Gamification

What Is Gamification for Incentive, Performance, and Engagement Software?

By May 7, 2020 No Comments
Snowfly Gamification Games

Gamification is a funny word. It’s one of those new-fangled made up words that a few dozen years ago wouldn’t have made any sense. But now you can search for gamification software, or talk about gamification in designs or systems, and everyone seems to know what this means.

Emphasis on “seems to know” what this means.

The premise of gamification is built on psychological principles that explain why people play “just one more game.” Have you ever played a video game and thought, “just one more… it will be quick!” The hope is that you get a little further, get a higher score, or crack some code. It will only take a few minutes… why not just play one more?

It’s like eating candy or chips… just one more. No big deal.

One more game becomes another one more and another one more. One more candy or chip becomes half the bag.

This behavior isn’t always bad. Perhaps you are reading a book and want to read “just one more page.” What’s wrong with reading just one more page? Nothing… until you are still reading at 3:30 in the morning and you have to get up at 6 to go to work!

Snowfly Gamification Video GamesGamification is the basis video game developers use to get you hooked into their game. They want you to play more, go to the next level, and be so totally engaged that you don’t want buy any other game… or at least any game from their competition!

Before I go on I should mention that I fully realize that while Snowfly has gamification features, our goal is not to hook or addict your employees to the point where they aren’t doing their work. More on that later.

In a business setting, how do you do gamification? Well, from our observation, most Saas companies who offer gamification do it, how do I put this… poorly. Why do I say that? Because many software companies that tout gamification lose user engagement after, get this, three to six months.

When you are talking to a gamification vendor make sure you ask them, and their customers, how long the users typically engage with their software.

Because gamification is such a buzzword, many companies say they do it. But they do it at a surface level with very little understanding of why they are doing it or how to do it well. Users like it for a couple of weeks, and sometimes a bit longer, but after a while the game ends, there is nothing new or no element of surprise, and people just find no reason to go back to whatever software you bought.

Game over.

At Snowfly the average length of time a customer has been with us is six years. Why? Because our company was founded on principles of human behavior. Our gamification offerings and strategy are not flash-in-the-pan. We have developed our software so your employees enjoy coming back week after week, month after month. This is part of our secret sauce.

While I can’t disclose much here, on this blog that our competitors read, we’re more than happy to share what we’ve learned. We will share what has worked for our customers in various industries.

Remember, gamification is just a vehicle. While we are 100% gamified, and confident in our offering, we realize gamification isn’t your objective. Your objective is to move the needle on organization KPIs. Better customer service, better sales closure rates, better employee attendance, higher performance, etc.

Gamification Employee SatisfactionOur objective is to help you realize your objective. Gamification is simply a vehicle to help you get there. And our gamification strategies and tools are exactly what keeps your employees engaged for more than weeks… more than months. We are in this for the long haul… for years.

Want to learn more? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us and let’s jump on a call.

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Jason Alba

Jason Alba

I'm passionate about building great cultures. I love respect in the workforce, especially respect that is earned. I love strategic management, leadership, and vision. I love healthy companies through profitability. I love employee engagement, employee performance, and employee satisfaction. I love how Snowfly can help YOUR organization work towards all of these things.

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