Entering the festive season well prepared.

The festive season is upon us again. With these tips, make sure you're well prepared. Ensure you know what to expect. And provide a good mix of channels for sharing your information. With these tips, you'll be ready before, during, and after the festive season. Good luck!

TIPS&TRICKS

Before the festive season

During the festive season, there are extra orders and therefore extra questions. To answer these questions on time, you need sufficient staff.

With increasing pressure on your team (customer service representatives), it is essential to consider the possibility of scaling up or outsourcing in a timely manner. This way, you can stay focused on resolving urgent issues.

Customers with questions about the promotions during the festive season can first use the FAQ. This way, customers won’t contact you directly with all sorts of questions.

Prevent misunderstandings and be clear in your action and general terms and conditions, especially during a busy period. Make them easy to find on your website.

Once you know this, you can better organize your customer service. Ensure these channels are easy to find. This way, customers can quickly and always contact you.

Your staff will probably have time off on some holidays. Make sure you don't run into problems with the workload. Customers will continue to shop and will need support through all channels (phone, email, and social media).

These figures show you how important the festive season is for your business. If you have insight into your annual revenue, annual profits, new customers, and returning customers, you can better organize your customer service.

TIPS&TRICKS

During the festive season

A customer expects an answer within a maximum of 24 hours, preferably even sooner. If there’s an option to respond within 10 minutes, do so. Often, a product is still in the shopping cart within this time. Therefore, answer questions within this period. This increases the chance of a successful purchase.

Focus on handling easy questions in the first contact as quickly as possible. Also surprise new customers with something like free shipping. If their first experience with your company is good, you increase customer satisfaction and the chance of repeat purchases.

You try to always help a customer, regardless of the question. Even if you can’t solve the problem directly, offer a partial solution. Emphasise what you can do for the customer rather than what you can’t.

Expect to be busy. After Black Friday, expect a significant increase in questions about delivery times. Customers naturally wonder whether the packages will be on time for stocking fillers.

Be honest and clear about all your procedures. Will the customer get their money back? And how long will it take? Also, ask for the customer's understanding that it may take a little longer at this time. Still, be mindful of how you convey such messages.

Add a personal touch to your messages. With orders, do something extra, like gift wrapping or a thank-you card. This way, you leave a positive impression on customers and show that you consider the festive season’s social spirit.

TIPS&TRICKS

After the festive season

This is the moment for feedback on your service! An example is: 'What was your experience with ordering the product?' or 'Was your package delivered within the stated time?' You learn from this, so you can better meet your customers’ needs the rest of the year and next festive season.

To grow your organization, you must know what is happening with your customers. Solving every issue is impossible, which is why identifying problems is very important. Give your customers the option to provide feedback via multiple channels. Think email, phone, forums, or social media.

Create your own standards and values and describe your customer service culture in a customer service manifesto. This is very handy for new employees. This way, they can immediately adopt your way of working. If you need to scale back again, you can, of course, always adjust.

Anticipate customers who are not satisfied. This makes the return process quicker and more efficient. Faster processing keeps costs low and results in satisfied returning customers. Difficult customers who are well assisted can easily become fans!

It may sound obvious, but do not slack in paying attention to your customer service. Satisfied customers lead to repeat purchases and contribute to your marketing activities. Therefore, always offer the best purchase experience, product experience, and aftercare.