If you’re using Leveleleven to motivate your sales team, you already know the basics: gamification, leaderboards, and recognition badges. But the default settings? They’re generic, and your team probably sees right through them. This guide is for admins, sales ops, and managers who want to give recognition some actual punch—by customizing badges and incentives so they feel earned, not automatic.
Let’s cut the fluff and get straight into how you can make Leveleleven work for your team, without turning your recognition program into a participation trophy factory.
Why Customization Matters (and Where It Doesn’t)
Before you start uploading logos or brainstorming badge names, ask yourself: What actually motivates your team? Not every group cares about digital badges or Amazon gift cards. Some want a shoutout in the all-hands. Others just want a free lunch. And, honestly, some couldn’t care less.
What works: - Recognition that’s timely and feels genuine - Badges or rewards that mean something (not just “Congrats for logging in!”) - Simple, visible rules
What doesn’t: - Overcomplicated badge systems nobody understands - Automated, impersonal rewards (“You earned the ‘Clicked a Button’ badge!”) - Stuff that feels childish or forced
So, only spend time customizing what will actually move the needle. If your team rolls their eyes at cartoon icons, don’t force it. If they love the competition, lean into the badges and leaderboards.
Step 1: Get Admin Access and Know Your Limits
You’ll need admin or manager access in Leveleleven to customize badges and incentives. If you’re not an admin, stop here and get the right permissions—otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels.
Reality check:
Some customization options depend on your Leveleleven plan and how it’s integrated with Salesforce. If you’re running a vanilla setup, you might hit a few walls. Don’t waste hours looking for settings that aren’t there—ask your CSM or check your plan’s feature list.
Step 2: Audit the Default Badges and Incentives
Before you start creating new stuff, see what’s already there. Leveleleven comes with a handful of default badges, triggers, and incentive types.
- Go to the Badges or Recognition section in your admin dashboard.
- List out what badges and incentives are currently active.
- Ask around: What do people actually notice? Are some badges ignored, or do certain incentives get people talking?
Pro tip:
If you’re inheriting an old system, there’s probably badge clutter—“Most Calls on a Tuesday” or “Q2 Hustler” from three years ago. Don’t be afraid to clean house.
Step 3: Plan Out What You Actually Want to Recognize
This is where most companies mess up. Don’t just create badges for every possible activity. Pick 3-5 things that actually matter—the behaviors you want to see more of.
- Think about your real goals: More meetings booked? Higher-quality opportunities? Faster follow-up?
- Map behaviors to badges: Each badge should highlight a behavior directly tied to results.
- Decide on incentives: Not every badge needs a prize. Some just need a public shoutout.
Example mapping: - “Meeting Machine” badge — For booking 10+ meetings in a week - “Pipeline Hero” badge — For creating 3 qualified opps in a month - “Rapid Responder” badge — For logging a follow-up within 2 hours of a new lead
Skip this:
Don’t make a badge for every little thing. Too many badges = nobody cares.
Step 4: Customize Badges in Leveleleven
Time to get your hands dirty. Here’s how you actually tweak or create badges:
4.1. Creating or Editing Badges
- Go to the Badge Management area (often under “Recognition” or “Gamification” in the admin menu).
- To edit an existing badge:
- Click the badge, hit “Edit,” and change the name, icon, criteria, or description.
- To create a new badge:
- Hit “Add New Badge” (or similar).
- Upload your own icon (PNG or JPG, usually under 1MB).
Pro tip: Use clear, simple icons. Skip the clip art. - Name the badge—be specific and skip the fluff (“Q2 Outbound Crusher” beats “Superstar”).
- Set the criteria—tie it to a metric that actually matters (e.g., “Logged 50 calls in a week”).
- Add a description. Explain what it’s for, in plain English.
4.2. Badge Visibility and Timing
- Decide who sees what: Should badges be visible to everyone, just managers, or only the winner? Public recognition works best when it’s, well, public.
- Set triggers: Automate badge awarding where possible. Avoid manual tracking unless you really need it.
- Test it: Use a sandbox or test user to make sure the badge awards correctly—nothing kills momentum like buggy recognition.
Step 5: Set Up Incentives That Don’t Suck
Badges alone aren’t always enough. Sometimes you want to pair recognition with a little something extra. Here’s how to do it without turning your program into a bribe-fest.
5.1. Types of Incentives in Leveleleven
- Tangible rewards: Gift cards, company swag, lunch with the boss.
- Experiential: Extra PTO, best parking spot, pick the next team lunch.
- Recognition-based: Shoutout in Slack, featured in the newsletter, trophy in the office.
5.2. Setting Up Incentives
- Go to the Incentives/Rewards section in your Leveleleven admin area.
- Create a new incentive:
- Name it clearly (“Top Closer of the Month – $50 Gift Card”).
- Set eligibility rules (linked to badges, metrics, or manual nomination).
- Add instructions for how the reward is given out (automated, or do you handle fulfillment yourself?).
- Automate where possible:
- If Leveleleven supports digital gift cards or points, use their system to keep it simple.
- For physical or experience-based rewards, set a reminder for yourself or your ops team so nobody forgets.
Blunt truth:
Don’t overdo the swag. A $5 coffee card doesn’t motivate everyone, and it can feel hollow. Sometimes, a public win or real praise goes further than cheap stuff.
Step 6: Communicate—Then Actually Use It
Launching new badges or incentives? Don’t just send a “check out the new badges!” email and call it a day.
- Kick-off in a team meeting: Explain what’s new and why it matters.
- Show real examples: “Here’s the new ‘Rapid Responder’ badge. You get it when you follow up with a lead fast. First person to hit it this month gets lunch on me.”
- Keep it visible: Post leaderboards, share shoutouts, and actually use the system. If managers ignore it, so will everyone else.
What to avoid:
Don’t “set and forget.” Recognition tools work when you actually use them—otherwise, they turn into wallpaper.
Step 7: Iterate (Don’t Overthink It)
No recognition program is perfect out of the gate. Start simple, watch what works, and tweak as you go.
- Check engagement: Are people earning badges? Does anyone care? Ask for honest feedback.
- Be ready to kill what’s not working: If a badge flops, drop it.
- Highlight wins: When an incentive or badge really motivates, make a big deal of it.
Pro tip:
Less is more. A handful of meaningful badges and real rewards beats a wall of meaningless ones every time.
Honest Takes: What to Ignore
Not every feature in Leveleleven is worth your time. Here’s what you can probably skip:
- Overly complex badge hierarchies: Nobody wants to decode a system more complicated than their comp plan.
- “Fun” badges that don’t tie to real work: If it’s not related to sales success, it’s just noise.
- Gamification for the sake of gamification: If your team is already motivated, don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Real, Keep It Simple
Customizing recognition in Leveleleven isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to get carried away. Focus on what matters to your team, keep your rewards meaningful, and don’t be afraid to trim the fat. Iterate as you go—recognition should help, not distract.
Bottom line: Start small, get feedback, and make your recognition program something people actually care about. If you do that, you’ll get more out of Leveleleven than any badge or incentive catalog ever could.