If you’re tired of watching good work go unnoticed—or your “recognition program” is just a stale monthly email—this guide’s for you. We’ll walk through using Hoopla to celebrate wins right when they happen, not days or weeks later. This isn’t about making corporate noise for its own sake; it’s about helping people feel seen, motivated, and part of something real.
Let’s cut through the hype and show you how to actually use Hoopla for what matters: recognizing achievements in real time, in a way that feels authentic.
Why Real-Time Recognition Matters (and Where Most Tools Go Wrong)
Saying “good job” weeks after the fact is about as motivating as cold coffee. Real-time recognition gives people a boost when they do something great—not when someone finally finds time to write about it.
Hoopla claims to make this easy, but like any tool, it’s only as good as how you use it. The trick is to avoid two common traps: - Letting it become background noise. If everything’s a “win,” nothing is. - Automating away the humanity. Pre-written praise is as bad as no praise at all.
Keep those in mind as we set up Hoopla to actually help your team.
Step 1: Get the Basics Right
Before you try to automate anything, you need a few things sorted.
1.1 Figure Out What You Actually Want to Recognize
Don’t just reward “top sales” or “most tickets closed.” Think about the behaviors that actually help your team and business. This could be: - Taking ownership of tough problems - Helping a teammate - Going above and beyond for a customer - Shipping something ahead of schedule
Pro tip: Ask your team what matters to them. You’ll probably be surprised.
1.2 Set Up Your Hoopla Account
- Sign up or log in to Hoopla.
- Add your team members. Make sure profiles are up to date—names, photos, roles.
- Decide who will be admins, who can create “recognition moments,” and who just receives them.
Don’t overthink permissions. Start simple. You can tweak later.
Step 2: Connect Your Data (But Don’t Go Overboard)
Hoopla integrates with tools like Salesforce, Slack, Jira, and more. This can make recognition automatic—but too much automation is a fast track to “everyone ignores the TV screen.”
2.1 Choose the Integrations That Actually Make Sense
- If your sales team lives in Salesforce, connect that.
- If your engineers use Jira, start there.
- If your company uses Slack for everything, Hoopla can push recognition there too.
Ignore: Integrations you “might use someday.” Stick with what people care about now.
2.2 Set Up Triggers Carefully
Hoopla lets you set up rules like “When someone closes a deal over $10k, recognize them.” That’s great—unless the same three people get 90% of the recognition.
- Set meaningful thresholds.
- Combine automated triggers with manual recognition (more on that soon).
- Review triggers every month. If something feels repetitive or pointless, kill it.
Step 3: Design Recognition “Moments” That Don’t Suck
Hoopla’s core feature is “Recognition Moments”—the pop-ups, alerts, or announcements that go out when someone does something noteworthy.
3.1 Make Recognition Personal
- Use real names and photos. This sounds obvious, but leave the generic messages behind.
- Add context. “Thanks for helping the support team hit their target, Sarah!” is way better than “Target achieved.”
3.2 Keep It Public, But Not Embarrassing
- Display wins on office monitors, TVs, or team Slack channels.
- Make sure the person being recognized is comfortable with the spotlight. Some folks hate public attention—give them the option to opt out.
3.3 Avoid “Participation Trophy” Syndrome
If everyone gets the same shout-out every week, it loses all meaning. Only recognize actions that are genuinely above and beyond, or that reinforce your team’s values.
Step 4: Encourage Peer Recognition
Manager praise is nice, but peer recognition is where things really take off.
4.1 Turn On Peer Recognition Features
Hoopla lets team members nominate each other. Enable this, but set some ground rules: - Keep it short and genuine. - No “I nominate Bob because he nominated me.” - Once a week or so is enough—don’t force it.
4.2 Make It Easy
- Add a “Recognize a Teammate” button to Slack or your intranet.
- Don’t bury the feature in menus—people won’t use it.
4.3 Celebrate Peer Recognition Publicly
Give peer shout-outs the same visibility as manager-driven ones. This builds a culture where everyone looks for reasons to celebrate, not just the boss.
Step 5: Measure What Matters—And Ignore Vanity Metrics
Hoopla spits out plenty of dashboards and numbers. Some are useful, some are just noise.
5.1 Focus on Leading Indicators
Look for: - Increased frequency of meaningful recognition (not just volume) - More peer-to-peer shout-outs - Positive trends in engagement or retention (if you track those)
5.2 Ignore the Rest
Don’t get hung up on “most recognized employee” leaderboards. They can create the wrong kind of competition and make quieter contributors feel invisible.
Step 6: Keep It Fresh
Even the best recognition programs get stale if you don’t change things up.
6.1 Rotate What You Recognize
- One month, focus on customer service wins.
- Next month, spotlight creative solutions or teamwork.
6.2 Ask for Feedback
Check in with your team every couple of months: - Do they like how recognition works? - Are the right things being highlighted? - What feels cheesy, forced, or phony?
Don’t be precious. If something isn’t working, change it.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Works: - Real, specific praise in the moment - Peer-to-peer recognition with context - Keeping recognition tied to your actual values
Doesn’t Work: - Automating all recognition - Recognizing the same “top performer” every time - Spammy, non-specific shout-outs
Ignore: - Fancy TV displays if no one looks at them - Overly gamified leaderboards (unless your team genuinely loves competition) - Templates that sound like a robot wrote them
Final Thoughts: Start Simple, Stay Human
Don’t wait until you have the “perfect” setup. Start small. Recognize one real achievement this week. Build from there. If it feels forced, fix it. If the team rolls their eyes, ask why.
Good recognition isn’t about software—it’s about people. Use Hoopla as a tool, not a crutch. Keep it genuine, keep it timely, and don’t be afraid to change things up if it stops working. You’ll know you’ve got it right when people start looking for ways to shout each other out—without you having to remind them.