Background
For 40 years, NASCO has served some of the nation’s leading health plans in simplifying complex administrative operations across claims processing, alternative payment models, membership and billing, and customer engagement.
In the aftermath of COVID, NASCO worked to evolve their partnership with Terryberry from a service awards program to a formal recognition program. Not only did the company develop way to keep employees connected, but leadership now also uses engagement as a success metric.
“Recognition is [now] so important, it actually is a KPI that I report out on a regular basis.”
The Challenge
Before expanding its work with Terryberry, NASCO relied on a homegrown recognition system built internally. It was peer-to-peer, and employees could give a gift card. Engagement on this platform was generally low with limited functionality.
A move to fully virtual work raised the stakes. Without the chance to see one another in person, NASCO needed a different way for employees to recognize each other, and for managers to recognize individuals or entire teams. At that point, the company did not have a way to do that.
Timing was a factor, too. During the uncertainty of COVID, recognition wasn’t always top of mind, as people were focused on getting through the day. As the company moved past that period, leaders saw the importance of pausing to acknowledge that everyone was still working toward shared goals, even without seeing each other every day.
The Solution
Having used Terryberry for service awards for years, NASCO expanded to Be Recognized, Terryberry’s employee recognition platform. Employees gained the ability recognize one another and give points that can be redeemed for rewards. NASCO branded its platform “Cheers for Peers.”
Key elements of NASCO’s program included:
- A points kickoff. On March 6, every associate received 300 points to start recognizing others, with another 150 points each month on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. The launch was timed around Employee Appreciation Day.
- Recognition in every direction. Employees can recognize peers, colleagues, teammates, and even their leaders.
- Values built in. When recognizing someone, employees can select one of NASCO’s five values, award points, and send a card or notification through the system. Embedding the values like this help them become a deeper part of NASCO’s culture.
- Recognition inside Teams. Using the Be Recognized app in Microsoft Teams, employees can recognize each other through chat while they work without visiting another website.
- Flexible redemption. Points can be cashed out. NASCO also opened a branded swag store after its rebrand last year, where employees can use points or purchase items with money.
- Monthly spotlights and themed campaigns. NASCO highlights top recognizers each month.
- Themes from the comments. Each quarter, comments employees write about each other are exported and the company uses AI to identify the top 10 themes. These are shared—with a written example for each—with NASCO’s executive team.
Terryberry has also been a partner beyond the platform. The Terryberry customer support team has shown NASCO how to make the most of the tool, shared ideas and what other customers are doing, and has discussed possible point tiers or levels with the company.
The Outcome
The response to the March launch was strong. Participation has soared, measuring roughly 10 times what NASCO had anticipated. Just in September, the company saw a 32% increase in daily recognition activity.
Beyond the numbers, the program has changed how NASCO’s people talk about their work. Even small acts get noticed, such as a colleague who made someone’s work easier or helped solve a problem. Leadership credits the ability for this level of engagement as part of why the program has stuck. Employees are also naming NASCO’s values in their recognition and describing how a coworker demonstrated them.
Leadership uses the data, too. Monthly metrics allow month-over-month comparisons and show which values are being recognized most and which could use more attention. The executive team loves the quarterly themes report because it highlights what matters most to people and to the organization’s goals.
“Without the recognition platform, we had no visibility to some of these things. We had no idea of the good work that’s going on.”
Early signs from NASCO’s engagement survey are encouraging. In the last year, recognition was one of the top five drivers of engagement at the company. NASCO has added questions about Cheers for Peers and the Be Recognized app to its newest survey to learn more.
All this is possible thanks, in part, to the support of leadership, including the CEO, Lori Logan, who initially gave out so many points to employees she quickly ran out!
NASCO is now looking beyond its walls. The team plans to spotlight employees who live the company’s values on LinkedIn, giving candidates and customers a view of the culture.
