Gift service is a tonic for valued employees Sunday, April 26, 2009 By Cheryl Rickard For Ann Lyons, the desire to start her own business came before she had a business idea. Influenced by family members who were self-employed, Lyons longed for the flexibility that running her own business would give her.
During a career in customer service and account management with large companies, Lyons did a business start-up course with Limerick City Enterprise Board to get the skills to launch her business.
Then, when the opportunity arose, she took voluntary redundancy from her job as account manager with multinational firm Avocent in Shannon. She had an idea for a corporate gift service, and her company, Gift Innovations, was founded in 2001.
‘‘I identified the need for a corporate gift service while working for big companies,” said Lyons. ‘‘There was a lack of variety in gifts that were readily available, and the level of customer service did not always meet the expectations of corporate clients.”
Gift Innovations specialises in employee reward and recognition, offering brands including Citizen watches, Louis Mulcahy pottery, Canon cameras, Waterford Crystal and Newbridge Silverware. It also has a range of promotional gifts suitable for engraving.
Lyons’ customers are mainly multinational companies, although she also works with city and county councils and sports clubs. In 2006, the company launched RewardNet, an online recognition system that allows companies to offer employees a choice of gifts.
Lyons employs a full-time sales person and a part-time administration and accounts worker. She hires extra help during peak times. As well as the selection of gifts on the company’s website, Lyons can help customers with recommendations and is continually adding to the selection.
‘‘We just completed a customer survey to establish what gifts our customers would like to see more of,” she said. ‘‘I was pleasantly surprised with the level of interest in art, and we’re currently looking for suppliers of quality limited-edition prints.”
Despite recent downturn in business, Lyons is confident about the future. She said that employee recognition was considered important during a recession, in terms of boosting staff morale and recognising employees’ achievements.
The company’s main competition in the employee recognition sector comes from gift voucher companies, although Lyons said that vouchers had their drawbacks. ‘‘We see ourselves as a tangible alternative to gift vouchers,” she said.
‘‘The perceived value [to employees] is increased when you offer a choice of gifts. Employees recognise and appreciate the selection of premium brands.
‘‘There is a monetary value associated with vouchers that may leave employees feeling undervalued. Also, the loss of revenue associated with unredeemed vouchers is eliminated with tangible awards,” she said.”
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