Creating the Best Christmas Customer Experience

Follow these five tips to create the best Christmas customer experience as the holiday approaches!

Christmas and customer service go hand-in-hand. For one, customer service is all about giving. Resolving customers’ issues means giving them what they need to feel satisfied and even excited about their experience with your company.

Secondly, Christmas is the time of the year when the need for customer service is through the roof. People who don’t normally shop much are buying gifts, families splurge more than normal and everyone is hoping to make this year’s holiday something special for themselves and their loved ones.

This means that customer service demands are greater than ever, and preparing your agents for the onslaught of the holidays is critical.

Follow these five tips for putting the Christmas spirit into customer experiences this season.

Improve Self-Service

Not everyone in need of customer service wants to get on the phone and call a contact centre.

According to research by Zendesk, 67% of consumers prefer self-service. In fact, some consumers will simply switch to a different brand or company if they are dissatisfied with the product rather than go out of their way to contact customer service.

This makes self-service more important than ever. Not only does self-service save customers the hassle of calling customer service, but it also allows for customers to seek their own resolution rather than remain quietly dissatisfied.

As a bonus, effective self-service frees up agent handling time.

Aim for FCR

FCR, or first-contact resolution, means resolving client issues at the initial communication without need of follow-up. First-contact resolution makes customers happy and saves agents from having to spend extra time on each inquiry.

However, achieving FCR can be tricky. Track the most common inquiries and brief agents on how to effectively address each one. When a customer does need to be transferred to another channel, use integrative technology to pass customer information to the next agent, including the original inquiry and how long they have been in communication with customer service.

Deliver Equally on All Channels

Customer service has long since expanded from the phones. Agents should be willing and able to deliver the same quality of service on all channels, including SMS, live chat and email.

Ensuring that a fantastic service experience can be delivered to all customers, not only the ones who choose to call the contact centre, can help keep customers by your side. Remember that the holidays are a time when consumers are more likely to get together with friends and family and recommend a brand, product or company.

Delivering excellent customer service on all channels can mean expanding your client base as customers are transformed into ambassadors for your brand.

Offer a Call-back

No one likes waiting on the phone. In fact, a Google survey found that 32.3% of customers don’t believe that any amount of hold time is acceptable. Instead of making your customers wait and risking losing their business, offer a call-back option.

Call-backs demonstrate your respect for the customer’s time and your concern with meeting their needs.

As a bonus, this can also give agents a chance to prepare for how to best address each customer’s concerns.

Maintain a Holiday Spirit

Remember: it’s Christmas time! Encourage agents to maintain high spirits with festivity in the contact centre. This can mean adding incentives like a rewards program for high performing agents, or simply a bit of decoration, holiday treats and fun.

Despite the potential for high tensions during the Christmas season, chances are, your customers want to experience the holiday cheer. Don’t forget that each interaction with a customer is an opportunity to connect with an individual. The service experiences that will stick in the memories of consumers happen when a genuine connection is made.

So put on your Santa hat, grab some milk and Christmas cookies, and go on delivering that Christmas customer experience!

For more insider tips and information on how to create a memorable Christmas customer experience, download our free white paper.