The software market is incredibly diverse, with a huge number of developers and providers offering a variety of products. This makes choosing software for your company difficult, as you need to ensure your business is using software products that match your needs perfectly.

All of this is true when it comes to software for gift card management. For many businesses, gift card strategies are now critical to promotions and marketing, customer acquisitions and nurturing, employee retention, and many other aspects of the operation. So, the software used in gift card management has also become critical.

But how do you choose the right gift card management software for your company? What factors do you need to understand as you make your choice? Continue reading to learn how to make the right choice.

Why use gift card management software

Why do you need to use gift card software for your company? Can't you just handle gift card management yourself? The right software can offer a range of benefits, providing functionality most businesses are not equipped to handle in-house.

Here are a few of the features you can expect from a high-quality gift card management solution:

• The tools you need to generate and manage your gift card strategy in an effective manner
• A range of different top gift card options for your customers, employees, or reward scheme participants
• APIs and connectivity to help your software integrate with other solutions in your setup
• Analytics and reporting functionality to give you valuable insight into your strategy
• Other features that help you run your gift card strategy in the right way

With so much happening within your gift card management software, doing your research and ensuring you find the right solution is important. There are many different providers out there, but not all will give you the best quality software — check out the reviews of previous customers and users and make sure you find a solution that fits your company needs.

Why is choosing a managed service provider (MSP) company so important?

There are many different managed service providers (MSPs) out there, each of which has its particular way of operating and its pros and cons. This is another aspect you will need to research before you make your decision.

The MSP is the company that will take care of the ongoing management of your gift card software. You may decide to handle this management yourself, but this option may not be suitable for all businesses. 

Managing the solution yourself is going to be rather labor-intensive, and you may end up missing out on some of the important features of the platform. For small businesses, an MSP may be the better option to free up significant resources you can devote to running other key areas of your business.

Research past reviews of the MSP and compare the user experiences they offer. You will also want to compare the different features and support offerings. Make sure you choose a company whose features align with your organizational goals and objectives.

Factors to consider when choosing a gift card management platform

We've looked at why you need a gift card management solution and why choosing the MSP company is important, but let's take this a little further. Here are the things you must remember when choosing a gift card management platform.

Understanding your company's needs and objectives

You'll need to understand your company's needs and objectives before choosing. Gift card strategies have changed significantly over the years. What used to be an exclusively physical medium focused on businesses dealing with gift cards for their products and services has been transformed.

Now, businesses may operate a hybrid physical and digital strategy or simply offer digital gift cards. They may also decide to leverage the power of big brands by offering gift cards to other companies. Gift cards have become key to reward schemes for customers, leads, and employees and are not just offered via direct sale anymore.

Simply put, the landscape has become complex. Your strategy is likely to be complex too, and you may want to offer gift cards as rewards for strong employee performance or in return for customer surveys and feedback submissions. The choice of how you use these gift cards is yours, but you'll need to make sure the software you choose is up to the task.

Streamlined integration

The integration process will be the first step in using your gift card management solution. Until the solution is set up and integrated with your other software platforms, you won’t be able to benefit from it immediately, so you must ensure that installation is achievable swiftly and efficiently.

If you are just purchasing a gift card management solution from a third-party provider, you will be responsible for the integration. With this in mind, you must ensure you have the resources and time required to complete the process. If you run into any difficulties during the setup, this will delay the implementation of the solution and can end up costing you money.

Working with an MSP will certainly improve the efficiency of the setup process. Installation is likely to be one of the key services the MSP offers, and they can support you during this phase.

With them, you can get the job done quickly, and they will guarantee that all the features are properly installed. They can also help you ensure everything is properly integrated.

Onboarding, offboarding, and training

Once the gift card management solution is installed, you'll need to think about supporting your team members as they utilize the software. In order to leverage the software to its fullest by utilizing all available features and tools, you'll need to ensure that your staff members are properly trained and educated on how to use it.

Again, the MSP can handle this for you. Training may be included in their ongoing service agreement, and the company can coach your personnel and show them how to get the most out of the platform. However, you may need to handle training yourself. If this is the case, you must set aside enough time and resources to complete this.

You'll also need to think about how you onboard new personnel. This means creating secure accounts and access credentials they will use for access, along with delivering more in-depth training as part of their orientation.

For any staff members who leave your organization, there will need to be a thorough offboarding process, revoking access credentials, and ensuring ongoing security. Your MSP may offer these services as part of their agreement, or they may leave you to handle them yourself.

Mobile device connectivity

Mobile devices are increasingly important as we move toward a hybrid working environment. Your gift card management solution must be compatible with company devices of all kinds — from desktop PCs and laptops to tablet and smartphone tech.

Your customers and other users will also want to access the platform using all types of devices available. This is something you'll need to remember — crafting a great customer experience means supporting them wherever they are found and however they choose to access your website and apps.

Mobile device optimization is a big part of your gift card management strategy. Keep this in mind when choosing a company software.

Discover more about what Runa can do for you

Runa provides the world's leading gift card aggregator platform to users. Bringing together cards from over 1,300 brands, spanning 30 countries, 18 currencies, and 16 languages, Runa is almost unrivaled in terms of the choice we offer you and your customers.

Beyond this, we also offer a range of incentive marketing and gift card management tools and features and seamless integrations with your existing software. Discover more about what we do when you contact our team — or use our demo to learn more about the platform.