Rewards platform demos are good. They are designed to be good. The product looks clean, the catalogue looks generous, and the reporting screen has a chart on it.
None of that is where the contract will hurt you. These are the twelve questions that determine whether year two is comfortable.
Money
- Are we billed on committed points or issued points? Committed billing means you pay for headroom you never used. Issued is the fair basis. If the answer is committed, ask what happens to the difference at period end.
- Is the platform fee per employee or flat? Per-employee pricing punishes you for including casual staff, which is exactly the group most likely to benefit. Check whether the count is headcount, active users, or the size of the uploaded file.
- What is the price at renewal? Ask for the uplift mechanism in writing. "CPI or five per cent, whichever is greater" is a real clause people sign without reading.
- What is not included? Implementation, integration, additional sites, custom reporting, and training are the usual line items that arrive later.
Exit
The exit terms are the most important part of the contract and the part discussed least during the sales process.
- What happens to unredeemed staff points if we terminate? The right answer involves a notice period during which staff can still redeem. Points quietly vanishing on the termination date is a bad look for you, not for the vendor.
- Can we export our data, and in what format? Transaction history, recognition records, and the participant list. Ask to see a sample export before signing, not after.
- What is the notice period, and is there an auto-renewal? Twelve-month auto-renewal with ninety days notice means the decision window opens nine months in.
Ask what happens to staff points on termination. If the vendor has to check, they have not thought about it, and you will be the one explaining it to your staff.
Data
- Where is the data hosted, and who can access it? For most Australian employers the answer needs to be onshore, or at least disclosed.
- What does the vendor do with staff personal information? The answer should be: hold it to run the program, and nothing else. Any mention of marketing, analytics products, or "partners" deserves a follow-up.
- Does the employer see individual redemption choices? It should not. Aggregate participation, yes. What a specific person bought with their points, no.
Operations
- What is the uptime commitment, and what happens if it is missed? A number without a remedy is a marketing claim.
- Who do our staff contact when something goes wrong? If the answer is "your HR team", you have just acquired a support desk.
A Scoring Sheet
| Question | Good answer | Walk-away signal |
|---|---|---|
| Billing basis | Issued points only | Committed, non-refundable |
| Points on exit | Redemption window, in writing | Forfeited immediately |
| Data export | Self-serve CSV, any period | On request, fee applies |
| Individual redemptions | Not visible to employer | Full visibility "for insights" |
| Auto-renewal | Opt-in, or 30 days notice | Auto, 90 days notice |
| Staff support | Vendor handles it directly | Routed back to your HR team |
One Thing To Do Before The Second Demo
Ask for a reference client in your industry with a similar headcount, and ask them one question: what is the current activation rate. Not whether they are happy — activation.
A vendor who cannot produce a reference willing to say that number out loud is telling you something. So is a reference who has to go and look it up.
Our own answers to all twelve are on the program terms page, including the sixty-day redemption window on exit and the thirty-day notice on any change that reduces the value of points already issued.
Put these to us in writing
Send the list. We will answer all twelve in an email you can forward to procurement.