Gift giving can be a vital part of your efforts as a corporation. You can improve employee morale through thoughtfully chosen and well-timed gifts and build stronger connections with customers and vendors. But choosing and sending gifts can be a time-consuming process. That’s why you need to automate your processes to ensure gifts reach their recipients on time, and you’re not wasting time tackling logistical details manually.
Keep reading to discover the best process for managing gift giving in your company!
Know When to Give Gifts
Not every positive moment or achievement necessarily deserves a tangible gift. But you don’t want to be uneven in your approach to determining when a situation merits more than a simple thank you. Determine what scenarios should result in gifts as a form of employee rewards.
Maybe when a new employee hits their one-month anniversary, a small token of appreciation can feel appropriate. Similarly, work anniversaries can be assigned gifts, as can promotions to new roles within the organization. If a team member secures a big client and receives recognition from a manager, that can be a situation where a gift makes sense, as well. Once you’ve determined when to give gifts, use your internal software platform to generate alerts at obvious milestones for employees.
Select an Automation Path
How do you flag situations when it’s appropriate to trigger a gift? You can use the built-in apps within your CRM and set up pathways to vendors you’ve selected to supply gifts. Or you can try middleware, which connects different applications simply.
Or, try webhooks, which are like automated messages. When an event happens that triggers a gift, the webhook will send a memo to the vendor. If an employee hits their five-year mark with the company, for instance, the webhook will signal a vendor API to get the gift on its way to the recipient. Ultimately, it’s best to choose an automation path that meets your company’s needs and security preferences.
Collect Recipient Address Information
As part of the automation process, you’ll need to capture shipping addresses from employees. At the same time, you don’t want to needlessly expose anyone’s private information. Instead, store addresses with encrypted fields, and only collect addresses as needed. Maintain limits on access to addresses, and send a form to recipients verifying their addresses. Track everything, too, to ensure accuracy and maintain privacy.
Consider batching, as well, using information from your CRM. You can use CSV files to easily store and share address information. If you have several people receiving a gift at the same time for promotions, for instance, CSV files make it easy to send pertinent details in one batch.
Select the Right Vendors
You’ll want to partner with vendors who can meet your fulfilment needs and offer quality products. Ideally, your vendor will offer discounts when you reach a certain volume threshold. They’ll have a proven track record of reliability and offer transparent timelines for shipping.
Look for a vendor that can customize orders, too. You may want a personalized message or custom colors that reinforce your company’s brand. The vendor should be easy to work with and clear in their communication. If you’re interested in edible gifts, choose a vendor like Purdys. They can handle volume shipments of high-quality chocolates that will make your employees feel happy and recognized.
Determine Your Personalization Preferences
How much personalization do you want in your corporate gifts? Your answer may impact how quickly the gifts reach their recipients. If you opt for simple gifts that don’t include personalized notes or fancy touches in the packaging, your gifts will get to their destinations quickly.
On the other hand, if you opt for unique messages tailored to each person or other forms of customization, gifts will take a little longer to put together. Work with your vendor to understand how adding custom branding or other additions can affect deliveries, and what their lead time requirements are.
Make Corporate Gifting Easier
When you automate your corporate gifting practices in 2025, you’ll streamline an important part of your responsibilities. Make sure you have triggers set, automation paths, and accurate address information. When you’re organized and clear, you’ll lay the foundation for a fulfilling and professional gift-giving practice.
