’t see stories about companies like VW banning Blackberry use after hours because of overtime implications. In my case, I’d say I do 50% of emailing from my iPhone. 

          Yes, the internet connects people around the world, but the reason I introduce mobile into the global argument is this — If I have a colleague in India, they are working when I’m at home, and vice versa. At home, the easiest way for someone like me to respond to an email is mobile. Simple as that. 
          It’d be a poor business decision to contract with a vendor today that doesn’t have the foresight to see that mobile is going to become dominant in the near future, and that they need to offer a solution that addresses that IN ADDITION to their existing core products. Why would you NOT choose a provider that offers both? 

  • Anonymous

    In our app happy world (and trust me when I say I have my share), this is teetering on the on edge of a tweeted break-up, IM marriage proposal or getting fired by email while you’re in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant. How many more ways of non-human interaction can we come up with? Are we that self-absorbed and de-humanized? How about an app for a handshake hello, or a hug and kiss goodbye? Yikes.

  • Tony Delaney

    I agree
    with Brandon’s comments below. I don’t think the author “gets it” in
    terms of recognition going towards something bigger. Sure, a “thank you” works,
    and is a good starting point, but what about when you want to reward someone when
    using a rewards program like Brownie Points, where recognition points go
    towards a catalogue of experiences that the user can choose from?

    Also, what
    could be better than receiving recognition when you are socialising? Imagine
    being in the wine bar and receiving a message from your boss saying
    “congratulations, you are employee of the month and have been rewarded
    with…” That sort of recognition has high impact and is long lasting

    Mobile
    devices are here to stay whether we like them or not. The question is not
    whether we use them or not, but what is the most effective way to use them.

    • http://www.wphebert.com Paul Hebert

      Nice way to get your plug in Tony ;-)   Points for recognition that go to a catalog – no one has thought of that before?  That has been around for over 60 years. 

      I do “get it” – I’ve been designing and developing rewards and recognition programs for over 25 years and the issue is NEVER about the technology.  The scenario you outlined in order to get your service mentioned NEVER happens.  NEVER.  No boss in the history of business has thought about recognizing someone over drinks and at a party.  Sure, they do it when they are in the office – or – in today’s world – when on a plane that has internet connectivity.

      Having an alert that goes to your phone when the system shows an update on your profile – that I get – but that’s not what I’m talking about.

      I’m saying that all this discussion on “mobile” DRIVING more recognition because managers don’t have a way to recognize people when they are in a taxi in NYC is bunk.  Reports and dashboards that are legible and can be viewed from a variety of devices (phone/tablet, etc.) – Yep.

      Connections from the main service to tablets and phones.  I think that’s brilliant.

      Mobile to allow managers to recognize people while crossing the street?  Red Herring. 

      Mobile for mobile’s sake is the problem.  I’m suggesting that if you’re in the market for a system to support your company’s reward and recognition needs – don’t let mobile be the deal breaker.  It’s a nice to have – not a requirement and hardly a need.

  • Enid ewet

    Hi There,
    The name is Enid de Wet from Cape Town, South Africa.  I visited your blog a few days ago in my quest to find out what is happening internationally with regards to rewards or incentive programmes.  As you can see, I decided to subscribe.  Right now I am mustering information that will help me understand the rewards & recognition industry.  The hope is to look at the possibility of venturing into this market.  In your comments regarding the use of mobile devices, I think in certain aspects, is an option that one would need to consider depending on your objectives.  To explain, the use of mobile devices, especially the use of mobile phones is rapidly penetrating the African market. A recent report shows that 85% of locals in places like Gabon, Sudan and South Africa, more hand sets are likely to be in circulation than there are people to use them.  Just a comment that allows me to introduce myself.  I hope you don’t mind Paul.

    A good few years ago, I worked for a company who launched a loyalty programme with a magnetic swipe card as an electronic cash purse in South Africa.  Users could earn “cash” whenever they swipe the card with Partners who signed up for the programme.  The launch of the loyalty programme in my opinion was unsucessful, but the company still exists and is still operating.  They have not penetrated the market in ways they should have by now, but I think in due time they could become a force to be reckoned with.    I would like to find out whether there is software that can be used online for a points-based programme.  I am at the very start of my research and will appreciate guidance on the topic and any comments that you think will help me.

    Paul, I do enjoy your blog and just so you know, I visited Myrtle Beach, South Carolina September 2011 and hope to be visiting in April again.  How far is Greenville from Myrtle Beach?  Is there a chance that we could meet if I do come?  Purely from a business learning viewpoint.  :-)

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