It’s no secret: the last few years have changed the workforce entirely. Between shifting business priorities, economic uncertainty, and the push and pull of return-to-office policies, keeping employees motivated and engaged has never been more important — or more challenging.
At Ascent Cloud, we’ve experienced these same changes and, like many organizations, we’ve had to ask ourselves an important question. How do we keep our employees engaged, motivated, and aligned with company goals in this new era?
For us, it’s a no brainer: LevelEleven. From driving pipeline through Competitions to recognizing achievements with Badges, LevelEleven is an integral part of how we connect as a team and drive results at Ascent Cloud. Enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how we use LevelEleven at our own company to celebrate and strive for success.
One of the most effective ways to motivate your team is to gamify work. At Ascent Cloud, we regularly run Competitions to drive performance on specific initiatives. Whether it’s booking meetings at an upcoming trade show, drumming up registrations for a live webinar, or knocking out bug fixes during a hackathon, Competitions help light a fire beneath our team and ignite activity.
Our sales development representatives (SDRs), for example, use Competitions to push results within an abbreviated timeframe. These Competitions help bring a sense of urgency and excitement to the team for tasks that can otherwise feel routine, like making cold calls and booking meetings.
“We are currently running two Competitions. Since launching the Competitions a week ago, we are already at 150% of our all-time high of outbound pipeline production, and we’re pacing to hit 200%,” says Sam Schooley, Head of Sales Development.
With clear targets and hour-by-hour leaderboard updates, SDRs are motivated to not only perform, but compete. “Every time a rep gets a new point in the Competition, the whole company is notified of their success,” says Schooley. “There’s an electricity in the air. Reps are the first to want to finish meetings and get back to the floor; they are motivated to make more dials and prospect more accounts.”
Pro tip: when running a Competition, set realistic but challenging goals. Reps will feel more motivated to participate if the goal feels attainable versus out of reach.
While Competitions fuel friendly rivalry, recognition is equally important for sustaining motivation within the workplace. At Ascent Cloud, we use LevelEleven Badges to celebrate milestones and reinforce our company’s cultural values.
Someone crushed a sales pitch? There’s a Badge for that. Someone covered for you during PTO? There’s a Badge for that. Someone earned a professional certification? You guessed it — there’s a Badge for that! LevelEleven badges provide a simple yet powerful way to celebrate your teammates and help shape company culture.
Don’t underestimate the power of a Badge. A little recognition can go a long way towards making your employees feel valued and engaged.
Pro tip: utilize the LevelEleven Slack integration for real-time Badge updates. This company-wide visibility leads to more recognition and heartfelt conversations both online and IRL.
Like many companies these days, Ascent Cloud is a hybrid workplace. Our employees work both in the office and at home, and we also have several fully remote employees. Staying connected across these different work styles can be challenging — but Channel11 makes it easier.
Channel11 is our digital hub for company updates, Competition leaderboards, employee announcements, and overall company culture. Employees can access Channel11 at home via Salesforce or watch it in real-time on our office TVs. This revolving newsfeed helps bridge the gap between remote and in-person work.
Here are a few ways we use Channel11 at Ascent Cloud:
These moments may seem small, but they help keep everyone connected whether they’re working at HQ or from their living room.
Try it yourself: use Channel11 to welcome new team members, celebrate employee anniversaries, and share important announcements (or even the upcoming lunch menu!).
Lastly, we rely heavily on LevelEleven Scorecards to keep team members aligned on meaningful metrics. By surfacing real-time performance data, Scorecards help employees see exactly how they’re tracking against their goals and how they stack up against peers.
“Scorecards help the team stay motivated on what our key areas of focus are,” says Alison Augsburger, Manager of Customer Success. “Everyone wants to be at the top of the list, so they enjoy seeing how they stack rank amongst their peers and also understanding where our focus is.”
For competitive colleagues, Scorecards can give them the boost they need to perform one percent better than the day before.
Pro tip: use Scorecards to narrow focus down to two or three key metrics, rather than overwhelming your team with dozens of KPIs.
Whether it’s the excitement of a Competition, the recognition of a Badge, or the shared laughter over a cute pet on Channel11, LevelEleven plays a huge role in how we celebrate success and drive performance at Ascent Cloud.
If you’re looking for a way to energize your team and bring focus into the workplace, give LevelEleven a try. Get in touch for a custom demo and learn how to motivate what matters.
