Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the end of year holidays are all clustered into the busiest time of year, creating an annual problem for every manager that is responsible for delivering great service to customers.
This peak season is especially important for retailers and e-commerce brands, but many associated industries also see a sharp increase in business as the year winds down.
Black Friday is no longer just a sale – it’s a retail phenomenon that has gone global. It is estimated that British shoppers are set to spend over £9 billion – up 4.5% year-on-year as cost-of-living pressures ease and shoppers look to grab bargain clothes, toys and electrical goods ahead of Christmas.
But this Q4 dilemma goes beyond the customer service team alone. A surge in orders in a short timeframe will put a strain on customer service when the inevitable questions and inquiries come in, but it also means logistics and other resources must also be in place.
The question then, is what can a customer service executive do right now to prepare for Black Friday and the holiday season? Luckily, there are several strategies that can be deployed to handle this increased demand.
1. The best customer service is no customer service. Review the top twenty reasons why customers need to contact your business in the first place. Are there recurring issues? Are there changes that can be implemented to stop these interactions? Improved communication or information that answers the most common customer questions can have a dramatic impact on the customer experience by removing their need to call or send a message.
2. Advance planning. Analyse the past few years of transaction data so you can start forecasting sales and customer service volumes. Be sure to factor in any sales promotions or current marketing campaigns and use the expected volumes to predict the staffing levels you will need to cover the peak season. This planning process can also be very useful for identifying bottlenecks in customer service.
3. Get the team on board. Once you have the forecasts you can plan how many people will be needed to support your customers. You may need to extend shifts or hire temporary team members so you can ramp up, or if you are working with a customer service partner then you can agree a temporary period where they will provide more cover for this peak season. Training is essential – for existing team members, but especially for those being onboarded.
4. Use technology to automate interactions. Customers usually don’t mind using chatbots or self-service information if it is easy to use and works. As artificial intelligence (AI) is getting easier to deploy on services such as chatbots there is an increasing opportunity to automate a larger number of simple questions. If you can increase your automated responses even by a few percent, then it can make all the difference during the peak season.
5. Communicate with customers. Give your customers as much information as you can about product availability, shipping times, expected delivery dates, and so on. Many customer service questions are about issues such as delayed deliveries so if you can give the information up front and provide automated tracking tools, a large number of questions can immediately be deflected. It’s important to communicate and then communicate some more.
This is also a time when team members should be even more empowered than usual. If an agent feels that a refund is probably the best course of action, but they would usually check with their manager, then start encouraging them to make more decisions without checking. They might make a few mistakes, but most of the time they will get it right and they will be saving valuable time by making a call on a decision quickly.
Managing customer service processes during the retail peaks around Black Friday and Christmas requires proactive planning, resource optimisation, and a strong focus on customer satisfaction. By leveraging analytics technology, increasing staffing, setting clear expectations, and empowering your team, you can navigate these high-demand periods successfully, ensuring a positive experience for both customers and employees.
About the Author
Ruben Moggee is CEO of Nutun International, one of the fastest growing providers of a wide range of omnichannel BPO services in South Africa.
