Posts Tagged ‘points’

Soon. Very, Very Soon.

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

If I had a status point for every time someone asked what’s taking us so long, BzzAgentJoeC would have leapfrogged (not a Frogpond pun, I promise) “wtr27513″ and landed squarely at the top of the Agent Leaderboard. So let’s tackle this question here and now.

There is much more to the new system than disconnecting points from campaigns. There’s more to it than filling honeycombs. There’s even more to it than figuring out what to do with Canada! The new system is designed to be fresh and interactive. It’s fun, it’s vibrant, it’s engaging. There are a slew of new perks and there are special offers that we haven’t yet revealed to you (we’re calling ‘em “WOMlets”). There are technology changes – such as algorithms that prevent you from falling back when you join a new campaign and software that makes it easy for you to manage your points and offers. Remember, we need to walk nearly 400,000 people from all different backgrounds through an entirely new system (and we have to train our service staff on it first). We’ve gotta make it simple. And in the worlds of design and engineering, there’s nothing more difficult than simple.

So although it is taking a long time for us to do this right, it doesn’t mean there is a long time to go. I know we keep saying, “We’re getting close,” but we really, really are.

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Posted in Behind the Programs | 59 Comments »

The Reward for Forty

Monday, April 14th, 2008

This week I’ll tackle one-and-a-half rewards questions from the rewards-questions mailbag, err…blogbag.

First up, the whole number question. Heather, a visitor the BeeLog, asked if we will have:

small point-valued rewards for the people who have just recently joined” and added (insightfully) that such rewards will “suffice for the leftover points others are so worried about.

Well, Heather, I just looked into this and my man David E. tells me that any Agent with as few as 40 points will be able to claim a reward during Shaloha! So file a report and take a couple of polls and you’ll be all set!

The half question (I say it’s a half because it’s really a statement, not a question) comes from Rebecca1340. Never one to mince words, she posted:

I just hope this new system is worth all the hype and drama.

C’mon Rebecca! You know you are one of my favorites (you do know that, right?), but that’s just not fair. When we don’t post about rewards, you guys let us have it … now we’re trying to communicate more, and you are letting us have it for hyping the new system. We aren’t promising a Cadillac to every Agent. We’re just saying that we have come up with a new system that we believe meets many of the needs you’ve expressed to us.

Will it be perfect? Unlikely

Will it be a significant improvement? We believe so.

And we hope you agree!

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Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | 73 Comments »

So, Will Reward Points Expire?

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

As previously noted, each week we’ll answer at least one question about the rewards transition posted or submitted by an Agent. This week, as we’re in the mood for bonuses, we’ve picked two!

The first question was posted on the BeeLog by lindylady, who asks:

How are rewards going to happen? You mention that we would be able to redeem our points in phase but that phase 3 has a different reward system. Does that mean our points expire?”

This is an excellent insight. Think of “Shaloha” as a transition point, a festive goodbye to the old rewards system and a celebratory hello to the new one. Yes, phase two – the redemption stage – will have a clear beginning and end, but we’re confident it’ll be long enough for every Agent to have ample opportunity to convert their points for great rewards. And we’ve set it up in such a way that the first Agents “in” won’t gobble up all the best stuff (we know that’s been a problem in the past). Shaloha will close on the day the new system launches. The new system will work differently than the current rewards program, so your past BzzPoints will no longer be needed after the transition.

The second question was emailed to us anonymously. It says,

What’s going on with the rewards store? Why are there no rewards? When are you going to add more stuff?”

We aren’t going to add any more stuff to the current rewards “store.” We are saying goodbye to the old system. We think you will thank us for it, we promise. Keep earning points, and saving them up. Because come mid-May when Shaloha launches, you will be provided with a wide array of choices – and you won’t have to be in a campaign to redeem your stuff.

Keep sending along or posting those questions – more to come!

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Posted in Behind the Programs, Making BzzAgent Work | 28 Comments »

Let the Rewards Countdown Begin

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

If BzzAgent had a drummer-in-residence, I’d cue a drum roll. Because what we are about to share deserves some dramatic build-up. After months of discussion and planning – not to mention a busload of patience on your part – we are getting ready pull back the curtains and reveal the new rewards program. In fact, it all starts now.

Here’s how it’ll all go down. We’ll introduce our new programs (yes, plural!) in three phases:

  1. The Countdown:

    Over the next few weeks you’re going to start seeing some changes on BzzAgent.com as we get the system ready for these big improvements. The changes may look subtle at first – some messages here, a little hint there – but they all are part of the larger picture, so pay attention! We know you’ll likely have more than a few questions along the way. So, each week on the BeeLog we will respond to at least one Agent question – either posted in the comments thread, posed on an outside site like bzzz.heavenforum.com, or submitted us by other means (email, IM, carrier pigeon). Go ahead and ask away!

  2. Shaloha:

    Then, in mid-May, the next phase will begin, where we say goodbye to the old system and hello to the new one. This is when you’ll be able to finally use all of the points you’ve gained thus far. Whether you have a ton of points built up or just a hard-earned few, you’ll have the opportunity to turn those points into great stuff.

  3. The New World:

    Shortly thereafter, everything will start anew. This “new world” will have two components: a way to earn status (a friendly and simple evolution of the “Tiering” system) and a better way to earn stuff (a better rewards system!). Don’t worry, all of the hard work you’ve put into your status thus far will remain intact.

More to come very shortly, but consider this the beginning of the official countdown. Here we go!

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Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | 79 Comments »