6 customer service tips for the holiday rush

6  customer  service  -ps  for  the  holiday  rush  

The  holiday  rush  is  just  around  the  corner  

And  it’s  the  biggest  -me  of  the  year  for  retailers  

Online  sales  are  projected  to  rise  to  $82  billion  in  November  and  December  2013  -­‐  Forrester  

Online  sales  are  projected  to  rise  to  $82  billion  in  November  and  December  2013  -­‐  Forrester  

Online  sales  are  projected  to  rise  to  $82  billion  in  November  and  December  2013  -­‐  Forrester  

Unfortunately,  an  increase  in  sales  means  an  influx  in  customer  problems.  

Unfortunately,  an  increase  in  sales  means  an  influx  in  customer  problems.  

How  does  your  company  stay  ahead  of  the  compe--on  during  the  holidays?  

By  providing  their  customers  with  an  amazing,  personalized  customer  service  experience  

It’s  amazing  service  that  keeps  customers  coming  back  –  even  aTer  the  holidays.  

The  last  thing  you  want  is  to  allow  customer  sa-sfac-on  to  die  during  the  holidays.  

That’s  why  Desk.com  has  put  together  six  strategies  to  help  you  prepare  for  the  holiday  rush!  

1.  Plan  Ahead  

The  best  companies  plan  ahead  to  meet  their  goals  no  maWer  what  -me  of  the  year  it  is.  

Consider  looking  at  workflows  from  peak  seasons.  

Check  out    Desk.com’s  business  insights  

So  you  know  what  channels  cases  came  from  

And  how  they  were  handled  by  your  team  

2.  Triage  customer  interac-ons  

Don’t  put  your  support  team  in  a  situa-on  where  incoming  cases  seem  to  never  end  

Rather  than  have  one  group  handle  all  customer  interac-ons  

Break  customer  interac-ons  into  smaller  buckets  

Then  assign  each  bucket  to  the  right  agent,  right  away.  

This  way,  the  right  agents  are  handling  the  customers’  ques-on  

“Triaging  cases  during  the  holidays  makes  all  of  the  different.  In  order  to  effec-vely  triage  cases,  we  use  case  filters  a  lot  in  Desk.com.”  –  Barb  Gates,  Support  Hero  Captain,  Smugmug  

3.  Improve  your  self-­‐service  support  

It’s  no  secret  that  the  holidays  are  a  -me  of  high  cases  volume  and  even  higher  emo-ons.  

Keep  both  at  bay  with  an  online  support  center  

72%  of  people  prefer  self-­‐service  support  over  email  and  phone  -­‐  Forrester  

There  are  several  ways  you  can  improve  your  self-­‐service  support:  

1.  Op-mize  your  online  support  center  to  find  answers  fast  

2.  Focus  on  what  customers  are  searching  for  this  holiday  

3.  Rewrite  support  ar-cles  with  low  sa-sfac-on  ra-ngs  

4.  Empower  agents  to  get  the  job  done  

When  you  trust  agents  to  make  their  own  decisions  they  can  deliver  a  personalized  customer  experience.  

How  do  you  successfully  empower  agents?  

1.  Hire  the  right  people  

2.  Invest  in  training  agents  

3.  Give  agents  the  right  informa-on  to  provide  a  personal  experience  and  make  the  correct  calls  

4.  Arm  agents  with  relevant  and  accurate  content  so  that  they  feel  confident  giving  answers  to  customers  

“We  empower  our  support  agents  to  do  whatever  it  takes  for  two  reasons  –  speed  and  loyalty”  –  Cole  Sickler,  Support  Managers  at  Bonobos  

5.  Focus  on  fast  resolu-on  -mes  

Speed  is  oTen  the  deciding  factor  between  a  good  and  bad  experience  

52%  of  customers  will  abandon  a  purchase  if  they  can’t  find  a  quick  answer  -­‐  Forrester  

71%  of  customers  feel  that  valuing  their  -me  is  the  most  important  aspect  of  good  service  -­‐  Forrester  

67%  of  customers  said  that  fast  resolu-on  -mes  has  the  greatest  impact  on  customer  sa-sfac-on  -­‐  Forrester  

99%  of  customers  said  that  the  quality  of  service  directly  affects  customer  sa-sfac-on  scores  -­‐  Forrester  

How  do  you  solve  cases  as  fast  as  possible?  

1.  Triage  cases  to  quickly  respond  to  customers  

2.  Apply  macros  to  get  ques-ons  answered  fast  

3.  Respond  to  cases  with  support  ar-cle  links  

6.  Ac-vate  whole  company  support  

Rather  than  hiring  seasonal  workers,  cross  train  fellow  colleagues  

At  Desk.com  we  call  this  whole  company  support  

Whole  company  support  provides  more  personnel  with  liWle  training  

It  also  eases  the  load  on  your  support  team  

Looking  for  more  ways  to  get  ahead  of  the  holidays?  

Let  Desk.com  help  you  with  the  holiday  rush.  Receive  100  Free  Flex  Hours  for  every  Desk.com  seat  that  you  buy…just  in  -me  before  the  holiday  rush.  Start  using  Desk.com.  

Let  Desk.com  help  you  with  the  holiday  rush.  Receive  100  Free  Flex  Hours  for  every  Desk.com  seat  that  you  buy…just  in  -me  before  the  holiday  rush.  Start  using  Desk.com.