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Referral Leaderboard Documentation

Menu Location: Reports > Customers > Referrals > Leaders

Access Level: Manager / Administrator

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Referral Leaderboard displays a ranked list of your top-performing customers based on the number of successful referrals they've made. This gamified view helps you identify and reward your most engaged brand advocates who are actively bringing new customers to your business.

Primary Functions:

  • View customers ranked by total referrals
  • Identify top brand advocates
  • Access detailed referral history for individual customers
  • Track customer engagement and word-of-mouth growth
  • Recognize and reward high-performing referrers

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Page Title: Displays "Referrals \ Leaders" breadcrumb navigation
  • Navigation Buttons: Links to main Referrals page and email template editor
  • Quick Access: Return to main referrals page or edit referral credit email

Main Content Area

The leaderboard displays as a sortable table showing customer rankings with:

  • Customer identification (ID and name)
  • Total number of successful referrals
  • Quick access to detailed referral breakdowns

Leaderboard Display

Ranking Table

The table shows all customers who have successfully referred at least one other customer, automatically sorted by referral count from highest to lowest.

Table Columns:

  • Customer ID: Unique identifier with link to customer account
  • Customer Name: Full name of the referring customer
  • Referrals: Total count of successful referrals made
  • Actions: Details button to view complete referral history

Automatic Sorting

Customers are ranked automatically from most referrals to fewest, making it easy to identify your top advocates at a glance.

Actions & Operations

View Customer Details

Purpose: See complete referral history for a specific customer

Steps:

  1. Locate the customer in the leaderboard
  2. Click the "Details" button in their row
  3. Review all customers they've referred
  4. See join dates and customer information

What You'll See:

  • List of all customers referred by this person
  • Customer IDs and names of new signups
  • Join dates for each referred customer
  • Links to customer accounts for follow-up

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Identify Top Advocates for Special Recognition

Goal: Find customers who deserve special thanks or rewards for their referral activity

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Reports > Customers > Referrals
  2. Click "Leaders" button in top right
  3. Review the top 5-10 customers by referral count
  4. Click "Details" for each to verify active, quality referrals
  5. Note customer IDs for reward campaigns

Example: Sarah Johnson appears at #1 with 12 referrals. Click "Details" to confirm all 12 are active customers who have made purchases. Consider sending her a personalized thank-you gift or extra account credit.

Use Case 2: Monitor Referral Program Effectiveness

Goal: Track which customers are actively participating in your referral program

Steps:

  1. Visit the Referral Leaderboard monthly
  2. Note the total number of customers listed
  3. Compare top referrer counts month-over-month
  4. Identify trends in referral activity

Tips:

  • Screenshot the leaderboard monthly for records
  • Look for sudden increases in referral activity (may indicate successful marketing)
  • Notice customers who drop off the list (may need re-engagement)

Use Case 3: Create Tiered Reward Programs

Goal: Develop reward tiers based on actual customer referral patterns

Steps:

  1. Review the leaderboard distribution
  2. Note natural break points (e.g., 1-3 referrals, 4-7, 8+)
  3. Design reward tiers that match these patterns
  4. Use customer IDs to assign tier-based bonuses

Example: Bronze tier: 1-2 referrals, Silver tier: 3-5 referrals, Gold tier: 6+ referrals. Award increasing benefits at each level to encourage continued advocacy.

Use Case 4: Reach Out to High-Value Advocates

Goal: Personally thank and engage with customers driving word-of-mouth growth

Steps:

  1. Identify top 10 customers on leaderboard
  2. Click through to their customer accounts
  3. Review their purchase history and engagement
  4. Send personalized thank-you emails or calls
  5. Ask for testimonials or case studies

Tips:

  • These customers are your biggest fans—treat them accordingly
  • Ask what motivated them to refer others
  • Invite them to exclusive events or beta programs
  • Request permission to feature them in marketing materials

Use Case 5: Spot Referral Fraud or Unusual Activity

Goal: Identify suspicious referral patterns that may need investigation

Steps:

  1. Review customers with unusually high referral counts
  2. Click "Details" to see the referred customers
  3. Check if referred customers are active and legitimate
  4. Verify join dates aren't clustered suspiciously
  5. Review payment history of referred accounts

Example: A customer shows 20 referrals in one week. Click Details and notice all referred customers signed up on the same day with similar names—this warrants investigation for potential abuse.

Troubleshooting

No Customers Appearing on Leaderboard

Symptoms: Empty leaderboard or message "No records found"

Solutions:

  1. Verify customers have been linked in the main Referrals page
  2. Check that referring customers have been properly assigned
  3. Confirm at least one referral has been completed (customer made required payments)

Common Causes:

  • Referrals not yet linked to referring customers
  • All referrals still in "pending" status
  • No customers have successfully referred others yet

Customer's Referral Count Seems Incorrect

Symptoms: Number doesn't match expected referrals

Check:

  1. Click "Details" to see actual list of referred customers
  2. Verify each referred customer is still active
  3. Check if any referral links were removed
  4. Confirm referred customers completed payment requirements

If Problem Persists: Review individual referral records in main Referrals page to verify status of each referral

Details Button Not Showing Expected Information

Symptoms: Clicking Details shows fewer customers than referral count indicates

Check:

  1. Verify referred customers weren't deleted from system
  2. Check if any referrals were marked as invalid
  3. Confirm you're viewing the correct customer's details
  • Referrals (admin-referrals.php) - Main referral management page for linking new customers to referring customers
  • How Did You Hear (admin-how-did-you-hear.php) - View all customer acquisition sources and channels
  • Customer Info (customer_info.php) - Individual customer account details and history
  • Email Templates (admin_email_edit.php) - Edit the "Referral Credit Applied" thank-you email sent to referring customers

Typical Workflow:

  1. Referrals page → Link new customers to referring customers
  2. Credit Due tab → Apply referral credits
  3. Referral Leaderboard → View top performers → Details
  4. Customer accounts → Personal outreach to top referrers

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Customer Service: Cannot access this page
  • Manager: View leaderboard and details, identify top referrers
  • Administrator: All Manager capabilities plus ability to modify referral records
  • Kiva Admin: All features plus system configuration access

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

  1. Review leaderboard at least monthly
  2. Track trends in referral activity over time
  3. Identify seasonal patterns in referrals
  4. Notice when top referrers change

Customer Recognition

  1. Personally thank top 5 referrers each quarter
  2. Send bonus credits or gifts to exceptional advocates
  3. Feature top referrers in newsletters (with permission)
  4. Create exclusive benefits for repeat referrers

Program Optimization

  • Use leaderboard data to set realistic referral goals
  • Adjust referral bonuses based on actual performance patterns
  • Identify what motivates top referrers and replicate
  • Test different reward structures based on tier distribution

Things to Avoid

  • ❌ Ignoring customers with high referral counts—they deserve recognition
  • ❌ Assuming all referrals are legitimate without verification
  • ❌ Forgetting to cross-reference with customer account activity
  • ❌ Missing opportunities to turn advocates into case studies or testimonials

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
Access Leaderboard Reports > Customers > Referrals, click "Leaders" button
See top referrer Check customer in first row of table
View referral details Click "Details" button in customer's row
Return to main referrals Click "Referrals" in page title breadcrumb
Access customer account Click customer ID number in table
Identify reward candidates Review top 10 customers by referral count
Edit thank-you email Click "Edit Referral Email" button at top
Check referral count Look at "Referrals" column for specific customer

FAQs

How is the referral count calculated?

The count includes all customers who have been successfully linked as referrals to a referring customer, regardless of whether the referral credit has been applied yet. Only completed and verified referrals are counted.

Why isn't a customer showing up on the leaderboard?

Customers only appear on the leaderboard after at least one of their referrals has been linked in the main Referrals page. New customers who typed in their name during signup won't appear until you manually link that referral in the "New Referrals" tab.

Can I export the leaderboard?

The leaderboard doesn't have a built-in export function, but you can take screenshots for record-keeping. For detailed referral data export, use the main Referrals page with the "All" tab selected.

What's the difference between this and the main Referrals page?

The main Referrals page is for managing individual referral records (linking, crediting, tracking status). The Leaderboard is a summary view showing which existing customers have referred the most people—it's for recognition and analysis, not management.

How often is the leaderboard updated?

The leaderboard updates in real-time. Every time you link a new referral or complete a referral credit, the counts update immediately. Refresh the page to see the latest data.

Should I reward all customers on the leaderboard equally?

Consider tiered rewards based on referral count. A customer with 10 referrals should receive more recognition than someone with 1-2 referrals. Use the natural distribution you see on the leaderboard to create meaningful reward tiers.

Change Log

2026-03-01

  • Initial documentation created
  • All sections completed including use cases, troubleshooting, and best practices

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.