Four Ways Zendesk Uses Custom Gifting
As a company that builds software for improving customer relationships, it's no surprise that building relationships of all sorts is simply part of Zendesk’s culture. Over the past several years, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with several Zendesk teams to create gifts that do just that: nurture relationships (and inspire a bit of fun, too!).
Customer Gifts
We know from our own experience that quality relationships are the most important part of building a successful business. We understand that nurturing customer relationships in meaningful ways not only leads to happier customers but also repeat business and those ever-wonderful referrals!
We also understand the power of a gift in nurturing relationships. Did you know that 77% of business gift recipients said receiving a gift makes them feel appreciated?
A direct mail campaign can be a great way to nurture customers through gifting and remind customers that they’re valuable to you. When Zendesk’s sales team wanted to launch a campaign to do just that, we helped brew up the details.
Since Zendesk’s goal was to connect with a diverse group of customers, landing on a kit design and contents that would be widely loved was critical. Enter (most) everyone’s favorite morning pick-me–up: coffee!
This universally loved drink inspired the theme for the kits, which contained all the essentials for making and enjoying a cup of Joe, along with thoughtfully branded keepsakes and punny messages to let customers know it had “bean a pleasure working with [them] from the ground up.”
The outside for these kits was also important, we created custom branded packaging for a cohesive unboxing experience for Zendek’s customers. We started with a custom, Zendesk-green gift box stamped with the company’s logo and incorporated Zendesk’s branding into all other elements of the kits, from branded sleeves to custom shipping tape!
Over the course of a year, we produced and shipped 1,500 of these coffee-themed kits to Zendesk’s customers (and prospects!) all over the country.
Seasonal Direct Mailers
Not only is Zendesk the champion of customer service, it’s also the champion of pleasant surprises! When a Zendesk strategic accounts team approached us with the goal of surprising and delighting some of their accounts in a personalized and fun way, we worked together on the perfect solution: two seasonally themed gifts. Better yet, we set up an engaging way for Zendesk’s customers to choose their favorite gift, using our portal offering!
With spring on the horizon, we started by designing spring corporate gifts that could be enjoyed outside: a picnic themed gift complete with all the fixings for a beautiful and delicious spread and a golf themed gift that appealed to amateurs and scratch golfers alike. Both gifts featured elevated custom branded elements, including a keepsake-quality serving board and Titleist ProV1 golf balls.
Zendesk’s spring direct mailers also provided a natural opportunity for the company to share its annual CX Trends report with key customers– we included a booklet in every gift along with a custom-designed insert with a QR code linking recipients to a digital copy of the report.
Now the extra-fun part: building a custom portal, our corporate gifting platform, for Zendesk (complete with their logo, artwork and messaging!) and featuring their one-of-a-kind gifts! Once complete, Zendesk shared the portal with its customers, so gift recipients could select their favorite gift and provide their shipping address all in one fell swoop. The custom portal streamlined the logistics of a large gift send for Zendesk AND created a unique, personalized gifting experience for its customers–a win-win!
Employee Gifts
Zendesk believes in making other people’s lives better—both through its products and in its everyday interactions. One way we’ve helped Zendesk live this out and ultimately strengthen relationships with its employees is through gifting: to celebrate birthdays, to say thank you for a job well done, and perhaps most fun of all, to add an element of surprise to team-building events.
Hey, simply showing employees appreciation through gifts goes a long way!
Some of the most impactful projects we've worked on include gift boxes for employees for occasions just like these, outside of the traditional holiday gifting season. When team members aren’t expecting to receive a gift, they’re more likely to be surprised and delighted by the gesture!
With that in mind, we especially loved putting our creative muscles to work when Zendesk came to us to create a fun kit for one of their teams that was planning a group workout event. The goal: create an experience employees would enjoy and that would stand out as a memorable team-building event.
No sweat! We designed a gift that this team could use during and after their heart-pumping activity. We didn’t receive photo evidence, but we heard our Zendesk friends had a blast working out together and then refueling with some protein-packed snacks!
Virtual Event Gifts
In today’s world, virtual events are likely here to stay. Although connecting virtually provides more flexibility than ever before, we understand virtual events come with their own set of challenges compared to their live counterparts.
While there may not be a replacement for the relationships built over a shared meal or the synergy that comes from being in the same room with colleagues, incorporating gifting into a virtual event can help build a memorable, engaging and more valuable virtual experience. In fact, research shows people value something that they can see and touch 24% more than something they can only see. This helps explain why adding a tangible element, like a thoughtfully curated gift, is a great way to amp up a virtual meeting or conference!
As Zendesk strategized ways to plan an annual virtual meetup, they came to us for the missing piece: gifts that would help attendees feel more connected and engaged with the on-screen event.
We designed gifts that attendees would receive before the event to create excitement and serve as a physical element of an otherwise virtual affair. The gifts featured thoughtfully branded packaging elements and contents attendees could use during the event to enhance their experience– no event is complete without tasty snacks, after all! Pro tip: We always recommend including snacks to make a good corporate gift - something savory and something sweet to please all pallets. Items like gourmet pretzels and cookies are crowd-favorites!
As a corporate gifting partner, we work with customers like Zendesk on a wide variety of gifting projects, from customer gifts and employee gifts to virtual event gifts, corporate holiday gift ideas, and beyond. Our favorite part? Becoming an extension of our customers’ teams! This means we work alongside our customers to fully understand their unique goals and then develop one-of-a-kind gifting experiences that wow recipients AND achieve results.
We get it. Every customer is different and every gifting campaign is, too. Corporate gifting isn’t one-size-fits all– our team is here to help with every last strategic and creative detail!
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