Whether you’re seeking to save time, money, or both, making the switch to a new corporate gifting platform can come with instant benefits. But just like any change, there’s a bit of effort up front, from training employees to adjusting current processes to fit with your new platform. Fortunately, corporate gifting platforms have come a long way in recent years, which means the little you invest can reap some hefty benefits.
4 Signs It’s Time to Pursue a New Corporate Gifting Platform
A lot has changed in the past few years, so it’s no surprise that traditional rewards programs aren’t cutting it. Not sure if you should pursue something new? Look for these signs to tell you.
Your office has gone hybrid or remote.
Given the great success of the sudden work-from-home experiment for employee satisfaction, many companies have made this pandemic policy permanent. Now that nobody’s in one spot at the same time, the once in-person tradition of corporate gifting requires a costly shipping component — unless you switch to a platform that supports digital gift cards.
Your rewards budget is tightening a bit.
If your current platform asks you to sign on to a lengthy contract or requires a minimum spend per year, you’re locked into a gifting budget that can’t fluctuate. These policies are designed purely to protect the platform, not your business, so it’s best to go with a company that doesn’t rope you into contracts or minimum spends that could eventually conflict with a need to budget.
Rather than sticking with a gifting program that lets anybody go out and buy gifts as they please, consider a platform that allows you to allocate funds for each department and tracks transactions via automatic reporting. This makes it easy to keep tabs on spending across departments.
Finally, digital gift cards can cost as little as face value, as they don’t require shipping or handling. The ability to opt for free delivery and no overhead beyond the gift amount can come in handy when cutting costs.
Your gifting program is taking up too much time.
Let’s face it. Sourcing and distributing physical gift cards takes time. A lot of time. Consider a platform that allows both physical and digital gift cards so you can choose digital and send in an instant when it makes more sense to do so — with no costly rush-shipping fees!
Physical gift cards are arriving late.
With the explosion of all things digital, online shopping has put pressure on the mail system, meaning shipment windows have become less reliable. Many gifting platforms allow for digital gift card delivery, some of which offer delivery times as speedy as same-day or even instant.
5 Tips for Making the Switch to a New Gifting Platform
Once you’ve decided you’re ready for something new, lean on these tips to make your transition smooth.
Rally Your Leadership Team
The best way to approach change management? Include everyone from the start. If your managers are typically tasked with employee birthday gifts, customer rewards, or other occasions that involve gift cards, they should be a part of contributing to your evaluation of a new platform.
Take Inventory of Your Gifting Habits
How are you gifting today? Get input from all members of your leadership team so you understand how gifts are used as both motivators for employees as well as customers and vendors. You may not even realize the needs of a particular team, so this allows you to ensure that every aspect of your corporate giving initiatives can be executed as efficiently and affordably as possible on a new platform.
Identify Your Goals
Determine why you’re looking to switch in the first place. Is it to save time and money? Are you looking for more personalization, speedy delivery, or better tracking and reporting? Once you pinpoint what you’d like to achieve, you can more easily name and prioritize the features that will make the biggest impact with your new platform.
Take Inventory of Your Gifting Habits
How are you gifting today? Get input from all members of your leadership team so you understand how gifts are used as both motivators for employees as well as customers and vendors. You may not even realize the needs of a particular team, so this allows you to ensure that every aspect of your corporate giving initiatives can be executed as efficiently and affordably as possible on a new platform.
List and Prioritize Your Needs
Make a list of everything you’d like to see in your platform and rank each one by importance. It can include needs your current platform is meeting along with “wishlist” items you’d like to see possible with your new one. If you provide this list to a salesperson before your demo, it can help them tailor your meeting to the topics you care about most.
Attend a Demo
Limit the number of demos you take to three or four and come prepared with your list. Remember, the demo is your time to learn about the product and get the information you need to make the right decision for your business. In addition to the company and platform overview the salesperson will provide, be sure to get critical information by doing the following:
- Ask for bottom-line pricing with any and all fees included
- Request references from customers whose companies are similar in size
- Explore their customer support offerings and training beyond Day One
Remember, this is an investment, so take your time and get all the answers you need to ensure that you choose the best fit for your team.
Ready to Get Started? Check Out Giftogram
With our easy-to-use platform and raved-about customer service team, Giftogram should top your list of platforms as you consider making a switch. From corporate enterprises to mom-and-pop shops, thousands of companies choose Giftogram because our platform allows you to:
- Send digital gift cards by email in an instant for free
- Choose a festive design from our catalog (or upload your own)
- Add your company logo for free (It’s from you, after all!)
- Schedule automatic gift card sends for birthdays and anniversaries
- Invite recipients to choose their gift from 200+ retailers
- Allocate budgets for individual users and automate tracking and reporting
See for yourself why going with Giftogram is well worth the effort to switch. Call (973) 887-1600 or schedule a demo at a time that’s best for you.
