Making a List, Checking It Twice: Preparing the Contact Centre

How to gear up the contact centre for the last minute Christmas retail rush.

Bracing the contact centre for the last minute holiday sprint means checking and double-checking your bases. It’s not too late to prepare the contact centre for the holiday rush. In fact, according to research by Canadian public opinion market analyst Harris Decima conducted last Christmas, 69 percent of polled Canadians said they hadn’t finished their Christmas shopping yet as of Dec. 16.

A further 22 percent hadn’t even started. If last year is anything to go by, it means there is much shopping still to be done, and it’s mostly going to happen last minute. This means there is plenty of time for outstanding customer service to make your company shine this year.

To help ensure that your contact centre delivers a level of excellence fitting for the season, take a look at these important five pointers.

1. Update Service Policies

The 21st century has so far been an era of unprecedented technological development. As each new development in technology makes its debut, the retail industry is quick at its heels to cash in on new customer outreach opportunities.

Constant changes in the retail industry mean that contact centres can’t simply rely on rehashing last year’s holiday protocol. Customer service practices must be updated to accommodate the rapidly growing multichannel retail and service industry.

2. Multichannel Shopping Means Multichannel Customer Service

With Christmas shoppers using a variety of channels to make purchases and inquiries this holiday season, contact centres must be ready to provide service on all channels.This includes live chat, SMS, email, mobile apps, social media and voice.

Agents should be prepared to respond to customers on all channels in a timely manner. To help with the expected rise in volume that comes with a multichannel Christmas experience, agents can include a call-back option when phones are busy or organize customer inquires on any given channel into common categories, such as “return policy questions” or “product inquiry” for more efficient tackling.

3. Seamless Integration of Channels

But simply providing a multichannel customer service experience isn’t enough.

Channels must be seamlessly integrated to provide top-notch service for customers who shift between channels. Contact centres can implement the use of integrative technology that organizes customers from all channels into clearly displayed data points, including wait time, nature of inquiry and any other relevant information.

That way, agents are better equipped to address each individual client professionally and efficiently. Contact centre managers can also implement strategies such as shifting priority off of non-real time interactions like email and onto real time interactions like phones when volumes are high.

4. More Market Competition Means Higher Customer Service Expectations

Keep in mind during the holiday season that high competition among retail markets means that customer expectations must be fulfilled. If customer needs aren’t met in a timely and engaging manner, customers can simply drop the retailer or provider and switch to another.

This means there is a small margin for error and a greater need for customer service to be not only satisfactory, but fully engaging. In addition to preparing the contact centre policies for the holiday rush, provide agents with additional soft skills training for maintaining a holiday spirit through the havoc of the Christmas bustle.

5. Give the Experience Customers Want

While delivering a high quality of service on all channels is necessary, make sure that agents aren’t waiting for customers in the wrong places. While Twitter is wildly popular among modern consumers, according to a 2013 Forrester report, new communication channels such as Twitter only have satisfaction ratings of 56% because businesses have been slow to adopt policies specifically designed to address them.

On the other hand, voice still has the highest satisfaction rating of 69%. This is likely in large part because voice is the most traditional method of contact centre customer service, so agents are familiar with handling customers over the phones. Don’t be slow to adapt to modern consumer trends. Instead, track your metrics and pay attention to your consumers’ most widely used channels. Designate agents accordingly to ensure that each customer has their needs met.

Preparing the contact centre for the last minute Christmas rush means updating service policies for modern trends and expectations, integrating multichannel service, and staying ahead of the competition by giving customers what they want. For more information on providing the ultimate customer service experience this holiday season, download our free whitepaper.