We all enjoy receiving praise from our boss for a job well done, right? But workplace recognition programs are about more than just thanking employees for their hard work and outstanding achievements. Recognition is something our brains are hardwired to need, and recognition, in fact, causes a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the reward and pleasure centers of the brain.

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According to ChiefExecutive, employees have higher levels of motivation, engagement and productivity when they’re regularly recognized in the workplace. Companies with award programs have 31% lower voluntary turnover and an increased ability to retain and attract the best talent. Additionally, organizations with employees who are highly engaged achieve twice the annual net income of organizations with lower engagement.

The question isn’t whether companies should have some type of employee recognition program (yes!) but rather what type of approach would work best. When it comes to recognition programs, so long to the days of using a CRM, spreadsheets or whiteboards to track your sales teams’ achievements. Of course, sales award programs can still be manual, but this isn’t the best strategy anymore.

Let’s explore four reasons why you should be digitizing your sales awards:

The continuation of remote work

Although we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the terms “remote work” and “working from home” aren’t going anywhere. A Gartner survey showed that 80% of company leaders plan to allow employees to work remotely at least part of the time after the pandemic while 47% will allow their employees to work remotely full time. The pandemic forced sales teams to make adjustments, and because working remotely isn’t going away, those adjustments will need to continue.

While everyone is working from home, sometimes thousands of miles apart, spreadsheets and whiteboards don’t have the accessibility needed for recognition. For every member of a sales team to take part in a sales awards program, leaders must broadcast achievements using technology like Slack. By digitizing your sales awards, everyone can see who’s hitting milestones and reaching goals, which allows the entire team to get the most benefit out of the recognition program.

The ease of automation

Sales managers have busy schedules and are spread thin. Manually tracking and updating sales awards takes time, so making the recognition program automated can give a lot of valuable hours back to managers.

Automating sales awards also allows sales managers to track more achievements than ever. You can create monthly, weekly and even daily accolades and track a host of achievements, such as the number of calls made or the amount of sales earned. By automating sales awards, everyone, especially sales managers, can benefit and have the chance to receive more recognition.

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In-time recognition

When you manually track and update sales awards, there often is a lengthy delay. After closing a difficult sale or making that final call, you want to celebrate with your team as soon as possible, not hours or days later. By digitizing your sales team’s recognition programs, you can instantly reward reps and motivate them to continue their hard work. This modest change can create a contagious kind of excitement and energy that can spread throughout the entire team and perhaps the organization as a whole.

Social media shares

It’s human nature to want to share your achievements — not just with your sales team but with anyone and everyone. Social media platforms are where most public recognition happens today, and they’re easy for both employees and organizations to use. If an employee award is on a personal social media account such as LinkedIn, sales reps are receiving praise for their accomplishments and improving their personal brand, but the company looks good, too.

After the year 2020 (and 2021 so far) has been, everyone needs some fun and positive reinforcement whenever they can get it. From discretionary accolades like “Most Improved” to milestone-related awards, organizations have had recognition programs for decades because they bring so much value to employees and the company. Not only does public recognition motivate sales reps, it also boosts the overall sales culture.

As the sales industry continues to change and operate in a remote environment, sales awards need to be digital. Public recognition that is automated, timely and shareable can be day-changing or possibly career-changing for sales reps. Something as simple as a pat on the back or a shoutout on social media can go a long way. As Sir Richard Branson once said, “If you take care of your people, they’ll take care of your business.”

Ambition is the #1 Sales Gamification & Coaching Software. We provide the tools world-class clients like FedEx, Waste Management, ADP, and Docusign trust to boost visibility, sky-rocket productivity, and create a nobody-misses-a-goal culture of sales excellence.