Once your contract is signed, your Awardco team will guide you through the detailed decisions, provide tools and templates, and help you build an implementation plan that fits your organization.
However, if you’d like a head start, here are a few high-level things to start thinking about so you can kick off feeling more prepared and set up for success.
Note: We cannot accept any assets, data, or collateral until your contract has been signed and you have been assigned an Implementation Consultant.
- Clarify what success looks like
- Establish annual budget and coordinate initial deposit
- Identify internal stakeholders
- Document current state of existing recognition programs
- Consider scope of program and employee eligibility
- Explore employee data readiness
- Flag any systems or access considerations
- Start gathering branding and launch ideas
- Note any global considerations
- Get creative and have fun
- Final Note
1. Clarify what success looks like
Start by thinking about what you hope your recognition program will help improve at your organization.
Your Client Success team will help you create a tailored success and measurement plan during implementation. In the meantime, here are some examples of key business objectives across three dimensions that are often included in a success plan:
- Program: Efficiency, cost savings and adoption realized from running the program (e.g., reduce platform costs, increase program satisfaction, increase number of people recognizing and being recognized)
- Culture: Improvements in the employee experience (e.g., increase employee employee engagement, increase intent to stay, increase manager effectiveness)
- Business: Measurable impact on outcomes and performance (e.g., reduce regrettable attrition, reduce safety incidents, increase productivity, increase customer satisfaction)
You do not need to define every metric yet. A simple sense of what success looks like is a great place to start.
2. Establish annual budget and coordinate initial deposit
One of the most important decisions you’ll make during implementation is how to manage your annual budget and funding through Awardco. Because you must fund your account with an initial deposit before you can launch your platform, it is helpful to start planning early to secure the necessary leadership approvals.
To map out your funding strategy, consider these two steps:
- Estimate your annual budget: If you want a head start on the math, you can use our Budget Calculator Tool to estimate your total annual budget based on employee count and turnover.
- Determine your initial deposit: As a best practice, we recommend prefunding 20–25% of your annual budget (about 2–3 months’ worth of funds). Be sure to also account for any points you want to award immediately at rollout—like launch initiatives, birthdays, or balances transferred from a previous provider.
You do not need to have your funding finalized or secured today. Getting a rough estimate in front of your leadership team now will simply ensure a seamless kickoff later.
3. Identify internal stakeholders
It can be helpful to begin thinking about who should be involved early. While this will vary based on your company’s structure, the following roles are often involved in a successful recognition program launch:
- HR/People Operations
- Leadership & Management
- IT & Tech Support
- Communications & Marketing
- Finance & Legal Teams
See our Building Your Stakeholder Team resource for a more detailed look.
You do not need every detail from each team yet, but identifying the right partners early can make implementation smoother later.
4. Document current state of existing recognition programs
Before designing what your future program could look like, it can be helpful to look at what exists today — even if it is informal, inconsistent, or managed differently across teams.
This might include:
- formal recognition programs already in place, such as spot bonuses, service awards, team shout-outs, or nomination-based awards
- informal practices that help shape culture, such as birthday emails, Slack kudos, or manager rituals
- budget information, if available
- the tools or systems currently being used
- who owns or administers each program today
If helpful, you can use this Current State template to start organizing what you know.
You do not need a perfect inventory. Even a simple snapshot is helpful context to create a stronger starting point for implementation.
5. Consider scope of program and employee eligibility
Who will have access to the platform, and will eligibility rules be the same across all employee groups? Identifying these factors early helps think through data considerations and change management efforts.
Explore how you might want to categorize or restrict your programs:
- Worker Types: Regular full-time employees, part-time staff, or contingent/contract workers
- Organizational Levels: Individual contributors, people managers, or executive leadership
- Geographic Locations: All employees globally or specific regions
You do not need a finalized roster yet. Just a general idea of who is included will give us a great head start.
6. Explore employee data readiness
Your employee data is the engine of the platform, so it is highly beneficial to connect with your HRIS or IT team early to flag this upcoming project.
A few helpful things to verify with them include:
- Data Availability: Can we easily export standard employee fields (like names, emails, managers, and start dates)?
- Data Integrity: Is our system of record up-to-date, or are there known data cleanup projects we should address now?
- Automation Goals: Will we want to transfer this data automatically via secure file transfer (SFTP) or through an HRIS integration?
You do not need to prepare or extract any data yet. Simply knowing who owns your HR data internally will help things move much faster later.
7. Flag any systems or access considerations
If your organization utilizes Single Sign-On (SSO) or has strict internal security protocols, looping in your IT security contacts now will save time later.
Ask your IT partners if they will need to review:
- Login Requirements: Will employees log in via SSO (like Okta, Azure, or Google), or will they use unique usernames and passwords?
- Security & Compliance: Does your team require specific security questionnaires or Whitelisting completed before a new software launch?
- Communication Access: Are there corporate firewalls or email filters we need to adjust so notifications safely reach employee inboxes?
Again, no need to solve everything now, but it is helpful to know who should be part of those conversations.
8. Start gathering branding and launch ideas
Aligning your platform with your company's unique culture makes the platform feel like home for your employees. Brainstorming your launch identity early is a great way to build internal excitement.
Start gathering inspiration for:
- Visual Branding: Your primary brand colors, high-resolution logos, and preferred imagery
- Platform Name: Will it be vendor branded or something custom to your culture (e.g., The Hub, HighFive, Kudos)?
- Launch Themes: Catchy slogans or messaging ideas to announce the rollout to your company
You do not need polished assets yet. Even a few early ideas can be a helpful starting point.
9. Note any global considerations
If your organization operates internationally or intends to distribute monetary rewards across borders, noting those logistics early ensures a smooth global rollout.
Things to think about:
- Regional Footprint: Which countries or global regions will need access to the platform?
- Language Preferences: Are there localized language translations required for the platform interface or automated emails?
- Cultural Nuances: Are there local traditions or cultural preferences regarding recognition?
- Funding: Will global budgets be managed centrally from one corporate account, or split across local entities?
These are all complexities Awardco handles daily, and your Implementation Consultant will fully guide you through them. Early awareness simply helps us map out the right strategy from the start.
10. Get creative and have fun
One benefit of getting a head start before implementation is having space to think beyond logistics and imagine the kind of recognition experience you want to create. This can be a good time for some blue-sky thinking about what you want employees to feel when they give or receive recognition, what moments should feel especially meaningful, and how the program can reflect your culture.
You might start thinking about:
- the overall tone and personality you want the program to have
- the kinds of recognition moments you want employees to remember
- how visible, social, or celebratory you want recognition to feel
- possible launch themes, campaign ideas, or naming concepts
- how employees might help shape the vision and ideas through feedback, brainstorming, or early input
You do not need polished concepts or final decisions yet. Even a few early ideas can give your implementation team helpful direction and create a stronger starting point for building a program that feels meaningful, engaging, and true to your culture.
Final Note
You do not need to have answers for every item on this list before your implementation kickoff call. The goal is simply to reduce the unknown, start a few useful conversations internally, and feel more prepared going into kickoff.
Once implementation begins, your Awardco team will help guide the details and provide the resources, tools, and support you need along the way for a successful and exciting launch!
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.