And the Survey Says? Run Incentive Campaigns
12.15.2010
We all agree commuter benefit programs are a big win for employers, employees and the environment, but only when employees take advantage of them. Recent surveys conducted by Commuter Check show that only 10% of the commuting population that has access to commuter benefits uses them.
Therein lies the question; why don’t more people participate? The most frequent answer is “I didn’t know my company offered it.” The number two answer is “I don’t understand how the program works.” The key finding is the lack of awareness and education about commuter benefits on behalf of the employee. Commuter Check recognized that employer/employee communications were essential to high participation rates.
In 2010, Commuter Check tested several campaigns designed to create awareness of commuter benefits and educate the eligible population about the benefits of participation. We learned that most of the employees involved in the test campaigns really wanted to know “What’s in it for me?”, other than the obvious savings on their commute.
With this knowledge, we set out to test some campaigns that included an incentive. The most successful was a “Refer a Friend” program. Here, existing participants were incentivized to have co-workers join the program. The results were phenomenal. The contest, which featured a drawing for an IPad, resulted in over 500 referrals and 300 new participants for one test company. Similarly, there are programs that are jointly funded by local, state and federal agencies along with business co-sponsors that encourage alternative commuting. NuRide, for example, rewards individuals for keeping logs of their “green commute”. Enrollees accumulate reward points when they walk, bike, telecommute, carpool, vanpool or take public transportation. The best part? It’s free to participants; all they have to do is create an account and log their trips to earn their rewards.
To learn more about how Commuter Check can help increase participation in your company’s commuter benefit program, contact our customer services team at 800.531.2828.