1. Upload your team

A list of names and mobile numbers is enough to start. That is deliberate — the single biggest reason frontline rewards programs fail is that they are built around a work email address most staff do not have.

If you want payroll or HRIS integration so that starters and leavers sync automatically, that can come later. It is not a prerequisite for launching.

2. Set the budget

You allocate a points budget per team and per period. Nothing is charged on points that are never allocated, and unspent budget does not roll into an invoice at the end of the quarter.

The reporting separates three numbers that most platforms blur together:

Number	What it means	Why finance cares
Committed	Budget set aside for a team or period	Ceiling on exposure
Issued	Points actually given to staff	The accrual
Redeemed	Points converted to a reward	Cash actually spent

3. Define what earns points

Two mechanisms, and you can run either or both.

Recognition. Peer-to-peer and manager-to-staff. A reason is required, so the record is meaningful rather than a stream of generic thanks. Recognition is visible to the team, not just the recipient, because that is most of the value.

Incentives. Points attached to specific outcomes — products sold, services attached, shifts covered, safety milestones. Eligibility is published before the period opens rather than argued about afterwards. How eligibility works.

An open office floor with rows of workstations. — Head-office administrators configure the rules once. Everything after that happens on the phones of people who never see this room.

4. Invite staff

Staff receive a text message, set a password on their own phone, and can redeem the same day. There is no app store download required to get started, and no company device.

Everyday discounts are available from the first login, before anyone has earned a single point. That matters more than it sounds — a rewards app with an empty balance on day one is an app nobody opens twice.

5. Report and reconcile

Spend by team, by period, by reward type, exportable to CSV. Activation and usage are reported per team, so a site that has quietly stopped using the program shows up as a number rather than a surprise at renewal.

If you cannot tell which sites are actually using it, you are not running a program. You are paying a subscription.

What it does not do

Worth being straight about the boundaries.

It is not a payroll system and does not pay wages or allowances.
It is not a performance management tool. There are no ratings and no review cycles.
It does not handle salary packaging or novated leasing.
It will not fix a retention problem caused by pay, rosters or a manager. Nothing on this page will.

From a spreadsheet of mobile numbers to a live program in a week