7 Must-Know Tips to Prepare Your Contact Center for the Holidays

Why contact centers must prepare for the holiday season

A recent survey by The Conference Board found that the average American plans to spend $1,063 on holiday shopping in 2024, about 8% more than the $985 they spent in 2023. This means your agents can anticipate spikes in call volume and potential customer dissatisfaction without adequate preparation.

The holidays are not just a test of your team’s ability to handle demand — they’re an opportunity to provide top-notch customer service and build loyalty and repeat business.

Forecasting holiday call volume and customer needs

Forecasting holiday call volume is a great first step to anticipating and meeting customer needs. To forecast effectively, you can rely on two powerful approaches: analyzing historical data and leveraging AI and analytics for proactive planning.

Use historical data for forecasting

Historical data refers to information your contact center has collected over time from customer interactions and agent activities. This data lets you view call volumes, average handle time, first-resolution rates, and customer satisfaction scores to prepare your contact center for the holidays. These metrics will enable you to analyze trends and predict future contact center needs to meet holiday demand.

Leverage AI & analytics for proactive planning

Leveraging AI technology and analytics in your contact center has multiple advantages for managing holiday-time customer service. With these tools, you can view real-time analytics, including how many customers are in the phone queue, the average wait time, and the number of abandoned calls. Some AI tools even allow agents to analyze the tone used in customer interactions to determine at-risk customers and respond accordingly.

Crafting a flexible holiday staffing strategy

Once you’ve accurately forecasted your contact center’s holiday call volume and customer needs, the next step is to craft a flexible holiday staffing strategy. Here are a few ideas for implementing your staffing strategy in this busy season.

Hire seasonal agents and explore outsourcing solutions

Hiring seasonal agents or exploring outsourcing solutions is a great way to maintain quality customer service and reduce overhead costs. Contact center outsourcing gives you access to highly trained agents available to customers around the clock. Modern contact centers also use advanced technology to create faster and more personalized customer experiences.

Cross-train your team for maximum support

If hiring seasonal agents or outsourcing solutions isn’t suitable for scaling your operations, try cross-training your agents in different areas of customer support. This not only allows them to be there for customers but also provides them an opportunity to learn and grow new skills.

Prioritize employee well-being during the holiday rush

Prioritizing your agents’ well-being looks different depending on the resources available. For example, if your company offers confidential counseling services, encourage employees to take advantage of this benefit. Any effort to prevent holiday burnout can help make this busy time more manageable.

Implementing effective self-service options for customers

During busy holiday periods, customers may only sometimes be able to speak to a live agent right away. Optimize your call center holiday management by implementing effective self-service options to maintain customer satisfaction and support.

Optimize FAQ pages and knowledge bases

More often than not, most customers ask the same questions about your services. Keep track of the most common customer queries to create an FAQ or knowledge base for customers to refer to on your website.

Leverage AI chatbots and IVR systems

AI chatbots and IVR systems are two tools that can quickly guide your customers to the information they need. AI chatbots can communicate with customers 24/7, while IVR systems allow customers to choose where they want their calls to be directed.

7 tips for preparing your contact center for the holidays

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of preparing your contact center for the holidays and a few strategies to consider, let’s explore these seven tips to help your team navigate the busiest time of the year with confidence and ease.

1. Use IVR for intelligent call routing

IVR, also known as interactive voice response, is a system that directs incoming calls to the appropriate agent. To use IVR for intelligent call routing, design a phone menu that covers most of your customers’ needs and record voice prompts to assist them with each step.

2. Set up a call-back queue

Call-back queues are a great fallback option when live agents aren’t available. To set up a call-back queue, view your phone system’s settings to enable the call-back queue option. From there, you can set your conditions on when to prompt customers to give a call-back number and record a voice message about what you want them to hear.

3. Understand the different types of customer inquiries to expect

While customers call for various reasons, understanding what inquiries to expect during the holidays can help your agents prepare. The best rule of thumb is to prepare for the basics, such as questions about promotions, shipping, return policies, and product recommendations.

4. Use real-time monitoring and reporting tools

Use real-time monitoring and reporting to track key metrics like first-call resolution and average handle time. Sharing these insights with your team helps align everyone on holiday goals and successes.

5. Reduce the temperature

Customers can quickly become angry during the holiday season. Steer your contact center in the right direction by encouraging agents to represent your brand appropriately, avoiding patronizing or tone-deaf responses.

6. Make policy exceptions when necessary

Contact center agents should be careful about dismissing customer requests, especially if customers are VIPs or escalated. As part of your holiday call center prep, be sure to remind your agents to make reasonable policy exceptions when necessary and indicate what procedures they should follow.

7. Stay positive in the face of customer frustration

The stress of the holidays can cause high emotions for customers and contact center agents. Allow your agents to take a moment to breathe and regroup. Also, schedule regular check-ins to see how agents feel and learn what resources they need to perform their responsibilities successfully.

Managing customer expectations and communication

While you can’t control customers’ reactions, you can shape their experience by setting realistic expectations and communicating effectively. Here, we’ll share a few strategies to create a smoother, more positive experience for your customers, even during the busiest time of the year.

Setting realistic wait time expectations

Customers usually anticipate a bit of a wait with a contact center during the holiday season. But if you leave them hanging for too long, they’ll hang up. Be transparent about wait times and offer alternative support options like leaving a call-back number or creating self-service options like FAQs.

Holiday-specific communication strategies

The holidays come and go so quickly. Make this season fun and festive with holiday-themed messages, greetings, and offers to enhance the customer experience. Also, consider updating your customer communication platforms with festive designs to boost the holiday spirit.

Evaluating holiday success and post-season optimization

When the holiday rush is officially over, take time to review and evaluate how your contact center agents handled the season. Analyze key metrics and discuss the results with your team members to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Invite them to share feedback about the situations they encountered to discuss strategies on how to enhance the customer experience the next holiday season.

Need more hands on deck this holiday season? ROI CX Solutions is here to help prepare your contact center for the holidays.