8 Ways to Improve Customer Service This Holiday Season

The busy holidays can make or break your brand’s reputation and it has a lot to do with the quality of your customer service. The good part is that the Christmas season is an anticipated holiday and you have enough time to prepare your staff and your store for the mad rush.
Here are a few practical tips that you can do to improve your customer service this holiday season:

1.Keep your customer information up-to-date.

One of the ways that you can cut down the stress on your staff while keeping your customers happy is to make sure that your customer information is up-to-date, whether the one on your website or the one that they can easily locate in your physical store.
There will be less unhappy buyers for your staff to worry about when you let your customers easily find answers to their questions on their own.

2. Ensure that your employees are happy.

Happy employees treat customers well and provide them good service.
Acknowledge your employees’ hard work and commend those who deserve commendation. Compensate your employees properly and give them additional perks such as extra leaves, bonuses or gifts to show them how much you appreciate their contributions to your company.
And because it is the holidays, don’t forget that they too have families they want to celebrate with. Give them enough time to do this and inform them ahead. Give them something to look forward to after their hard work.

3. Keep on top of the stocks inventory.

Make sure that you’re all stocked up with the most in-demand products. Keep on top of the stocks inventory to anticipate if you need to order more from your suppliers.
The key here is to be in very good relationship with your suppliers so that when you need immediate results, they will be more than willing to deliver.

4. Maintain an inventory reporting.

Speaking of inventory, keep updated with the inventory especially during the holiday rush. This is so in case there had been a mistake in one of the products or a discrepancy in the inventory report, you can swiftly act on it even before customer finds out.

5. Go full force on customer service.

The holidays will definitely bring in a lot of customers. Make sure that you have all posts manned by your employees. You may have to deploy all your customer service employees if only to ensure that all your booths have someone to attend to customers.
Assign people to answer emails, phone calls, and online inquiries. Make sure that your customers can access your company in multi-channels especially when they have concerns regarding the products they purchased from you.

6. Train your team ahead and keep them updated with new development and announcements.

Make sure that your staff is ready to face the madness of the season. Equip them and train them on how to address customer concerns. Teach them how to properly attend to them. Keep them updated with new development on products, promos, and processes happening in the company to avoid them getting confused with new development they do not know about.

7. Use cloud-based tools to improve your deliveries.

Using Cloud-based delivery services is an affordable but efficient way to manage your deliveries. The best ones can be customized in such a way that a carrier from a pre-determined location is assigned to do the delivery.
They also help you track your deliveries more efficiently. Shoppers are duly informed on when to expect their purchases to arrive and these tools allow you to gauge the performance of each carrier that will help you choose the best and most efficient ones to partner with.

8. Give your customers a reason to come back.

Don’t ever make your customers feel neglected. Make them feel important and attend to their needs. Listen to them and consider their concerns. Sometimes the best improvement come from your most loyal and avid patrons.
It’s all about the experience that your customers get when they purchase from you. Make sure that you have planned or the holiday rush thoroughly and have gotten everything, from your store and tools, to your staff, in good shape.
And if you can, give them a little something to show them that you value them. A personal touch to your customer services can go a long way.
Have a happy holiday from us here at Transcosmos!

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