Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Holiday Gifting Without The Headache: The Bounty Hunter Difference

We’ve all had the following little internal monologue. It’s December 26th, or January 2nd:
“Why haven’t I heard from my customer or my colleague with a little thank you for the gift basket I sent? Did they get it? Why don’t I know if they received it or not? Do I really have to sit on hold on a customer service line for 10 minutes to find out?”
At Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Spirits, we have been sending wine and spirits gifts on behalf of our clients since 1994. Hundreds of thousands of packages later, we think we have worked out a kink or two.

Providing one stop shopping, with a responsible associate instead of a faceless customer service number, has worked well for us. Our clients work closely with their Wine Scout, or wine concierge, who handles every step of the process – from choosing the perfect wine or spirit, to confirming the delivery – in a thoughtful and proactive way.

Here’s our protocol:
·         The Wine Scout works with the client to hammer out a budget and a list of recipients and addresses, domestic and international.

·         The Wine Scout responds with a proposed package of wines or spirits for the budget that create maximum impact for the recipient.

·         The client provides a gift message, which we print on an elegant card, or they can provide individualized gift cards of their own, which we insert into the top of the box to ensure that the message is received precisely the way it was intended.

·         The order is sent to our warehouse, into which no product is accepted - nor does anything ship out - if it’s not perfect. Our staff opens every case and performs a detailed QC process on every bottle before giving it a literal seal of approval. This practice includes a visual inspection of the bottle looking for any defects, label or foil damage, and checking for leakage. We have a check and balance system that means that every shipment is checked no less than 3 times. Therefore our clients and their recipients never receive anything less than a perfect unboxing experience.

·         Once the shipments are deployed, managing expectations is essential. Our Wine Scouts review the UPS tracking list of recipients to see if there have been any delays in the package deliveries, and inform the client of any problems and a timeline for resolution. It’s like having your own personal assistant running interference for you, even contacting your recipients directly when necessary.

Bounty Hunter’s detail-oriented focus on customer service and satisfaction requires that we consider the customer’s needs on multiple levels during the holiday season.

So this year, ask yourself, “Does this gifting option make my life easier, or does it add stress? Does the gift enhance my own personal reputation or my company’s brand? Have I maximized my budget to come up with a gift that my clients will savor and remember?

If all of these considerations are important to you, reach out to us here at Bounty Hunter, and we’ll handle the rest! 

From all of us here in the Napa Valley, we wish you a Happy Holidays!