An in-person connection can be difficult to achieve because of social distancing, WFH, and elbow taps instead of handshakes. Appreci tries to address this by bringing back physical gift-giving and traditional reward catalogues to team management. It partners with leading retailers, cafes, and wine sellers in your area to provide you with a variety of gift-giving options that are personal and unique.
Appreci was founded in 2019 and is based out of Brisbane, Australia. It is available to organisations around the world, but you’d have to be situated in Australia or the Philippines to gain from its full gift catalogue. Appreci works closely with local cafes to create redeemable gift cards that employees can exchange for coffee. It also partners with the Hidden Sea (an environmentally conscious premium wine company) to make three of its top-rated wine selections available as employee rewards.
- HeyTaco for Microsoft Teams Review: Reward Employees with Tacos – Need We Say More?
- Tap My Back for Microsoft Teams Review: In-the-Moment Recognition Just Got Better
You can also use Appreci to share more traditional gift options, thanks to its partnership with 50+ merchants, including the Apple App Store, H&M, Accor Hotels, Dominos, etc.
Appreci is available both as a standalone platform and a Microsoft Teams app. The Teams app allows you to mention and recognise employees in the workflow and send them a gift. Let’s now deep-dive into our review.
Inside Appreci for Teams
Appreci works through a simple, bot-based interface. You can use the bot to send and receive recognitions without leaving the Teams platform. Remember that you’ll need to have an existing Appreci account – registration is free, and the company monetises through its partnerships with various local cafes and vendors.
You can download Appreci from Microsoft AppSource. Or, open the application store from the left navigation pane of your Microsoft Teams window and look for Appreci. Here are the key features to expect from the app:
- A bot-based interface – Appreci’s conversational workflow makes it a delight to use. When you download the app, choose a Teams channel or private/group chat conversation where you want to share recognition with your peers. For instance, if you have a channel dedicated to HR communication, you can add Appreci as a channel tab. Once installed, you can mention the bot by typing @Appreci in the message compose area. You can also reply to chat or channel conversations with recognition.
- Multiple recognition types – You can configure the exact details from the Appreci window when initiating a recognition activity. Notably, the app supports multiple types of recognition, of which “thanks” is selected as the default recognition type. Click on the drop-down box to change the type as per your requirement.
- In-app recognition notifications – A major advantage of the Appreci app is that it notifies users about any recognition activity without leaving the Teams interface. When you send a recognition, the Appreci bot notifies the user in real-time. They will be able to see the recognition message and align it with the name of the person who has recognised them.
- Descriptions to detail the recognised act – Recognition descriptions or messages tell the recipient more about the recognition act and why they are being appreciated. In addition to the recognition type and the tangible gift (a gift card, a coupon redeemable with coffee, etc.), you can add a few lines to personalise the communication.
- Click to view gifts and rewards – When you send a recognition, the recipient will be able to view it as a real-time notification, along with an embedded link. The link appears right below the recognition message. Users can click on the link to view the gift they received in a separate window.
- In-app payments – This sets Appreci apart from other similar recognition apps. Employees can give tangible gifts to each other and pay for it directly from the Appreci Teams app. After selecting the recognition recipient and typing in your personalised message, you can select the gift from a catalogue and pay to send it.
Why Appreci for Teams Makes a Difference
For Australian companies, Appreci offers a unique value proposition, allowing employees to select, pay for, and send recognition and rewards in the same workflow.
What We Think
If Appreci is available in your region, you could try it for its outside-the-box gift ideas, seamless integration with Teams conversations, and mobile-friendly UI.
Download it here.
