Prepare For The Recovery!

The National Association of Home Builders recently released their 2013 housing forecast report. Their findings show that every sector of the housing industry would continue to grow and prosper in 2013 and on. That’s good news for an industry that’s been rocked by hardship for the past five years. With all the competition that was flushed away during the recession, the fact that you’re still in business puts you in a strong position to increase your sales in the months ahead.

With the economy and the housing market showing signs of recovery, the market is open for competitors to enter and fill any gaps that may exist. That means the time is now to strengthen your brand’s image, market share and customer loyalty with an incentive marketing program that will differentiate you from your competitors. Build loyalty amongst your channels and customers by offering them a program that rewards them for their business.

Call us at 1-800-844-5000 or click here to find out more about how Loyaltyworks and our 30 years of experience with hundreds of building suppliers can help prepare you for an exciting rebrand of your field.

The Importance Of Incentive Program Communication

So you’ve got your incentive program in place. You’ve established your thresholds. You mapped out your goals and made sure they were all S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant Timely). You launched your program and…now what? What’s missing that ensures your program engages your participants, keeping your products and services top of mind throughout their workday? Most likely, what your program needs is a little communication – emails, texts, flyers, forums, bulletin boards, posters, etc. that reinforce and promote your promotions and your brand. Lack of a solid communications plan is one of the most common mistakes made when running an incentive program. Just like any other product or service, your program needs advertising, and without it you’re setting your program up for failure. Next to estabilshed goals and rewards, communication is the most important aspect of any incentive program.

Loyaltyworks programs come with a free communications tool which allows you to get in front of your audience at any time. If you need a true advertising campaign for your program, our in-house creative team can create it for you and tailor it to perfectly match your corporate image. Your participants will never miss out on important updates and notices again. You can even turn on the optional Learn and Earn module and send out notifications about new classes, host quizzes and surveys.

Click here to find out more about how our communication programs can make all the difference in the effect your program provides to your company.

Travel Packages

Travel Solutions, the meetings and corporate event division of the ISI group, is proud to announce that they are working with global partners in order to deliver exclusive travel packages, deals and adventures to their clients and prospects. We’ve assembled packages in virtually every corner of the world. Here are just a few sample packages we’ve put together for clients recently:

• AMResorts – In addition to the lowest group rates, we’ve secured deals at any AMResorts where our clients receive 1 per 20 comp, 1 per 20 upgrade, 1 cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres, 3 comp staff rooms, deluxe private check in, open top shelf bar, pre-keyed check in, reservation desk and Spa therapists at check in, 10% Spa discount, and a 10% audio visual discount. We’ve also secured special packages at each location with perks such as day spa access, gift and tote bags, champagne receptions, shopping tours, massages, team building activities and more!
• Paul Gauguin Cruises – Group meeting packages on the worlds’ most extravagant fleet of ships is now more affordable than ever! Request a quote for 10 cabins or more by JUNE 15, 2013 and your group can enjoy special cruise-only rates on select sailings of the m/s Paul Gauguin. There’s a Tahiti & Society Islands Cruise (Papeete, Raiatea, Taha’s, Bora Bora, Moorea), which has seven night voyages from only $2,824 (balcony), and $1,944 for ocean view. There are also cruises to the Society Islands & Tuamotus(Papeete, Huahine, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Fakarava, Taha’s, Moorea), which have ten night voyages from only $4,234 (balcony) and $2,771 ocean view
• Golfing The Irish Greens – Participants spend five nights in Ireland, three in the Killarney Plaza hotel, and two in historic Ashford Castle. One round of golf is provided at Dook’s Golf Club; one round is provided at the Killarney Golf Club; one round is provided at Ashford Castle’s nine-hole course; and one round is provided at the Ballinrobe Golf Club. Airport transfers are also provided.

Call our travel staff at 1-866-567-7431 to find out more about how we can help turn your next event or meeting into something that’s truly memorable and special. Or click here to signup to receive our travel deals.

Credit Card Buy-In

the ISI group’s online reward platform, RewardTrax, recently rolled out a new feature that allows participants to use their own personal credit card to pay the difference on a reward item they may be lacking the points for. This feature is great for a couple reasons:

• It lets your participants redeem for rewards they may not have the points for
• They’ll still have the “trophy value” of the reward like they earned it straight from your program
• You also spend less money on redemption costs and still get maximum motivation and engagement out of every redemption

It’s a benefit for all parties involved. Click here to find out more about this great new feature.

Safety Programs

Increasing safety awareness and reduce insurance premiums in the workplace.

Wellness Programs

Lowering insurance and workers’ comp costs by improving employee health and lifestyles.

Travel Packages

Now offering exclusive travel packages, deals and adventures to our clients. Visit Travel Deals for more information.

Convention South

Senior Account Managers Deven Crane and Nichole Louviaux were recently named as two of the top corporate meeting planners to watch in the December 2012 issue of Convention South.

Cheer For Children

We’re proud to announce the involvement of our Senior Account Manager, Nichole Louviaux, in the Cheer For Children Ball fundraiser, which benefits the Georgia Center For Child Advocacy.

ISI Passport Points

This year we launched our Passport Points program, which rewards our clients for their business, referrals, or for completing quizzes and surveys within the program. All clients should have received welcome letters inviting them to join, along with information on how to enroll. Rewards from the program can be used for office or personal use, or can be donated to one of four charities, which are highlighted in the system.

For more information about the Passport Points Program, please contact your Account Manager or call us at 1-800-844-5000.

Quarterly Spotlight

Our account management team consists of (as pictured) Mandy, Ingrid, Nicole, Shadaie, Sarah, Luke, Sydney, Brooke and Courtney (not pictured). If you’ve worked with any of them before, you know they put their years of experience to work partnering with you to ensure your needs were fulfilled at a moment’s notice. They provide senior-level consulting and guide you and your program along every step of the way, letting you know of any enhancements that would be beneficial to your business.

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1. Salary

Pay raises are the most traditional form of employee motivation. Each year, your employees should be evaluated. Safety records and safety achievements, along with general HR practices, should be used as a benchmark in determining annual compensation increase. This is an unfailing method in achieving long term results. Every employee wants an annual compensation increase, and most will go the extra mile to ensure they earn it.

2. Promotions

Employees strive for promotions. Offering promotions to your star employees as an incentive, benefits both employee and employer. By promoting your top performers into management positions, you’ll reap the rewards of a leadership team that excels at the best safety practices.

3. Safety Incentive Programs

Safety incentive programs reward participants for achieving various safety goals, training courses and objectives. Safety incentives achieve both long and short term goals like reductions in accidents, days without accidents, completing safety training, putting safety training into action, or for offering suggestions for a safer workplace. This is often the most powerful motivator, especially when combined with the other two methods, as they allow employees to gain recognition and rewards for short term safety practices, in addition to long term.

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Creating a list of key performance indicators to track the success of your safety program is a crucial step in making sure your employees are initiating the best safety practices. These indicators should be used as benchmarks to begin rating your programs success, and should also be used to pin-point the areas that need improvement. In the 30+ years that we have been operating safety incentive programs, we have found that tracking the following will yield the highest return on your investment.

Track Incidents

Track all incidents. Any incident that was “almost” an accident should be reviewed. Record the incidents standard data – location, date, etc., and accurately describe what caused the incident and how it was dodged. This will help your both your employees and your company avoid accidents in the future. By reducing the number of incidents, you will advertently reduce the number of accidents.

Track Accidents

Tracking accidents and injuries should be a standard practice. Monthly logs of all accidents should be kept, studied and learned from to prevent future mishaps. This will produce better safety programs, and guarantee improved safety in the workplace.

Track “repeat offenses”

Keep up with any employee/employees who have made habits of bad safety practices and/or are repeatedly involved in accidents. These individuals cost your company money for property damage, insurance costs, lost time and production. Use your data to get repeat offenders the training they need, or to pin-point those that may be taking advantage of the system.

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Injured workers cost millions of dollars annually in insurance premiums, low production, time, low employee morale, and training for new or temporary employees. Putting a safety program in place is a must. Providing a safe workplace for your employees is crucial, to employee’s health and your bottom line. We suggest six simple steps to get the best safety practices in place for your company.

1. Knowledge

Hiring an experienced safety manager is crucial, and should not be overlooked. There is legislation in place, federal, state and local, that mandates companies offer clearly defined safety practices for their employees and a safe work environment. Your safety manager should be “in the know,” keeping a tight watch on any regulation affecting your business.

2. Accountability

Safety practices and procedures are pretty pointless for both employees and corporations without individual accountability. Employees must have a clear understanding of what is expected from them and should be recognized when workplace safety is properly practiced. Consequently, employees must also be notified when they are not putting their best “safety” forward. This benefits companies and employees – everyone learns and understands how to reduce costs while improving quality and production.

3. Safety Hazards

One primary goal of any safety plan is a comprehensive method for identifying and handling safety hazards. Warning signs and detailed instructions for removal of fluids and toxic materials are necessities, and should be posted in a location employees can easily see. These simple steps can cut thousands of dollars annually, per employee, on high insurance premiums and costs accrued due to employee injury.

4. Response

Response is crucial. Your safety manager should develop an emergency response action plan and train all employees so they are acutely aware of actions that must be taken should a fellow employee sustain an injury. Emergency response phone numbers should be posted as well as a list of nearby hospitals and medical facilities.

5. Insurance

Not only can your insurance provider ensure you are correctly classified, they can also provide compensation trends information to you. These details can protect you from over-paying your premiums by thousands of dollars each year.

6. Review

If an accident takes place, be ready to talk about it. Sit down with employees and review the cause; if there were hazards that went unnoticed; the response and what your company can do to better protect them in the future. If you must make changes to your safety policy, do it. Review your safety policy with your teams, and make sure they are ready to begin enforcing.

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Incentive Solutions Safety Incentives Increase Safety Awareness and ROI

Atlanta, March 27, 2013 / Incentive Solutions, a premium provider of incentive programs, channel incentive programs, and employee reward programs is pleased to announce they are expanding their focus to create cost-reducing safety incentive programs that increase safety awareness and reduce insurance premiums in the workplace. They’re working with various companies to develop programs that will help them reduce the amount of safety incidents and related costs they incur each year.

Incentive Solutions is crafting safety incentives that address the costs that come from onsite accidents by helping to prevent them for occurring in the first place. In fact, a recent safety incentive program for one of Incentive Solutions distributor clients reduced insurance premiums, worker’s compensation costs and costs stemming from workplace accidents by 20%. The program even reduced sick time and employee absenteeism by 15%. Incentive Solutions’ safety incentive programs typically return an average of two to three dollars for every dollar invested in the program.

Safety incentives are becoming more important than ever as the cost of workplace injuries continue to skyrocket. Accidents on the job typically cost an employer around $17,000 in direct costs. That cost includes things like insurance premiums, workers comp and medical care, to name a few. What it doesn’t include are indirect costs like lost productivity, repairs of property and/or equipment, training replacement employees, investigations; development and implementation of new safety procedures; and lowered employee morale and absenteeism.

Safety incentive programs increase safety awareness by rewarding participants for meeting or achieving a number of different safety goals, training and objectives, like reductions in incidents, days without incidents, completing safety training, being observed putting safety training into action, or for offering suggestions for a safer workplace. Creativity and engagement are the keys to creating a successful safety incentive program. Anything that gets your participants engaged in thinking and observing how safety works in their surroundings will help your program succeed.

Incentive Solutions says that each of their safety incentive programs must include the following criteria for the program to be a success:

• Manager support
• Attainability of reward
• Set goals
• Easy to understand rules
• Participation
• Prevention/reduction of under-reporting accidents
• Attractive rewards
• Training
• Increase safety awareness

About Incentive Solutions

In 1994, the ISI group launched Incentive Solutions to focus on the incentive travel needs of their customers. In 2005, Incentive Solutions launched an online reward solution via RewardTrax, a web-based platform that helps manage incentive programs, employee motivation programs and employee reward programs. RewardTrax is a powerful program management solution that provides point-based merchandise programs and reloadable prepaid debit cards. The ISI group was recently recognized as an Inc. 5000 company and received AAA accreditation from the Better Business Bureau.

Incentive Solutions

1-866-567-7432

2337 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 220

Atlanta, GA 30341

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Employee wellness, or the lack of it, is one of the greatest expense items for every American household and company.

• 75% of healthcare costs come from preventable illnesses
• Unhealthy workers cost U.S. businesses over $153 billion a year in lost productivity

This epidemic doesn’t just affect people individually. Small businesses and corporations across the country are facing gigantic, unsustainable increases in healthcare costs. Heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States. 40% of all adults in America are obese. Just think of how much these healthcare costs impact everyone. People/employees make poor health and lifestyle choices that lead to a rise in chronic illnesses and preventable conditions. These chronic conditions cause insurance premiums to go up and employers and employees end up spending more out of pocket to pay for medical care. If nothing is done to correct this problem, it’s going to get much worse and far more expensive for everyone before it gets better.

Incentive Solutions’ wellness programs help curb these costs by rewarding wise, healthy choices in the office and at home by providing employee rewards when they achieve wellness goals. Once a wellness program is designed and put in place, the average employer saves $3.27 for every dollar spent on their program – and $2.73 on absenteeism and lost productivity.

There are a number of options in place to help educate, train and incent employees to make better choices, in turn, reducing employer costs and returning a solid ROI. Incentive Solutions is helping smart employers save money by partnering with them to create wellness programs that help trim the fat off of their healthcare costs. They will be offering programs that:

• Reward employees for enrolling in the wellness program
• Reward employees for completing an annual health screening
• Reward employees for participating in activities in the workplace that support wellness, such as using the stairs rather than elevators or accumulating pedometer mileage.
• Reward employees for attendance/participation in health related events/programs – such as walks and runs
• Engage associates in participating in exercise and fitness programs

The wellness programs that Incentive Solutions provide aren’t cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all solutions. Incentive Solutions’ account managers will partner directly with their clients to create a wellness program that maximizes ROI based on their individual needs.

About Incentive Solutions

In 1994, the ISI group launched Incentive Solutions to focus on the incentive travel needs of their customers. In 2005, Incentive Solutions launched an online reward solution via RewardTrax, a web-based platform that helps manage incentive programs, employee motivation programs and employee reward programs. RewardTrax is a powerful program management solution that provides point-based merchandise programs and reloadable prepaid debit cards. The ISI group was recently recognized as an Inc. 5000 company and received AAA accreditation from the Better Business Bureau.

Incentive Solutions

1-866-567-7432

2337 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 220

Atlanta, GA 30341