TOOLS saved at least one working day on Christmas shopping by using Glede

TOOLS is Norway's leading supplier of tools, machinery, personal protective equipment and industrial consumables to businesses in Norway. With 650 employees in 58 stores, they help their customers choose the right products and tailor optimal delivery solutions to ensure that work is carried out efficiently and safely.

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At TOOLS, they are keen to take good care of their employees, and at Christmas they usually send employees into the holidays with a nice Christmas greeting. They do this to express their gratitude to each employee and to ensure that everyone has a pleasant start to the Christmas holidays. This year, HR Director Unni Stene and HR Generalist Ingrid Lunna were responsible for the gifts. Ingrid tells us a little about what the task means to them.

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Christmas presents are an important task. When we have decided to give Christmas gifts to our employees, it must be done properly!

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With 58 stores across the country, the task of Christmas gifting has not been a walk in the park. Ingrid shares some of the challenges they've faced in the past.

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• A lot of manual work: The gifts were ordered to the head office, and then forwarded to the stores. "We packed the gifts and sent them out to 60 different locations. It was a lot of work!", says Ingrid.
• Incorrect shipments: With over 600 employees at stores across Norway, it's not easy to get everything right. "Sometimes someone was forgotten, or we had shipments returned because the address wasn't correct."
• Not for everyone: "Gifting solutions where you choose between a set of things doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone," they say.

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In Tools, we want our employees to be able to choose freely.

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TOOLS was looking for a more practical solution for Christmas gifts when they heard about Glede, and especially triggered that Glede was a simpler and digital solution. After a quick introductory meeting, the choice for Christmas gifts 2023 fell on Glede.

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More than one working day saved

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After Unni and Ingrid became better acquainted with Glede, there were several things they particularly liked: 

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• Nice card and greeting: "We made a nice greeting with our own card and design, customized with our colors and logo!"
• Uploading employee list from Excel file: "We took the list directly out of the HR system and Glede helped customize the file so it was easy to upload."
• Good support: "We received good support, and quick answers to all the questions we had."
• History of purchases: Ingrid was invited to TOOLS' company profile in Glede by Unni. "It's great that we can both see the history and usage statistics from all the gift cards we have sent through Glede."

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They were also surprised by how much easier Glede made the job of Christmas gifting.

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Compared to last year's work, we saved at least one full working day by using Glede.

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Buttery smooth receivers

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After the mailing, Unni and Ingrid have asked the gift card recipients about their experience. The response has been exclusively positive. 

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"The employees are very happy and think it was a nice and easy way to get a Christmas present," they say.

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They mention some of the benefits for recipients: 

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• Available on your phone: "It's easy to lose physical gift cards, so you're more likely to use it when it's digital."
• Integration with Apple/Google Wallet: "It was easy to add and use the card from Apple and Google Wallet."
• Can be used everywhere: "It's nice that they can use it on anything. The employees get it as a gift from us, and we like that it's up to them where they use it."

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One colleague used it on a restaurant visit, while others may want to use it on groceries.

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After using Glede for the first time at Christmas, Ingrid says that TOOLS is interested in using Glede in the future, including for birthdays and anniversaries. 

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