The holiday season is here. That means (hopefully) more time spent with families, beautiful decorations, and endless opportunities to make new memories. Unfortunately, it also means a lot more stress for the average contact center agent.
During the holidays, changes in consumer behavior can lead to rapid spikes in contact center demand. Consumers demand quick, convenient service delivered across every channel, so they can continue to enjoy their festivities in peace. This usually leaves contact center agents dealing with spikes in call volume, and impatient customers. Not to mention, they also have a range of other challenges to address, from weather issues causing delivery problems, to supply chain issues.
While contact center leaders might only be able to partially remove the stress of the holidays from their staff members, they can prepare them to handle the season more effectively.
Research and preparation are crucial to managing your contact center team's challenges during the festive season. This means every holiday strategy should begin with carefully evaluating your data.
Using your contact center wallboards, historical reporting and analysis can provide insight into previous year activity. Your dashboard will give you behind-the-scenes insights into how many calls your agents typically handle each day and how many employees you will need to handle a spike in demand.
Once you have a clear view of what the holidays are going to look like for your team, you can begin preparing with a range of different techniques, such as:
Keeping everyone informed and up to date throughout the holidays will also improve the overall performance of your team and your customer’s satisfaction levels.
Ensure your customers know your opening times and availability during the holidays by sending automated texts or emails. You can include automated responses on your chatbots and in your IVR system, highlighting your opening hours.
At the same time, provide your employees with the tools they need to track their performance during busy times. Allowing them access to real-time dashboards showcasing crucial information will give them the peace of mind that comes with knowing they're still meeting their goals during the holidays.
The holidays can be challenging for contact center agents, but with some preparation, you can ensure your employees continue to delight your audience.