Employee discounts: A triple win for employers, employees and vendors
From the October 2008 issue of Ceridian Connection
A shaky economy, recession fears and higher costs for many everyday products and services-is there any good news when it comes to consumer savings? Fortunately, there is. Employee discount programs continue to be a viable employee benefit in the corporate perk lineup. To beef up recruitment and retention, nearly 20 percent of employers say they will offer more comprehensive benefits in the year ahead, according to a hiring trends forecast by online job site CareerBuilder.com. And 1 in 10 employers plan to offer more special perks. These include discounts that offer employees savings on items such as entertainment tickets, cell phones, computers, fitness centers, hotels and car rentals.
While employee discount programs are an obvious win for employees by helping them to save on a variety of purchases, the vendor-client relationship for those partnering in the program reaps benefits, too. Jamie Badgett is a director of account management for major markets for Stored Valued Solutions, a Ceridian company that manufactures gift cards for clients. He explains, "As a service provider, your differentiation in the marketplace is paramount. One way you can define yourself is that of a vendor or as a partner. You develop a partnership when there is mutual gain beyond the contractual services. An employee discount program that includes the client's services is a perfect example of partnership building. The employee wins with the discount, the client wins with added traffic of a receptive audience and the company wins because it is a great recruiting and retention tool for both employees and clients."
A whale of a deal
SeaWorld San Diego, which partners with Ceridian through its employee discount program, is a prime example of the positive outcomes of a strong vendor-client relationship. The program sponsor offers savings on park admissions to its Worlds of Discovery Parks, including SeaWorld Parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Sesame Place near Philadelphia and its newest attraction, Aquatica in Orlando.
"When a company provides employee benefit programs, it supports the work-life balance for employees," stated Chelle Rupp, director of sales and distribution marketing for SeaWorld San Diego. "And when companies offer discounted admission tickets to their employee base, it allows more attendance to our parks. In turn, we often give our key contacts at our client companies an opportunity to be involved in hot news, launch parties and other VIP events at our parks. We also provide them with behind-the-scenes information, such as talking points and FAQs they can convey to employees to build excitement about new attractions available at our parks."
SeaWorld's discount program can build brand value among employers and their employees, too. For example, companies buying and promoting SeaWorld tickets at a discount can add a surcharge to tickets sold to go toward their bottom line revenue or to support other employee activities.
"The Worlds of Discovery Parks and SeaWorld San Diego truly treat our corporate partnerships as a loyalty program as evidenced by the longevity of our relationships and continued ticket sales growth from the companies," Rupp added.
Time is money
Most companies offer discounts to full- and part-time employees, although the discount may vary for different groups of employees. Family members often get discounts, too. Some companies even let their employees' friends in on the benefit. Discounts not only save employees money, they also save them time during the shopping experience.
For example, GE Appliances, which offers its Strategic Partner Program (SPP) to Ceridian employees, allows program participants to shop online for appliances from GE at competitive prices.
"GE Appliances is proud to offer the SPP Program to Ceridian employees," said Bill Paul, marketing manager GE EXT Store, GE Consumer & Industrial. "Participation in our SPP saves Ceridian's employees from driving from store to store. And they save by purchasing directly from GE and having their appliances delivered directly to their homes. In addition, the GE Store has a dedicated customer service team ready to assist them before, during and after their appliance purchase."
Not only does Ceridian offer its employees a discount program, we also offer an Employee Discount Program to our clients. Our relationships with more than 220 marketing partners provide employee discount opportunities for shopping, travel, entertainment as well as financial services offered through LifeWorks. Built-in customization allows you to offer your organization's branding and the ability to include access only to the vendors you select. It is a win-win-win for your company, your employees and participating program vendors. Find out more by contacting your Ceridian representative.
A shaky economy, recession fears and higher costs for many everyday products and services-is there any good news when it comes to consumer savings? Fortunately, there is. Employee discount programs continue to be a viable employee benefit in the corporate perk lineup. To beef up recruitment and retention, nearly 20 percent of employers say they will offer more comprehensive benefits in the year ahead, according to a hiring trends forecast by online job site CareerBuilder.com. And 1 in 10 employers plan to offer more special perks. These include discounts that offer employees savings on items such as entertainment tickets, cell phones, computers, fitness centers, hotels and car rentals.
While employee discount programs are an obvious win for employees by helping them to save on a variety of purchases, the vendor-client relationship for those partnering in the program reaps benefits, too. Jamie Badgett is a director of account management for major markets for Stored Valued Solutions, a Ceridian company that manufactures gift cards for clients. He explains, "As a service provider, your differentiation in the marketplace is paramount. One way you can define yourself is that of a vendor or as a partner. You develop a partnership when there is mutual gain beyond the contractual services. An employee discount program that includes the client's services is a perfect example of partnership building. The employee wins with the discount, the client wins with added traffic of a receptive audience and the company wins because it is a great recruiting and retention tool for both employees and clients."
A whale of a deal
SeaWorld San Diego, which partners with Ceridian through its employee discount program, is a prime example of the positive outcomes of a strong vendor-client relationship. The program sponsor offers savings on park admissions to its Worlds of Discovery Parks, including SeaWorld Parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Sesame Place near Philadelphia and its newest attraction, Aquatica in Orlando.
"When a company provides employee benefit programs, it supports the work-life balance for employees," stated Chelle Rupp, director of sales and distribution marketing for SeaWorld San Diego. "And when companies offer discounted admission tickets to their employee base, it allows more attendance to our parks. In turn, we often give our key contacts at our client companies an opportunity to be involved in hot news, launch parties and other VIP events at our parks. We also provide them with behind-the-scenes information, such as talking points and FAQs they can convey to employees to build excitement about new attractions available at our parks."
SeaWorld's discount program can build brand value among employers and their employees, too. For example, companies buying and promoting SeaWorld tickets at a discount can add a surcharge to tickets sold to go toward their bottom line revenue or to support other employee activities.
"The Worlds of Discovery Parks and SeaWorld San Diego truly treat our corporate partnerships as a loyalty program as evidenced by the longevity of our relationships and continued ticket sales growth from the companies," Rupp added.
Time is money
Most companies offer discounts to full- and part-time employees, although the discount may vary for different groups of employees. Family members often get discounts, too. Some companies even let their employees' friends in on the benefit. Discounts not only save employees money, they also save them time during the shopping experience.
For example, GE Appliances, which offers its Strategic Partner Program (SPP) to Ceridian employees, allows program participants to shop online for appliances from GE at competitive prices.
"GE Appliances is proud to offer the SPP Program to Ceridian employees," said Bill Paul, marketing manager GE EXT Store, GE Consumer & Industrial. "Participation in our SPP saves Ceridian's employees from driving from store to store. And they save by purchasing directly from GE and having their appliances delivered directly to their homes. In addition, the GE Store has a dedicated customer service team ready to assist them before, during and after their appliance purchase."
Not only does Ceridian offer its employees a discount program, we also offer an Employee Discount Program to our clients. Our relationships with more than 220 marketing partners provide employee discount opportunities for shopping, travel, entertainment as well as financial services offered through LifeWorks. Built-in customization allows you to offer your organization's branding and the ability to include access only to the vendors you select. It is a win-win-win for your company, your employees and participating program vendors. Find out more by contacting your Ceridian representative.
