For many, the Thanksgiving weekend – and especially Black Friday – marks the official start of the holiday rush. And although the holidays are a huge opportunity to drive revenue and attract more customers, they often mean extra pressure on your customer service team. Here are five effective ways to help your support team during the holiday season and keep both them and your customers satisfied.
1. Consider outsourcing
The holiday season requires all hands-on deck, as it often brings a higher volume of calls and an increased number of customers requesting support. One way to manage the influx is to expand your support team, but that doesn’t necessarily mean hiring full-time employees. If you’re struggling with demand, outsourcing your customer service could be the answer you’re looking for. Whether it’s on a temporary or permanent basis, there are outsourcing solutions out there, like VoiceNation, that function as an extension of your own team and are prepared to manage high call volumes to improve the experience for your customers.
2. Provide 24/7 support
No matter how committed your customer service team is, they can’t be available 24/7 during busy periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday – and you wouldn’t expect them to be! Rather than stretching your team thin, consider using a 24/7 answering service like VoiceNation to extend your availability. We provide around the clock support – not just after hours, but also on nights, weekends, and holidays – so your business remains accessible to customers whenever they need assistance, keeping you ‘open for business’ at all times.
3. Training on how to help stressed customers
The holidays can be a stressful time for many people, and as a result, it’s common for your business to run into a customer whose demands are unreasonable. Whether that’s unrealistic discounts or same day delivery, these situations can be challenging for your team to navigate. Providing training on how to deal with them is an important step your customer service team can take to deliver great customer service and de-escalate any situation.
4. Care for your team
Peak holiday season is a busy time for customer service teams, and the risk of burnout increases significantly, so it’s important to reward your team for the hard work they put in.
In order to keep morale high, make sure that your employees feel looked after and appreciated, because making sure your team are well equipped is not only important for them but for the benefit of your customers, too.
It’s also important to take note of the increased workload your team may have to undertake this holiday season. Encourage employees to take adequate breaks and time off to reduce the risk of burnout.
5. Set clear expectations
It’s no secret, customers hate waiting on hold, especially during the holiday season. They’re often pressed for both time and patience, which is why being available for your customers is so important. To help manage expectations, let customers know when your team is available and provide estimated response times for calls, emails, and chats. When customers know what to expect, they’re more likely to feel satisfied with the service they receive, even if there are slight delays.
Why choose VoiceNation?
The holiday season can be a whirlwind, and whether you’re looking for an extra helping hand or a fully outsourced solution, using an answering service like VoiceNation, can help keep your business available whenever customers reach out in this busy period.
Our team of highly trained, empathetic receptionists act as an extension of your own business, ready to handle every customer interaction professionally and efficiently. So, throughout this holiday season, let VoiceNation provide the support you need – contact us today to discuss our pricing plans.