The holiday rush brings a perfect storm of higher call volume, tighter schedules, and reduced staff availability. If your phones are not prepared, missed calls and long hold times can quickly add up.
At Westpark Communications, we help businesses navigate this seasonal pressure every year. These five holiday focused tips are designed to keep your calls covered, your team supported, and your customers taken care of when it matters most.
Tip 1: Extend Your Coverage
During the holiday season, call spikes can happen without warning. Early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and even holidays themselves can see increased call activity, depending on the industry. Extending your coverage during this time helps ensure you’re available for your callers when they actually reach out.
Being available when the competition is not creates a strong, long lasting first impression.
Tip 2: Prep Your Team Early
Waiting until the wave of callers crashes will lead to non-stop ringing and place unnecessary stress on your staff. When planning for your Winter call loads, factor in the need to prepare your team early to deal with increased work. This includes confirming procedures for weather delays, holiday schedules, common seasonal questions, and ensuring your team knows what to expect.
Tip 3: Expect Last Minute Rushes
Even with preparation, winter often brings surprise surges. Customers procrastinate, plans change, and sudden weather events can all trigger spikes in call volume. By expecting last minute rushes, you can build flexibility into your call handling strategy, so you can catch opportunities that a reaction to a spike might otherwise miss. Westpark’s ability to scale based on call volume is a great option for planning for the chaos.
Tip 4: Prioritize Urgent Callers
During busy periods, not every call requires the same level or type of urgency. Without clear prioritization, critical calls can get stuck behind more routine inquiries. By setting clear guidelines, your team will know how to prioritize urgent callers with emergencies or time-sensitive issues. It can also help push new leads to the right people in a timely manner, helping to end the year on a high note!
Tip 5: Have a Backup Plan
Situations can change on a whim, drastically interrupting or altering plans for even the most prepared company during the holiday season. Whether that’s staff call outs, power outages, system downtime, or something else, having a backup plan can help save your team when it matters most.
Having a successful winter holiday season for your business is about more than just working harder. It’s about planning smarter. Through a combined use of extending your coverage, planning ahead of time, and preparing for the worst, you can achieve a more productive holiday call rush season. Westpark Communications is a great solution for hundreds of businesses looking to better their call handling, especially during those moments where it matters most. See how we can help you today!