Run an airtime reward pilot across mixed mobile networks
Thirty successful recharges in one office tell you little about whether staff on the road can receive a reward. Build the pilot around the networks, delivery channels and working conditions you expect in the full campaign.
| Pilot field | Record |
|---|---|
| Cohort selection | Network or channel mix |
| Reward type | Product and value |
| Outcome | Participation measure |
| Exceptions | Failure and support counts |
By Freepaid · Published
Pick a representative pilot group
At R25 per person, a 30-person pilot costs R750 in face value before any fees. Select people who will test different parts of the process, such as field staff who can only check messages between stops. Confirm the product works on the relevant networks and verify the contact details before sending. Keep the group small enough to trace each case by hand. Record who was approved, why the group was chosen, the dates and which product was tested. If you plan to compare participation with a previous campaign, write down the baseline before sending.
Decide what would stop the test
Agree how you’ll check targeting, delivery status, support effort and reconciliation. Choose who can pause ordering if a reward goes to the wrong person, someone raises a privacy concern, a cost doesn’t match or results stay unresolved. Give that person a way to contact participants and make sure support knows who handles incorrect details and failed deliveries.
Decide what evidence supports a wider rollout
Ask finance to match issued rewards to supplier records and review every exception before expanding. Record any change to the product or message during the trial. If participants had trouble, find out whether they couldn’t receive the message, didn’t understand redemption or hit a product restriction before increasing the reward amount. A short optional question can help, but report how many people answered and avoid drawing network-wide conclusions from a small group. Use the pilot to judge whether the team can run the process at a larger scale.