Embracing Gamification: Know the Role of Game-Mechanics in Driving your Business Growth

Of late, eLearning solutions have experienced ever-increasing importance among organisations. However, the common myth among the businesses about eLearning is that the etraining solutions are made up of interactive videos or PPTs. But the fact is the etraining modules can be of various forms such as webinars, podcasts, etc. While the majority of eLearning solutions remain less talked, gamification, an effective training module, has been the talk of the town.

Gamification, a buzzword in the tech industry, is a process of employing game mechanics in non-gaming contexts. In layman’s words, it entails incorporating elements such as competition, visual achievements, and many more in the learning/training process. As per a report, it is believed that in the longer run, this unique eLearning strategy will meet 78% business objectives, increase learners’ engagement by 82% and productivity by 80%. 
Sounds great? It really does! But achieving this hottest training trend requires more than mere knowledge about elements of game mechanics. So, how’s it done? 

Here’s a detailed look at applying gamification technique for your business 

• Determine success criteria - In the initial step, identify the major goal based on which the result will be evaluated. For instance, 98% employee participation or 68% improvement in learners’ engagement.  
• Consider the learning objectives - In addition to determining the success criteria, consider the learning objective to ensure that the learners’ have acquired the required knowledge and skills. 
• Utilise different levels for learning journey - The learning needs of learners’ are unique. To meet those requirements, use various levels of learning and achieve the desired outcomes. 
• Use progress bars - Utilise percentages, progress bars or tracking systems. This enables the learners’ to know where they stand and take necessary measures to improve their skills or knowledge.
• Analyse results - Assess the learners’ response, what triggers their interest, and check how they interact with the learning modules. You can also ask for feedback and know the learning experience of your workforce. 

Gamification has been around for quite a long time. Despite its proven results (in training and other business aspects), organisations are still unsure of implementing this learning platform in their business.   

• Enhance learners’ engagement 

Employee engagement is a critical factor that contributes to the business’s performance. Studies show that 70% of business transformations fail due to poor employee engagement. On the other hand, companies with properly engaged workforce double the business performance resulting in increased profit. With gamification integrated within an organisation, the ‘boring’ tasks become fun and enjoyable. It helps the workforce to track their progress, know their strengths and the areas which need improvements and work on the same. Also, with visible benchmarks, this platform creates work commitment and dedication among the users.

• Adaptation to change 

Owing to rapid market changes, evolving technologies, and other factors, it becomes a necessity for organisations to modify their work process & other business aspects to keep in pace with the changing industry. However, businesses set out to make such changes fail miserably or fall-short due to lack of workplace engagement. That is, if the team is not willing to be a part of the change, the chances of success of such companies decreases sharply. But with gamification, employees can receive & provide instant feedback, remain updated with the change & its objectives, enabling the management to process the adaptation seamlessly.  

• Improve team productivity

Employees with a low level of motivation fail to make a difference to the business outcomes. But with instant rewards, feedback, and gratification, you can not only improve the productivity of your employees but also reduce staff turnover. Gamification produces real-time visibility performance report and enables the staff to know their performance in comparison to their coworkers. This enables them to self-address the issues and takes suitable measures to work on areas they are falling behind. Additionally, management can access graphical reports and dashboards to necessary steps to resolve productivity issues.

• Gather robust customer data

Customer information is crucial for businesses. However, collecting the same is strenuous. Gamification lets you access your customers’ information by offering a login form to your users. Doing so you can get access to various details such as customer’s name, address, and contact details. This information can further allow you to get in touch with the customers ‘and determine their buying decisions. To encourage users to fill the login form, offer badges, points or rewards on each click. Analyse the collected data chunks and determine consumer engagement effectively.  

• Solve complex issues with crowdsourcing 

Transform game-mechanics into an avenue for crowdsourcing. Motivating consumers to visit your website and interact with you can help you develop a sounding board. Collect the feedback from the users and employ them to solve complex business issues. Games like ‘ESP game’ are examples of how data can be crowdsourced to resolve business problems. For instance, the ESP game offers pictures where 3 people have to agree upon and give a caption for it. The aim here is to agree on as many captions as possible and earn points in 1 minute. The agreed caption can then be used as tag for your business purpose. 

• Learning & onboarding 

Besides training your workforce via engaging learning materials and keeping them updated with your business activities, gamification helps in accelerating the onboarding process. Since the know-how bequeathed is vital for the newbies of your team, the onboarding projects are made small when compared to other projects. The onboarding projects can be made engaging using game-mechanics and enable the new employees to obtain a better understanding of the project and other regulations & policies. 
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When done correctly, gamification can work for you excellently. Leverage top features, customise the game-mechanics to your business objectives & strategies, improve employee productivity and get better ROI.