December 18, 2014
The holiday season is here, and that means call centers are busier than ever. Customers are on hold longer, calls are being dropped, and more complaints are being filed. While the holiday season means more sales, it also means more customers need assistance. A study conducted by shows that more than 40 percent of retailers have hired additional staff for the holiday season. So while all this seasonal business is boosting sales for retailers, it is also increasing stress in call centers.
There are a few ways you can make your call center more effective during this busy time, including making adjustments to your staff, adding extra customer service representatives, or helping customers by creating additional customer support channels. The following are a few tips suggested by an industry website Business to Community on how to make this busy time a little less stressful:
Learn from your mistakes: The holiday season happens every year, so it should come as no surprise when things start to pick up. Be proactive, look back at what you did well last year and stick to it—and address the areas that weren’t as strong. Addressing problems before they arise is the best way to ensure your team is as prepared as possible.
Get in the holiday spirit: The holidays can be stressful—for you and your customers. Make sure your staff is trained and ready to handle the flurry of holiday calls. Customers may take out their own holiday stress on your customer service representatives. Reviewing how to deal with difficult customers can help prepare your staff and leave customers feeling that their concerns have been heard.
Make sure all representatives are prepared: Customers often feel very frustrated when they contact a call center and find that different agents have access to different information. All call center representatives should have access to the relevant information needed to assist customers. If the company operates as a unified whole, customers’ problems will be resolved more efficiently, and they will feel greater loyalty toward your brand.
Use scalable virtual call centers: Many companies consider hiring additional employees during the holiday season. This can be a straightforward solution if the seasonal employees are properly trained and you take advantage of cost-effective virtual call centers. Employees can work from home, and as an employer, you don’t have to worry about additional equipment costs.
Use the online FAQs: One of the easiest ways to keep call volume manageable is to make sure your company’s FAQ page is up to date. Often, simple questions can be answered by visiting these pages. Having answers readily available to customers will save your call center a phone call.
Is your call center ready to handle holiday shoppers? Make sure you have all of the above areas covered so you can provide your customers with the support they need.
