Winning Together in 2022

Last week, 150+ members of the Punchh team gathered (virtually–thanks, Omicron) to kick off the new year. And going into it, I was just as underwhelmed by the prospect of two days of Zoom meetings as everyone else. We had to pivot to a virtual setting just 10 days before the meeting. While it was the right decision to make, we had all been so excited about the prospect of being together after so long that it really kicked morale right in the teeth for a couple of days. And, really–despair was an excellent problem to have in this case. We actually like each other and want to be together!

So despite another disappointment at the hand of a pandemic that just can’t seem to stop its detestable encores, our global kickoff commenced online. Our theme for 2022 is “Winning Together.” Not only is it one of our PAR corporate goals, but it felt especially fitting for our respective teams that so badly wanted to be…together. Our Enablement team, which never ceases to amaze me, organized a theme around the Winter Olympics, complete with a logo, t-shirts (it’s my new favorite t-shirt, by the way), and Olympic-themed games and trivia at every turn. Put another way: it was a two-day Zoom meeting, and it was fun. 

Each presenter who shared their department’s 2022 objectives over the two days was clearly, authentically excited to talk to the group. As a marketer, I intersect with virtually every team at Punchh. It’s what I love most about my job. And hearing from our teams this year at our kickoff, I was on the edge of my ergonomic office chair listening to how we are going to Win Together this year–for our customers, for our partners, and for each other.

Winning for Our Customers

Our Product and Technology teams, under the leadership of Raju Malhotra and Jeff Spitulnik, shared their vision for the Punchh platform in 2022. To sum it up: this year is going to be the year of the retailer. We’re not backing off on the customer experience by any means, as we will continue to refine our mobile capabilities and add even more new features for engagement, gamification, and ease of use. But we’re also layering on to the customer experience by thinking about what it will take for restaurants and retailers to really win. The quickest path to victory is when the employee, customer, and corporate experiences are all in sync. Watch for new products, features, and integrations coming in the next few months that will bring together those three pillars in your organization to unify the customer, employee, and corporate experience.

One of the most evangelistic, firecracker, hold-onto-your-hats kickoff sessions came from Greg Wempe, our VP of Customer Success. He talked about what it will take to support our customers as they adopt new technologies, advance their loyalty strategies, and take on whatever curveballs 2022 intends to throw at us. I love the renewed drive of our success, support, and enablement teams to be more than just resources for our customers, but to be true advisors and advocates. We want to be known for our customer obsession, and that requires the full buy-in of every team at Punchh. Watch for new loyalty strategy services, a 2.0 platform certification, and even more on-demand training and support from our customer-facing teams.

Winning With Our Partners

We have over 200 partnerships and integrations at Punchh. Sure, we could have accumulated a lot more over the past 11 years, but instead, our partnerships team has intentionally focused their efforts on the partnerships that will bring the most value and quickest ROI to our customers. As Michael Cheney, our Senior Director of Partnerships, says, “the team’s mission is to identify, execute, activate and manage strategic partnerships that drive revenue and create a competitive advantage for our clients.” We also recognize that our clients rely on many platforms, applications, and systems that might be unique to their brand or business model. For that reason, our integrations team will continue to make it even simpler in 2022 for developers and third-party providers to integrate into the Punchh platform without complex or expensive development projects.

Winning for Each Other

Let’s be honest. Acquisitions can be scary. And after PAR acquired Punchh in April of last year, the collective Punchh team naturally wondered what was next for us. Since then, the PAR executive team, led by our CEO Savneet Singh, has steadfastly asked questions, listened, and offered transparency. In our kickoff, Savneet reiterated our PAR corporate values of Focus, Ownership, Speed, and Winning Together. Over the next year, you’ll continue to see those values reflected in how we approach and solve customer needs, how we value and respect our teams, and how we operate as a company. 

As I sit here one week later, recalling the energy and inspiration of our Punchh teams last week, I couldn’t be more confident that we will win together in 2022. If you’d like to be the first to know about new products, services, and company updates, sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page in the footer, so we can stay in touch.