While customers are busy with shopping and errands during the holidays, call centers are running a tight ship to address all concerns. Excitable customers are ready to place numerous online orders or avail services from remote places. When these shoppers face any issue, they expect call center agents to resolve hiccups in real time.
Businesses need seasonal staffing strategies that not only meet demand but also maintain excellent delivery. Here are practical tactics you can use to optimize seasonal staffing and enjoy the holiday rush in your call center.
Understanding Seasonal Demand
Recognizing peak periods is key to effective call center staffing during the holidays. Think about it: when you analyze historical data and trends, you can predict when call volumes will spike. For instance, high traffic dates such as the 4th of July, Black Friday, and Christmas, bring notable increase in calls.
This is mainly due to:
- Increased shopping activity
- Higher travel-related inquiries
- Potential service disruptions
- Special holiday promotions
- Extended business hours
- Post-holiday follow ups such as returns, exchanges, or gift card usages
Understanding these factors is crucial for developing effective staffing strategies. It allows you to anticipate staffing needs and create a flexible system that can adapt to the demands of this period. This way, you can ensure your business has the right number of qualified agents ready to ride the wave of countless calls during the merry season.
Read More: How Contact Centers Can Prepare for the Holiday Season
Tactics for Businesses to Maximize Holiday Performance
Let’s dive in.
1. Have Efficient Onboarding and Training
A smooth onboarding process is essential for setting seasonal employees up for success. When new hires experience quick and efficient training, they feel confident and competent to tackle tasks at hand. If you manage this effectively, these new hires will seamlessly integrate into your well-functioning team.
To streamline your processes, start by creating a simple onboarding checklist that covers the essentials:
- Company policies
- Product or service knowledge
- Customer relation skills
- Call handling techniques.
Next, tailor training programs to the unique needs of the holiday season. Make it short yet easy-to-follow. Online training modules also provide quick access to vital information about products and services. Make the files searchable with keywords or links to allow simple navigation.
In addition, you can pair seasonal workers with experienced permanent staff through a buddy system. This creates a supportive environment and encourages the new staff to ask questions and seek help. Boost this system by creating accountability checkpoints and KPI monitoring to check that the unit delivers favorable results.
2. Maintain High Service Levels
Customers expect prompt and effective assistance, especially during peak times. When service levels drop, it leads to frustrated customers, negative reviews, and lost sales. Remember, your team must meet customer expectations during the highest-earning season of the year.
To achieve this, set measurable expectations for performance and standards. When everyone understands their roles, responsibilities, and numbers, it creates a well-directed team effort. This clarity enables agents to lock in on optimal performance.
Real-time analytics and monitoring become invaluable once you establish expectations. Tracking key metrics like average call time and customer satisfaction scores allows your business to monitor performance closely. For instance, if call volume suddenly spikes, having the ability to deploy available agents immediately prevents long queues of irate customers.
Moreover, fostering a culture of feedback is essential for continuous improvement. Encourage agents to share their thoughts. This may empower them and make them feel valued.
Regular check-ins can also help address concerns and keep agents engaged, especially when they work during holiday hours. Follow the GROW feedback model. Identify the goal, the employee’s reality, the available options to connect the goal and reality, and ultimately, the “will” or commitment to implement their options.
3. Leverage Technology for Efficiency
Technology significantly transforms call center operations, particularly in times of high call volumes and post-call evaluations. Advanced call center software streamlines processes and boosts efficiency, allowing your team to handle high call volumes with ease.
For instance, using predictive dialers and intelligent call routing directs calls to the right agents quickly, reducing queues efficiently while addressing the customer’s needs carefully.
Artificial Intelligence and automation tools also play a significant role in improving service quality. These technologies can manage routine inquiries, freeing agents to deal with more complex issues that require a personal touch. For example, a chatbot can handle common questions about shipping or returns, speeding up response times and keeping customers satisfied.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) also filters callers with simple needs versus ones that need a human response. This allows your agents to address pressing and intricate concerns instead of simple requests.
Read More: Boosting Employee Experience: How the Human Factor Enhances HR Tech
4. Open Remote Work Positions
Customer support is essential at any time, more so during the most sales defining months of the year. When call centers foster a supportive atmosphere for on-site employees and for its remote seasonal workers, agents feel like they belong in a winning team, despite being there for a short while.
Having remote positions can also fill your need for more agents. Additionally, efficient delegation of workload helps agents maintain a healthy work head space and prevents burnout.
5. Identify Top Performers
Understanding who excels directs your business to where to allocate resources effectively and maintain high service standards. This can also assist your HR team in keeping a profile of what to look for in future hires.
Recognition or a thoughtful incentive can go a long way toward showing your appreciation for their hard work. If you facilitate a buddy system, you can also recognize the units that perform well. This way, both the permanent and the temporary agent can celebrate their collaboration.
Moreover, celebrating the contributions of high achievers motivates them and inspires others to strive for excellence. Consider hosting a small recognition event to acknowledge their efforts. Positive affirmation can work wonders, particularly during the “season of giving.”
In addition to recognition, creating clear career pathways for top seasonal staff is essential. Discussing future opportunities can motivate agents to envision themselves in long-term positions.
6. Convert Temporary Hires to Permanent Positions
Transitioning from temporary hires to permanent positions is a sustainable strategy for retaining talent and maintaining continuity in your workforce.¹ Retaining skilled seasonal employees can be cost-efficient in the long run. When permanent positions open, you do not have to go through the hiring and training process again to fill that post.
Focus on cultural fit and alignment with your company values to evaluate which seasonal workers might be a suitable fit for long-term roles. Observing how they interact with customers and colleagues can provide valuable insights into their compatibility with your organization.
Read More: Why Call Center Turnover Rate is Now the Most Important KPI
When employees see that job security, career development, and a supportive work environment is at hands-reach in the company, it makes it easier for them to stay. Show them the process of transitioning to permanent positions so they can envision themselves in a role that supports their growth and financial security.
Looking for your next call center agent?
At Salem Solutions, we provide tailored workforce solutions that align with your specific needs during the busiest time of the year. With expertise in quality placements and a commitment to understanding your company culture, we find the right talent to meet your year-round and seasonal demands. Schedule a consultation today!
Reference
1. Urme, Umma Nusrat. “The Impact of Talent Management Strategies on Employee Retention.” International Journal of Science and Business, vol. 28, no. 1, 2023, pp. 127-146, https://doi.org/10.58970/IJSB.2209. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024