Points

Points are the fundamental unit of measurement in gamification strategies, quantifying user progression and achievement. They serve as versatile tools that can be used to track progress, unlock rewards, and drive engagement. What makes points particularly powerful is their ability to serve multiple purposes within the same strategy.

Point movement types

• Absolute status points: Track total progression over time, providing a comprehensive view of user achievement
• Marginal status points: Measure progression within specific time periods for competitions or challenges, resetting when the challenge ends
• One-way status points: Only increase, never decrease, creating a sense of constant progression
• Two-way status points: Can decrease when users fail tasks, perform negative actions, or remain inactive

Functional point types

• Experience points (XP): Earned through completing desired behaviours or achievements, representing skill development
• Status points: Used for ranking users in levels, similar to airline frequent flyer tiers
• Redeemable points: Virtual currency that users can exchange for rewards like coupons (activated via the "Redeemable" setting)
• Reputation points: Earned through quality contributions and positive actions, reflecting user standing in the community
• Gift points: Transferable between users, usable for rewards or recognition (activated via the "Giftable" setting)
• Expiring points: Create urgency by requiring redemption within a specific timeframe (configured through the "Expirable" setting)
• Bounty points: Allow users to incentivise actions amongst themselves, particularly useful in Q&A scenarios (activated via the "Bountiable" setting)

Using points to track external metrics

Points can track any external quantitative metric, such as:

• Task completion time
• Revenue generated by sales executives
• First call resolution rates in contact centres

Configure decimal precision in the point settings to accurately track continuous metrics. Create activities to modify these metrics directly.

Point relationships

The diagram below illustrates how points integrate with other configuration elements:

Understanding point balances

Use the GET User Wallets API to retrieve a user's point information. The API returns five key values for each point type:

• Grand total: All points earned over time, regardless of expiry or spending
• Total: All unexpired points, including spent ones (used for leaderboards and KPIs)
• Balance: Points available for spending (not expired or already spent)
• Spent: Points already used by the user
• Expired: Points that were earned but have since expired

JSON

{
  "data": [
    {
      "balance": 50,
      "expired": 0,
      "grandTotal": 160,
      "pointId": "5c0540b05fc0c477d32bec96",
      "spent": 110,
      "total": 160
    },
    ...
  ]
}

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Related topics:

• Behaviours
• Rewards
• Leaderboards
• Activities