Flip Reviews
How SANTA is modernising a 200-year-old institution for the age of AI
For over two centuries, SANTA has delivered joy to millions of households. But as the organisation grew to over 800,000 employees worldwide, communication, training, and day-to-day coordination became overwhelmingly complex.
Read how SANTA partnered with Flip to modernise communication, preserve centuries of craft, reduce incidents, and bring AI into the heart of the North Pole – all without losing the magic.
Key highlights
Faster onboarding, less strain
300,000 seasonal employees now reach peak productivity within one week – down from six weeks.
Elf & Safety, transformed
Digital reporting and automated workflows cut incident response times dramatically, reducing mishaps by 85%.
Decades of wisdom, preserved
14,000+ knowledge items – from tool maintenance to sleigh aerodynamics – have been captured and can be surfaced instantly via AI.
Feels a lot like Christmas
SANTA’s employee platform – Jolly – comes with its own app and corporate candy cane design system, increasing employer brand affinity by 50%.
About SANTA
Delivering joy worldwide
Founded in 1823, SANTA – Seasonal Allocation of Nice Toys and Assets – has grown from a small workshop and eight reindeer into one of the world’s most recognisable manufacturing and logistics organisations. Today, the operation spans toy production and packaging, global supply chain coordination, and sleigh-based overnight delivery. The company’s mission remains unchanged: Deliver joy worldwide – on time, every time.
Industry
Manufacturing, Packaging & Global Logistics
Company size
500,000 permanent employees 300,000 seasonal employees
Key use cases
Incident reporting Inventory management Onboarding Shift plans Knowledge management Internal communication
Employee engagement
Before Flip
Tradition under pressure
For generations, SANTA has been synonymous with craft and precision. But as the operation expanded and the world became more digital, many long-standing processes struggled to keep pace.
Communication
Many employees couldn't access critical tools and information, especially Production Elves and Sleigh Crews. 76% couldn't access the intranet.
Toy Strategy teams had limited feedback from child-facing field teams, causing mismatches between toy production and demand.
Global coordination faltered, leading to supply issues and disengagement in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hiring & Retention
Veteran elves retired, taking decades of operational and technical knowledge with them.
Younger generations expected digital tools – not Advent Calendars for shift plans.
Seasonal onboarding stretched teams to breaking point, with subpar support leading to 30% new hire churn.
Operations
An Etch-a-Sketch-based incident reporting system slowed responses to health and safety risks.
Compliance with Finland’s strict regulations became increasingly difficult and time-consuming.
Commercial competition intensified from newer, more tech-forward organisations like Luna (Chinese New Year) and HappyHallows (Halloween).
SANTA needed to modernise, fast – not to replace the magic, but to keep it alive.
Core needs
A single, instant communication channel for community and operational efficiency.
A way to connect everyone to info and tools, regardless of location or contract.
A way to retain and access critical knowledge when employees leave or retire.
Automated key tasks and processes without complex implementations or IT support.
A practical, responsible path into AI-enabled frontline work.
'The world changed. Expectations changed. And we needed to change, too – without losing our spirit.'
The Solution
Jolly: Connecting every employee to the magic of Christmas
SANTA partnered with Flip to launch Jolly, a fully-branded, AI-native employee experience platform for modern communication, onboarding, knowledge access, and frontline support – designed for the unique reality of workshops, distribution centres, stables, and sleigh teams.
A home for communication and culture
Jolly gives every employee – permanent, seasonal, and remote – a direct line to relevant updates. Safety notices, shift changes, and production news now reach the right teams instantly, with read confirmation and live translation.
Scalable onboarding with Flip Flows
300,000 seasonal workers now complete a guided onboarding journey – learning values, safety, workflows, and sleigh code-of-conduct in days, not weeks. Managers regain precious time, and new joiners feel supported from day one.
Knowledge that lives beyond generations
Flip Intelligence brings operational wisdom to everyone’s fingertips: procedures, maintenance logs, policies, toy-quality guidelines, and more.
AI that empowers all employees
AI supports deskless teams with hands-free information access, structured reporting workflows, and fast answers to operational questions. Employees get what they need faster, more easily, and on their own.
Ask AI for instant access to verified knowledge
Workflow agents for incident and maintenance reports, and toy quality assurance
Hands-free voice mode for reindeer
Real-time translation into 154 languages (including sixteen penguin dialects)
Key objectives
Digital inclusion: Connect every employee, no matter their location or contract.
Cultural cohesion: Strengthen unity across 800,000 diverse, dispersed employees.
Efficient workflows: Automate routine tasks and speed up issue resolution.
Knowledge continuity: Preserve craft, techniques, and best practices.
AI readiness: Introduce responsible AI that supports frontline teams without complexity.
Core features in use
Push Notifications for storm warnings and sleigh arrival times.
Knowledge Base for naughty and nice lists, offline maps, and toy labelling requirements.
Flip Flows for onboarding, defective toy reporting, and reindeer tacking sequences.
Ask AI for troubleshooting issues with production machinery.
Channels for sharing local news and gift-wrapping best practices.
Livestreams for broadcasting regional Christmas parties.
'Flip isn’t just our old intranet "reborn" – it’s the collective knowledge of the entire company, available in one touch.'
The Jolly app menu, with direct access to payslips and shift plans.
SANTA's automated onboarding flow, which guides new joiners through their first weeks.
The Jolly Content Planner view, showing posts scheduled for the week.
A post being created in the Content Studio, with in-built AI used to source verified information and draft copy.
The results
From chaos to clockwork: A connected workforce from pole to pole
Operational efficiency, boosted by AI
Jammed ribbon-curling machines and misaligned wrapping lines are now flagged, triaged, and assigned to maintenance in minutes – driving a 95% improvement in resolution time. Teams use Ask AI to troubleshoot common equipment issues on the spot, reducing supervisor load and keeping production moving.
Safer workshops, steadier output
Digital checklists and real-time reminders led to an 85% drop in avoidable mishaps. From slippery workshop floors to malfunctioning toy-shark mechanisms, hazards are logged and escalated immediately. Frontline teams say they feel better protected, more prepared, and able to focus on craft rather than crisis.
A stronger sense of belonging
New-joiner churn fell from 30% to under 5% with seasonal employees receiving structured guidance and support from day one. With Jolly available in 154 languages, including niche penguin dialects, employees describe it as “the first time we’ve felt included.” Sleigh crews say they no longer feel out of the loop – even on delivery runs.
'Flip really has transformed how we work. It connects us in ways we never imagined – and that’s the real Christmas magic.'
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