LMS Gamification, Employee Engagement, & Spoke Rewards | Unboxed Training & Technology

One of the core product principles of our learning management system, Spoke®, is this:

Make it fun and reward participation and performance.

So, we've taken LMS gamification to the next level with Spoke Rewards—which drives results like a 5.5x increase in course completions and nearly a 2x increase daily logins to the platform. Take a look:

Want to learn more about how to incentivize training engagement? Keep reading.

LMS GAMIFICATION fast-tracks LEARNER engagement

We built Spoke because our training clients kept telling us their learning platforms weren’t driving engagement—they were actually hurting learners’ motivation and performance. To us, this wasn’t acceptable. People want to learn. And when they’re actively involved, everyone wins. Higher engagement is linked to results like higher productivity, increased innovation, lower turnover, better customer ratings, and more sales.

So, as we developed the Spoke roadmap, we prioritized gamification. We started with these elements:

• Spoke Coins: Learners earn coins to reward them for completing courses. They also get coins from other users if they post helpful comments in discussion forums as a form of feedback and peer recognition.
• Badges: Learners unlock badges to recognize achievements and milestones.
• Levels: Learners advance through different levels that convey their expertise.
• Leaderboard: Learners can see how they rank compared to others and get motivated thanks to this friendly competition.

The latest enhancement has been the launch of Spoke Rewards. Here's a look behind the scenes.

SPOKE REWARDS: LMS GAMIFICATION LEVELS UP

Most employee reward and recognition programs focus on outputs. Employees who stick around for a long time receive gifts for tenure. Sales reps are incentivized for closing business. Runners receive a medal for finishing a marathon. We wanted to see what would happen if we rewarded the input, in this case training, to see what effect it would have on the output.

Spoke Rewards does just that. It empowers users to earn Spoke Coins for completing training and sharing helpful content with their peers in the Spoke Community.

In addition to leveling up, unlocking badges, and climbing the leaderboard, Spoke users can redeem their coins to claim tangible rewards, ranging from apparel and company swag to small electronics and extra vacation time.

SPOKE REWARDS: SIMPLE to administEr

Spoke Rewards simplifies reward and recognition programs by integrating them. Instead of relying on multiple platforms, it’s all built into the LMS. Users can complete training, collaborate, and claim rewards all in one place.

Admins can easily:

• Create and announce new rewards
• Manage rewards settings, stock, and fulfillment
• Monitor which rewards are most popular
• Make rewards available to every Spoke user, or only to specific Spoke Teams (groups of users based on role, location, org structure, etc.)

When Admins create new rewards, they can base the cost on Spoke Coins earned, or they can require users to complete specific training or participate in a specific Spoke Community discussion to claim the reward.

In addition to the Spoke Rewards technology, we offer an end-to-end client service that includes everything from strategic advice on what rewards to offer, internal communication best practices, and logistics support such as shipping and handling. For clients who don’t want to manage their rewards program in-house, it's a great benefit.

SOUNDS AWESOME! WHAT'S NEXT?

Craig Weiss named Spoke one of the top three gamification LMSs for 2016, and that was before Spoke Rewards took LMS gamification to the next level. Since the launch of Spoke Rewards, we've seen enthusiastic clients use it to generate buzz for their training programs and incentive course completion. And they're getting great results.

One client reported the Spoke Rewards program was so popular, prizes were exceeded within a week and had to be replenished. Another client shared Spoke Rewards has driven brand awareness because so many employees are carrying company gear they've earned.

And then there's that 5.5x increase in course completions and 2x increase daily logins we'd love to drive for you, too. Leave a comment and tell us what you think. If you’d like to see Spoke Rewards in action, contact us to schedule a personal demo.

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