The holidays can be a trying time for customer service representatives. People often feel rushed and overwhelmed in their efforts to complete their holiday shopping in time for celebrations with family and friends. The need to maintain excellent customer service throughout this period cannot be underestimated. When tensions are high, it becomes ever more important to handle customer concerns and inquiries pleasantly and effectively.
Businesses should make efforts to ensure the customer service staff is well prepared for any issues likely to arise in the holiday season. These seven suggestions can help make sure your company maintains the superior level of service your customers deserve and expect.
Businesses should make efforts to ensure the customer service staff is well prepared for any issues likely to arise in the holiday season. These seven suggestions can help make sure your company maintains the superior level of service your customers deserve and expect.
Hire Extra Seasonal Staff
The boon to business that comes with increased consumer spending during the holiday season means a greater burden on customer support staff. Bringing on temporary staff helps keep employees from becoming overwhelmed and ensures service doesn’t slow during the busy period.
The boon to business that comes with increased consumer spending during the holiday season means a greater burden on customer support staff. Bringing on temporary staff helps keep employees from becoming overwhelmed and ensures service doesn’t slow during the busy period.
Utilize Mojo Helpdesk to Keep Up with the High Volume of Requests
Your staff is only human and when an individual’s responsibilities increase, making sure nothing slips through the cracks is especially challenging. Mojo Helpdesk makes sure every customer request is neatly organized, through custom filters and automations, as well as being able to assign to a particular representative and stays on the radar until it’s resolved.
Your staff is only human and when an individual’s responsibilities increase, making sure nothing slips through the cracks is especially challenging. Mojo Helpdesk makes sure every customer request is neatly organized, through custom filters and automations, as well as being able to assign to a particular representative and stays on the radar until it’s resolved.
Be Prepared for High Stress and Emotional Customers
The holidays are an especially stressful time for many and this can serve to make customer service interactions more difficult. When faced with an angry or emotional customer, keep in mind those feelings aren’t personal. Always remain calm when working through the customer’s issue and keep a levelheaded tone.
The holidays are an especially stressful time for many and this can serve to make customer service interactions more difficult. When faced with an angry or emotional customer, keep in mind those feelings aren’t personal. Always remain calm when working through the customer’s issue and keep a levelheaded tone.
Use Mojo Helpdesk to Set Goals and Incentives for Staff Members
People work better when given a clear incentive. With Mojo Helpdesk’s ratings system and SLA targets, it is easy to implement an incentives program to reward the representatives that receive the highest Mojo scores from customers or achieve the quickest resolution times. This can help raise spirits and encourage harder work, without making staff feel overburdened.
People work better when given a clear incentive. With Mojo Helpdesk’s ratings system and SLA targets, it is easy to implement an incentives program to reward the representatives that receive the highest Mojo scores from customers or achieve the quickest resolution times. This can help raise spirits and encourage harder work, without making staff feel overburdened.
Keep Customers Well Informed
Make sure customers know upfront the estimated shipping times for each order, if your company ships/sells goods, and post clearly on your website and in all e-mail and helpdesk correspondence any days staff won’t be available. If possible, direct tickets to an available staff member during days someone is out.
Make sure customers know upfront the estimated shipping times for each order, if your company ships/sells goods, and post clearly on your website and in all e-mail and helpdesk correspondence any days staff won’t be available. If possible, direct tickets to an available staff member during days someone is out.
Be Prepared for Post-Holiday Returns
While the holiday gift giving tradition usually means an increase in sales, it also comes coupled with a period of high volume returns and follow-up calls for support. Have a system in place to handle returns that makes the experience simple for the consumer. Use Mojo Helpdesk to organize return requests. Adding custom fields to the ticket form, and requiring customers to enter all necessary information can help ensure returns are more easily handled by staff. For frequent requests, automations may be set up to respond more quickly to several customers/tickets at once.
While the holiday gift giving tradition usually means an increase in sales, it also comes coupled with a period of high volume returns and follow-up calls for support. Have a system in place to handle returns that makes the experience simple for the consumer. Use Mojo Helpdesk to organize return requests. Adding custom fields to the ticket form, and requiring customers to enter all necessary information can help ensure returns are more easily handled by staff. For frequent requests, automations may be set up to respond more quickly to several customers/tickets at once.
Reward your Staff
As the holidays mean harder work and higher stress for staff, it’s important to make them feel valued. Whether bringing sweets into the office for everyone, throwing a holiday party, or implementing a gift exchange program, bringing some levity and fun into the office setting will help keep spirits up. The holiday season is such an important period for businesses; some basic preparation is well worth the positive results it yields for customers and staff. Encourage staff to take note of any unforeseen issues they encounter so the team can take stock at the end of the season and better prepare for next year. Ensuring you have a stream-lined, friendly, fast and efficient customer service system in place, even during the busiest time of the year can lead to happier holidays for everyone.
As the holidays mean harder work and higher stress for staff, it’s important to make them feel valued. Whether bringing sweets into the office for everyone, throwing a holiday party, or implementing a gift exchange program, bringing some levity and fun into the office setting will help keep spirits up. The holiday season is such an important period for businesses; some basic preparation is well worth the positive results it yields for customers and staff. Encourage staff to take note of any unforeseen issues they encounter so the team can take stock at the end of the season and better prepare for next year. Ensuring you have a stream-lined, friendly, fast and efficient customer service system in place, even during the busiest time of the year can lead to happier holidays for everyone.
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