Centime is a fintech company helping businesses manage cash flow. But inside the company, Allie Collins, Chief Revenue Officer, was managing a different kind of problem: a recognition program that felt more like a chore than a celebration.
The old system wasn't working
Before HeyTaco, Centime used a monthly points-based platform. Employees accumulated points throughout the month and redeemed them for gift cards. It seemed sound on paper. In practice, it created recognition that felt transactional and disconnected from daily work. Activity concentrated at month-end. The recognition channel was quiet the rest of the time. Leadership began questioning whether monetary rewards were actually aligned with how they wanted appreciation to feel.
A familiar solution
Allie had used HeyTaco at a previous employer and remembered how different it felt. Peer-to-peer recognition integrated directly into Slack's daily workflow — real-time, lightweight, genuine. No waiting for the end of the month. No points math. Just a taco and a thank-you, in the moment it mattered.
She saw it not as a software swap but as a cultural transformation. The simplicity and immediacy were exactly what Centime needed.
Recognition that feels like celebration
After the switch, one of the most visible changes happened in the "Sales Ringing the Bell" Slack channel. What had been a straightforward notifications board evolved into something much livelier — taco celebrations, collaborative emojis, personalized shoutouts. The channel became a place people actually wanted to check.
"It's a culture shift that has transformed work into a place where gratitude is never out of season — it's a daily celebration."
Allie CollinsCentime also rethought what rewards meant altogether. Rather than accumulating points toward material goods, employees earn recognition through non-monetary celebrations: extra time off, team experiences, and moments that actually bring people together. The shift generated more genuine, creative peer appreciation — and reduced recognition costs at the same time.
The previously underutilized platform gave way to an organic culture of recognition spanning every level of the organization. Gratitude stopped being a scheduled event and became part of how work felt every day.