From 157% Turnover to Thriving Engagement: How Applauz Transformed TAS United

Imagine a company where employee morale was in freefall, and team members were leaving faster than they could be replaced. For TAS United, a 24/7 telecommunication hub, this wasn't a hypothetical situation; it was a staggering reality. Their annual turnover rate had soared to an unsustainable 157%. This crisis impacted everything from daily operations and customer service quality to the very spirit of their dedicated team. Something drastic had to change.

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The Stark Challenge: A Workforce in Crisis

A company struggling to retain its most valuable asset – its people – faces an uphill battle on all fronts. At TAS United, this was their grim reality. Their annual turnover rate had shockingly escalated to 157%. This wasn't just a statistic; it was a crisis impacting daily operations, leading to inexperienced operators and suffering service quality. More profoundly, it meant their vital team members felt "disregarded, overworked, underrecognized, and miserable."

Dan Kilday, then the Director of Sales and Marketing, saw the critical flaw firsthand. He famously described his dilemma to the company president, Kevin Ryan: "I'm the guy that's supposed to sell tickets to our boat ride, and there's a big hole in the boat." Recognizing the depth of the issue, Kevin, a forward-thinking leader, empowered Dan to tackle this head-on. This pivotal moment led to Dan shifting roles, with his sole mission becoming clear: drastically reduce turnover and revitalize company morale.

The Catalyst for Change: Listening to the Ugly Truth

TAS United knew they couldn't fix what they didn't understand. Their crucial first step was to send out an anonymous employee survey—a brave move to uncover "the good, the bad, and the ugly." What they received was indeed "rough to hear," with feedback often "ugly" and "non flattering." Yet, by having "thick skin" and truly listening, one overwhelming need emerged: a desperate call for improved employee recognition. Employees felt their hard work went unseen, longing for a simple "thank you" or "good job."

Dan Kilday initially sought a basic rewards program. Browsing various solutions, his search led him to Applauz—a platform that offered "so much more than what I was expecting." He realized Applauz wasn't just about tangible goods; it provided a social platform, pulse survey software (another item on his list!), and a method to gamify work. As Dan put it, Applauz "killed two birds with one stone," making work not just rewarding, but genuinely fun.

The Applauz Solution in Action: Rebuilding Connection and Trust

Implementing a new engagement platform in a 24/7 operation with a complex tech stack could have been daunting, but with Applauz, the process was seamless. Dan recalls a "handholding experience" that included a brief 30-minute company-wide presentation, making the software incredibly easy to adopt for everyone, even feeling "very seamless" to the team. Incredibly, TAS United had an ambitious launch date and was "able to pull it off," getting started "in just 10 days or something like that."

The impact was almost instantaneous. Within the first month of launching their employee engagement software, an astonishing 85% of their workforce was actively utilizing Applauz. Here's how specific features drove this rapid transformation:

• Gamifying Work: Applauz transformed mundane tasks into exciting opportunities. Daily contests, like the "AHOD (All Hands On Deck) Squad" during peak call traffic, rewarded operators with Applauz Points for their efforts. This gamified work, making tasks enjoyable and motivating employees to excel.
• Boosting Participation with Incentives: A perfect example of this motivation came during holiday traffic. Previously, drawings for TVs barely attracted 25-30 qualifiers. By switching to guaranteed Applauz Points for working full shifts, participation skyrocketed to 54 people, then an impressive 71 people for MLK Day weekend. Dan notes this has directly "given people more motivation to come to work and do their job effectively so that we can succeed as a company."
• Tax-Efficient Rewards: Applauz even solved a hidden pain point: employees hated having taxes deducted from traditional rewards. By purchasing points from Applauz, TAS United absorbed the tax, allowing employees to redeem rewards from the marketplace tax-free. As Dan describes, "Applauz gave us a way around that as well," a benefit deeply appreciated by the team.
• A Unified Social Hub: Beyond formal recognition, Applauz unexpectedly blossomed into "sort of our own, private, social media platform." Employees could post pictures, memes, and engage in conversations, fostering a genuine sense of community. For a company with three distant physical locations (Lubbock, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; San Juan, Puerto Rico) and remote employees nationwide, Applauz became "this one location where we can kind of go and hang out," virtually celebrating accomplishments and connecting on a real level.
• Strategic Badges: TAS United strategically used badges, not just for birthdays and anniversaries, but also to reinforce core values, perfect attendance, and QA scores. Critically, employees could cash in five badges to remove an attendance point – a "hot item" that drove significant motivation for employees to earn them.

Tangible Transformation: A Resurgent Workforce and Measurable Gains

The efforts weren't just felt; they were measured. For TAS United, the proof was undeniably "in the pudding." The crisis-level 157% annual turnover rate that plagued them was drastically reduced, plummeting to 108% by year's end. As Dan Kilday states emphatically, "I could not have done that without Applauz." This direct impact on retention meant a more stable, experienced workforce, leading to significant improvements across key operational performance indicators, including better call handle times, increased message volume, and reduced disconnect times.

Beyond the numbers, Applauz fundamentally changed the daily experience at TAS United:

• A Culture of Continuous Improvement: The consistent use of Pulse Surveys became instrumental. Sending out five short, anonymous questions weekly, TAS United gained real-time sentiment data, providing "location-specific scores for operations managers." This allowed them to "see the problem areas and fix them in real time," a stark contrast to their previous once-a-year general surveys. Dan noted a significant improvement in their pulse survey numbers, reaching 77, showing employees felt heard and valued. Learn more about our dedicated Pulse Survey Software.
• Work Becomes Enjoyable: Applauz instilled a sense of fun and recognition into what could otherwise be a "grind" job. "It makes you not dread coming into work," Dan explains. "It makes it so that you come in and you're enjoying what you're doing and you're being recognized for those accomplishments." The platform created an undeniable "buzz around the office," becoming a daily topic of conversation and a powerful motivator.
• The "Nitro Boost" Effect: While Applauz was part of a broader strategy, Dan powerfully describes its singular acceleration: "Applauz is certainly like a nitro boost that's helped us get to where we wanted to go a lot quicker." It provided the vital catalyst to achieve rapid, transformative results, moving TAS United from crisis to a thriving, engaged culture.

A Partnership for Continued Growth & Lasting Engagement

The journey to a thriving workforce isn't a one-time fix; it's an ongoing commitment. At TAS United, Applauz isn't just a tool, but a true partner in this continuous evolution. Dan Kilday, with his creative mind, constantly devises new ways to leverage Applauz, from developing cross-location scavenger hunts that foster teamwork among their dispersed employees (in Texas, Puerto Rico, and remote teams) to using it as a motivator for skill-building campaigns.

Crucially, this ongoing innovation is fueled by Applauz's unparalleled customer service. Dan praises the direct, personal support he receives: "I'm not just calling your customer service department. I'm talking to Stephan... he's always willing to help." This dedicated, responsive partnership ensures that even the most "nitpicky" requests are addressed, guaranteeing TAS United can maximize their Applauz investment to meet evolving employee needs.

For any company facing similar challenges, Dan offers powerful advice: "You need to listen to your employees first." Send out anonymous surveys to find out "what's really going on" because "you're not going to like some of the answers. They're going to be ugly... and you have to have thick skin and just take it and listen to what they're saying and then go one by one and start fixing those problems." For TAS United, the biggest problem was a lack of recognition, and Applauz "gave us the perfect way to pull that off." Applauz provided the vital acceleration needed to achieve their desired cultural transformation much more rapidly.

Ready to Transform Your Workplace?

TAS United's story is a testament to the power of a truly engaged workforce. If you're facing similar challenges with morale, retention, or productivity, it's time to discover how Applauz can ignite a similar transformation in your organization.