Given the recent trend towards globalization more and more companies and their incentive, recognition and loyalty program providers are looking for global reward management solutions to help them achieve this goal. There are very few Software as a Service (SaaS) based reward platforms to choose from given the complexity of managing global currencies, currency fluctuations as well as providing in-country and in-language reward catalogues.

Software as a Service technology has made employee recognition programs much more accessible due to the ease of managing language and accessibility on a global scale. For this reason, larger organizations who have global workforces and employees in many different geographical locations want to work with organizations who offer Software as a Service (Saas Technology) solutions.

What many global programs gain in efficiency is soon lost when it comes to delivering reward selection and value on a global scale. Until today global supplier options were few, selection was poor and the costs were often twice the regular price. SaaS has once again changed this paradigm as more global reward solutions are being delivered through a simple to connect API. The key when choosing a Software as a Service provider of reward management systems is to ensure that they are able to offer you a total solution.

Look for a SaaS platform that is designed to a global standard (language, currency and reward fulfillment) and includes a broad mix of reward options that you can manage through a simple dashboard that enables you to:

• Add new reward catalogues instantly by country

• Sort and create your reward catalogues by customer

Key questions to ask your reward provider includes:

• Delivers all reward categories including merchandise, travel, experiences, digital and more

• Provides a dedicated tier 2 customer service team to manage all order escalations

• Provides documented SLA's

• Are the rewards sourced locally and in-language which is critical for merchandise

• How often are the reward catalogues updated - you need to ensure your data is updated daily otherwise you stand to encounter significant backorders

• Does your provider also provide global rewards such as digital or on-line rewards

• How does your provider stay in the forefront of reward trends - Example: does your provider offer a "mobile wallet?"

The company that provides the SaaS based rewards management system should be committed to ongoing product development. A great way to find out if the company you are considering has made this commitment is to ask them how many enhancements they have made to their system in the preceding twelve months. This number should be greater than one hundred.

Next, what kind of support do they offer? Top notch support resources should include training support for both your team and your clients. Here are some examples of the type of support you should expect:

1. A dedicated client services teams that will manage clients.

2. A dedicated IT team to support day to day client requirements/support.

3. A dedicated IT team to support specific client IT product builds.

4. A sales support team to assist you with closing new clients.

5. An online sales resource centre.

6. A training centre to make training your team fast and easy.

7. Training collateral that you can provide to the user.

Server security and back up is crucial. You will want to ensure that the company you choose offers server security and back up that meets all client security requirements, including Sas 70 and CICA 5970.

The rewards management system should be easily scalable and able to track and measure performance. In addition, your reward provider should offer global rewards partners who provide a wide range of merchandise, travel and digital rewards that will appeal to the widest audience as well as deliver rewards to meet every entry point from low value consumables such as digital music and movies to high end dream getaways and everything in between. In today's wired world anything is possible and is likely already ready and waiting for you.

Partnering with a Software as a Service provider of rewards management systems is a commitment; the quality of their services will be a reflection of yours. This is a decision that should not only consider where your company is today but also where you plan to take your company in the future.