Like most CEO’s, Tyler Roye is a focused leader. Tyler’s passion pushes him to drive the development and delivery of innovative rewards gift cards that enrich people’s lives. Committed to the Long Island tech start-up ecosystem, to the retail and gift card industries, and to hockey and music, Tyler maintains deep connections with a broad circle of employees, colleagues, friends and those active in our industry and the community. A family man to the max, there’s also nothing he wouldn’t do for a friend. In the spirit of creating deeper closeness between our company and yours, we took the lead from Jeffrey Gitomer’s article “What CEO’s want to talk about”, and asked Tyler to weigh in on these topics. We proudly present “Ask the CEO: Tyler Roye, eGifter Rewards”.

Tyler Roye Talks About Clients and Their Customers

Q: What results have your clients seen in employee morale and productivity as a function of their using the eGifter Rewards platform?

A: Giving a reward that the recipient doesn’t want or need will never produce the desired outcome, which is why gift cards as rewards have become so popular. Gift cards are inherently flexible rewards, enabling the recipient to choose anything they want from a given retailer.  We take that concept one step further with the eGifter Rewards Choice Card™ by letting the recipient choose from over 300 brands of gift cards, resulting in an infinite set of choices. When employees treat themselves to that ‘special something’, the item becomes connected in their mind with their employer who gave them the reward.  This results in a deep and long term connection to the source of the reward, providing greater value for the employer from every reward dollar they spend.   

Q: How quickly can the eGifter Rewards tech team spin up an API integration so that apps can apply cash out value and rewards in gift cards?

A: We have seen programs go from first contact to live in just a matter of days.  Our API’s are truly best-in-class and very easy to integrate with. Very often, the developers are done with the integration before the business paperwork is completed.  

Q: What is the most appealing reason for companies who currently purchase in bulk to pivot to your platform, instead of purchasing & delivering as they always do?

A: The eGifter platform removes all of the administration involved with trying to run a program manually.  We often hear about companies buying gift cards at the drug store and handing them out, tracking all of the activity in spreadsheets.  Distributing gift cards to employees or customers (or for any purpose!) without the eGifter Platform is not only a costly administrative headache, but susceptible to fraudulent or unauthorized use as well. 

On Customer Experience

Q: From the perspective of the person that receives a gift card, what makes the experience so special and memorable?

A: Gift cards are often used to buy yourself something that you really want, but could not fit in the budget.  I recently heard a story of an employee that used their reward to buy themselves that expensive pair of wireless earbuds they had always wanted.  Now they use the wireless ear buds every day at the gym, and some part of their satisfaction with this item is connected to their employer who gave them the reward. 

Q: With the holiday season coming, what is the greatest benefit your Clients will enjoy based on their use of the eGifter Rewards platform and API?

A: Everyone is so busy this time of year, all they really want is something that is easy to use and truly a benefit.  The seamless experiences delivered by the eGifter platform make this possible. Everyone involved comes away feeling good.  When the incentive or reward recipient is happy, the company has achieved its goals. 

On Leadership

Q: What do your CEO counterparts appreciate most about eGifter Rewards platform and API?

A: Leadership teams want to be confident their reward and incentive initiatives are achieving the desired objectives.  Gift cards are the right product and the eGifter Platform is the right delivery mechanism. This fact is reinforced by both their recipient’s feedback and by the robust reporting tools included with the platform.  

On Trends and the Future of Rewards & Incentives

Q: What is the greatest greenfield industry category ripe for incentives, rewards or corporate gifts through eGifter Rewards?

A: We are seeing a lot of new use cases around green initiatives, such as “sign up for paperless billing and receive a gift card reward.”  Utilities, for example, are implementing Points programs to incentivize consumers to conserve energy, especially during peak usage periods such as a heat wave or drought.  The Points can be exchanged for gift cards on the eGifter Platform. Savvy consumers respond to a good offer, especially one with a flexible reward that has immediate tangible value. 

Q: Everyone knows about the trend toward health and wellness. How can companies get in on the action to increase loyalty and get a business benefit by leveraging gift cards in this area?

A: If you have a program designed to incentivize wellness, like quitting smoking, taking more ‘steps’ or going to the gym, all you really need is a strong incentive to get going.  Gift cards are that perfect incentive. eGifter can tailor the choice of gift cards to be consistent with the program, offering brands that are consistent with health and wellness objectives.