Articles Corporate Gifting Holidays

Keeping the Corporate Holiday Gifting “Grinch” At Bay

holiday gift

Corporate Holiday Gifting ideas for Employees & Clients :

Ahhh, the holidays.  Gifts, tinsel, hot cocoa, sleighbells in the snow, and…the inevitable frantic rush to organize the company’s employee and client gifting program in time so that nobody feels like they ended up on the “Naughty” or “Forgotten” list this year.  But hey, somebody’s gotta get it done right?  

Well, that much is true. But does it have to be a frustrating and less-than-merry experience?  Absolutely not!

There are many ways to ensure that you and your corporate team have a cheerful and laid-back holiday season, while still skillfully spreading the full holiday gifting cheer to your employees and clients, season after season. 

In order to help stay off the “Naughty” list this year because the holidays crept up a little too quickly and all you could find in time was some novelty coal for a stocking, 

Here are a few suggestion for Corporate Holiday Gifting in order to ensure all the reindeer have time to make their rounds!

Start Early

Its never, ever a good idea to wait until the last minute when dealing with a company holiday gifting program.  We may all procrastinate from time to time with things like mowing our lawn or doing laundry, but when it comes to corporate gifting for the holidays, this is a recipe for disaster.  There are a multitude of variables at play with a holiday corporate gifting program which could derail even the most jolly-like efforts. Choosing the right vendor, selecting the appropriate gift, having the correct delivery address information, supply chain and weather delays, stock outs, the list of potential pitfalls goes on and on.  Which is why, when dealing with programs for dozens, hundreds, or thousands of recipients, its critical to have a plan in place at least 90 days before you want your merry-spreading gifts to deliver (which should be no later than the week of December 12th!).

Be Organized

One of the biggest grinches when it comes to corporate holiday gifting is not having a centralized system and process to keep things organized.  This can lead to inevitable mistakes, delays, and headaches, as dozens of spreadsheets with thousands of orders might be flying from inbox to inbox, before they make it to the vendor’s hands.  This can really cause serious problems if even a single row or column has been shifted in one of them.  So having a centralized gifting system is a massive benefit and can prevent countless hours of fixing issues and embarrassment. 

Make Sure You Have Options

The fruit basket can be a nice treat in year 1. But do you really want to send it to the same group of people in year 2, 3, and 4?  No! Which is why it is important to have a wide selection of gift options to choose from.  Shopping around for a different vendor or gift that everyone can agree on can end up taking a lot more of your time than you anticipate.  So making sure you have access to a pre vetted catalog in which everyone can agree is the right selection is crucial to holiday corporate gifting success

Be Ready to Resolve Delivery Issues

Your work often doesn’t stop once you send your orders over to your chosen vendor.  Blizzards, accidents, carrier mistakes, etc., can all lead to delivery issues.  Of course, you don’t want your gift recipient to have to deal with those, so all too often that responsibility can fall on your shoulders!  What a hassle!  So its important that you have staff capable of handling these inevitabilities, or use a corporate gifting service that could take this off your plate!

Know Their Tastes

People are unique. And so are their tastes in gifts.  Which is why it is important to know what each one of your recipients like.  Dietary restrictions? Religious and culture faux paus? All of these should be taken into consideration.  Another option, however, is sending the gift of choice so that your recipients can CHOOSE their own gift. This is a fantastic solution that is sure to not only make your holiday program a smooth operation, but delight your gift recipients as well!

We hope that these tips are helpful to you when designing your corporate holiday gifting program this year.  Its can often times be an underestimated task in terms of time and commitment. Which is why it is often best left to the experts – especially when dealing with a layer of multiple decision makers and combined with a large volume of gift orders! 

But fear not!  Services like the ones offered by Giveny.com are great for relieving you of these woes and keeping the holiday grinch at bay. Happy gifting!