Gamification is a concept that was introduced in 2002 by Nick Pelling. It is defined as using game elements and mechanics for customer interaction and problem-solving in non-game contexts. Gamification design is more than just fun and games, it supports clear objectives, with the whole process enjoyed by the users.
Zichermann and Linder addressed how business perception and processes have been reshaped by gamification. The impacts of Gamification on the growth of SMEs and MSMEs across various sectors can be studied using Global Market Database. The cloud-based market analysis tool studies the shift in line with changing market trends. When integrated with the business model, game mechanics act as an invaluable agent of change for managers to encourage staff and clients Its primary aim, regardless of how gamification is defined, is to create fun, promote significant motivation, serve customers better, encourage engagement, and develop opportunities for sustained interaction.
Learning and Training!
Gamification has taken an ever-increasing function within organizations over the past few years. According to the procured market database, companies are now turning to gamification while coping with HR-related problems as a creative way to involve, educate, reward, and attract workers. Gamified principles, such as recruitment, learning, and growth, have been integrated into real-world systems. Game mechanics are now instrumental in enhancing efficiency in sales, customer support, and training in an increasingly growing sector.
For members and non-members of the millennial generation, gamification for corporate education enables organizations to be responsive and competitive. The workplace of today is comprised of up to five different generations. Each generation is driven by different factors including financial rewards or productive jobs to real relationships. Companies aim to strip away the boring, monotonous, and tedious aspects of the everyday workplace and substitute them with an engaging learning path with Gamification added to training programs. A fresh and innovative experience that empowers the workers with a sense of self-accomplishment, freedom, mastery, and social engagement.
Gamification 101
Credits, badges, and scoreboards are the simplest applications of game mechanics that have been most widely found in gamified settings. Gamification functions as it gives users feedback of what they are doing, and also provides them with simple measures of their success to date, a map to direct them through potential decisions, and prizes to explicitly show that the correct actions have been taken. Gamified programming works to demonstrate individual expertise by activating elements of intrinsic motivation, such as one’s drives for social engagement, positive contributions, successes, growing obstacles and self-challenges, and allowing the ability to self-express autonomously.
According to the market database, game mechanics influence behaviors and evaluate them, promoting more calls, qualifying leads, meetings with buyers, and achieve growth in sales. It focuses on the actions that trigger sales, rather than relying on outcomes. This is a perfect way to facilitate the right habits that add to corporate objectives. It comes as a software ingredient that, along with organizational principles, links employees with their goals. Game mechanics leverages the drive for feedback, incentives, and milestones when correctly planned and applied, and stimulates experiences that motivate workers to do more and more every day.
Employee Engagement
Businesses, both internally and externally, have seen an uptick in engagement from social media. This covers factors including website traffic, lower adoption time, faster conversions from free trial to purchase, and decreases in orientation and training time. However, if not handled correctly, there is often a drawback. Game mechanics produces high expectation levels, which can be responsible for a deceptive set of rewards. Additionally, it is intended to facilitate and not replace any other programs an organization has in place.
Secondary research based on the procured market database, reveals that there are just 13% of workers globally engaged in their work. Employees that do experience proper engagement imply 37% increased burnout, 18% poorer efficiency, and 15% reduced profits. If calculated in terms of US dollars, it implies approximately 34% of the average salary of a disengaged employee or USD 3,400 for every USD 10,000 in salary they receive. The best client service is provided by highly motivated staff. Disengaged workers would lead to the loss of clients. It impacts customer satisfaction, and the development of the whole business is impaired.
Gamification in Practice
Several organizations have been able to relate to the outcomes of game mechanics. For example, leaderboards are used as a means to keep the employee in the company competitive and aware of their daily performance. Leaderboards are customized to each person, and only highlights those closest to them in the overall organizational rankings. It also offers comprehensive onboarding for users to ensure that they know the fundamentals of both the learning environment and the features of the game behind it. The purpose of this personalization is to help each worker take control of their training and growth. They can then configure the same offered by the company portal to suit their needs and job habits better. This personalized experience has a positive impact on the employee’s work attitude. Global Market Database can analyze the shift in line with changing market trends to understand the effects of Gamification.
Game mechanics can also be performed to enhance the physical well-being of workers. New Australian research from Curtin University, showed that workers who walked during their lunch break were less depressed than their more sedentary colleagues. This demonstrated the effect of physical fitness in the workplace. Initiatives such as Step Ahead: Zombies used gamification to promote workforce activity entails a walking competition with participants trying to survive a simulated attack by zombies. According to the market database, this game has seen significant growth. The developers claimed 20% increases were reported in employee engagement among participating companies.
