Tails.com and Huggg

"Inclusivity is so important to us, so the fact that there are options for various diets and lifestyle choices makes Huggg a great one-stop shop for our whole team!" - Allison Dunnings, Office Manager at Tails.com

‍

Allison, Office Manager at tails.com - a dog food company with a recipe for every dog - has been using Huggg to keep her team of 253 motivated and happy while working from home. From little lockdown pick me ups ☕️ to virtual Christmas party plans 🍺 we chatted with Allison Dunnings, Office Manager extraordinaire to find out how she’s been getting her team’s tails wagging this winter.

What problems were you faced with when teams suddenly had to work from home?

1. Rewarding staff with gifts that catered to different tastes or preferences

2. Finding options for food and drink that were accessible to people all over the UK

3. Maintaining a sense of care and thoughtfulness with a team of 250 people remotely

‍

What solutions have you found with Huggg?

1. Incredibly easy to send people gifts and gift cards where they get some choice

2. GDPR friendly (don’t need to ask for anyone’s home address)

3. Great selection of items for all tastes/budgets

‍

What has the initial response been like?

At the beginning of November, with a second lockdown looming and days getting shorter, we sent everyone a Caffè Nero hot drink with a note encouraging them to get outside, take some time for themselves, and thanking them for all their hard work during these complicated times. The response has been lovely with people surprised and delighted at the gesture, and continuous kudos and posts on our Slack as people redeem their favourite drinks!

‍

‍

We have also sent bottles of wine, brownies, and grocery vouchers as prizes for our recent Halloween challenges and people have commented on how simple they have been to redeem and enjoy.

‍

How have you been sharing treats with teams?

So far I’ve chosen to send via email as it was very easy to upload over 200 emails in a csv. file and send with the click of a button! The Huggg branding is very charming and the ability to add a custom message makes it feel more personal. We may use custom links for some Christmas parties if we want to create themed invitations or use mail merges for team-specific rewards.

‍

Seeing as ‘tis the season, let’s talk about your virtual Christmas party plans.

We have split our team of 250 into smaller groups for multiple virtual Christmas parties. We felt this would allow more engagement and a better feeling of connectedness, while allowing for smaller teams to create a party experience specifically suited to their tastes.

‍

What are your objectives for those sending and hopes for those receiving?

My hope is that our party planners will be able to easily sort out food, drink, and activities for their team, with all team members feeling like their needs and tastes have been thoughtfully considered.

‍

"The key thing for me is that there is something for everyone on Huggg." - Allison Dunnin, Office Manager at Tails.com

‍

How will you know if Christmas has been a success?

There will be two signs of a successful virtual Christmas from my perspective. Firstly, if our party planners are able to take care of their team's food and drink without a struggle. The last thing I want is planning a party to feel like extra work during an already busy season. Secondly, positive feedback company-wide, with everyone feeling truly cared for. That’s the most any Office Manager/Event Planner can hope for!

‍

What was important to you when choosing to use Huggg?

The key thing for me is that there is something for everyone on Huggg. When I organised our virtual summer party, I had to survey the team to see which takeaway service delivered to their area, or which grocery shop they preferred, then manually purchase and send gift vouchers from multiple different retailers! As you can imagine, it was very time consuming, but it was important to me that each person got something they could actually use and enjoy.

Huggg makes this so incredibly simple by allowing the recipient to choose the best retailer for them. Inclusivity is so important to us, so the fact that there are options for various diets and lifestyle choices makes Huggg a great one-stop shop for our whole team!

‍

Do you see yourself continuing to use Huggg at tails.com outside of the festive season?

Absolutely! I’ve already added Huggg to our resources for managers. As we move into a future with more remote and hybrid working, it’s great to have simple, user-friendly tools to reward and celebrate each other no matter where we might be!