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Our program has really taken off since we initially started to use Guusto just for on-the-spot recognition
At First Community Credit Union (FCCU) in Houston, Texas, Katie Rigby, the Chief Human Resource Officer, faced significant challenges with employee recognition.
The existing system, which required physical gift card distribution and manual tracking across 20+ locations, was cumbersome and inefficient. Managers found it administratively heavy, which diluted the recognition's intended impact and led to decreased engagement with the program.
We had a program that we wanted to implement that would reward employees monetarily for either on-the-spot recognition from their manager or from senior management. We tried it for a couple of months where I actually had someone physically go and get $5 gift cards, and then we packaged them all up and interofficed them to all the different locations. And as you can imagine, it was a disaster.
Katie sought a streamlined, efficient solution that would make recognition more accessible and impactful. After evaluating several programs, she chose Guusto due to its positive reviews and responsive customer service.
Guusto's platform enables managers to provide on-the-spot recognition by easily sending digital gift cards, fostering immediate employee appreciation. Additionally, the platform automates milestone awards, streamlining the process and significantly reducing the administrative burden for HR and Ops teams. The program also integrated seamlessly with FCCU's payroll system, simplifying tax reporting.
My main goal was to get something that helped us streamline that process. The reason why I chose Guusto in particular as our program was it had really good reviews on G2. Guusto was very easy to work with and very open to like, 'Look, this is what we have, here's what we can do. We're open to feedback.
Guusto's flexibility and customer-centric approach were crucial in its selection. They were even open to making product improvements based on FCCU's needs. This fostered a strong vendor relationship, supported by consistent, personalized service from their customer representative, Zsofia.
From the beginning, through implementation, all the way till now, when Zsofia helps us manage the program, she is on top of it.
The implementation of Guusto transformed FCCU's recognition program. It expanded beyond on-the-spot recognition to include birthday gifts, anniversary funds, and special team awards. Automated reward triggers, such as welcoming new hires on their 90th day and sending birthday wishes, further streamlined processes.
The program also fostered a culture of peer recognition and competition, significantly increasing employee engagement. FCCU set a benchmark for shoutouts, aiming for over 50% employee participation each month.
Since launching the program, at first we just kept an eye on shoutouts, the percentage of shoutouts sent by employees. Now we try to shoot for 50% or more of our population doing shoutouts.
One standout example of the program's success was when an employee earned $650 in a single month for generating positive Google reviews, directly contributing to FCCU's strong online reputation.
We have one employee who made $650 in one month in Guusto dollars from social media reviews… They saw the value in the program.
The consistent support from Guusto's customer service ensured the program's ongoing success, even amidst industry-wide challenges like high turnover rates. This robust partnership and Guusto's comprehensive features—covering recognition, gift card facilitation, and tax reporting—made it an invaluable tool for FCCU. As a result, the company experienced enhanced employee morale and a stronger, more connected organizational culture.
Guusto has helped us be successful in a time where so often vendors are not super helpful. They give such great service; it has been a real winning item for us. It's been great.
Interviewed by Joe Facciolo, Co-Founder of Guusto
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