How To Make The Holiday Season A Customer Experience Differentiator For Your Brand
By Fara Haron, Majorel
Total U.S. retail sales are forecast to climb 3.8 percent to over $1 trillion, making 2019 the first-ever trillion-dollar holiday season. U.S. retail e-commerce spending is also expected to rise 13.2 percent to over $135 billion. During peak season, customer service volumes spike, and holiday sales are pivotal for brands to succeed throughout the entire calendar year.
Now more than ever, the customer experience (CX) is serving as a powerful differentiator for brands. For retailers looking to build brand loyalty during this critical period, best-in-class customer service and CX must be the primary focus. To turn the busy season into a long-term competitive advantage, brands need to hire the right seasonal staff and deliver a high-quality experience.
Below are three areas retailers should focus on during the holiday season:
#1 Strategically Staff Up
With the peak in sales around the holidays, brands must hire new customer service representatives to meet the demand. The key is to staff up so your organization can efficiently manage volume while still maintaining your CX standards. Hiring seasonal staff earlier can make it easier to onboard staff. Remember to train holiday employees on the topics they will be dealing with the most like your returns policy and product recommendations rather than focusing on the entire training program.
Tip: Recruit students and build a positive relationship with these employees so they will want to come back and work the following year.
#2 Take A Personalized Approach
Holiday purchases are an opportunity to introduce your brand to customers that might also considering buying in the future. With the right customer service and CX strategy, seasonal sales can become a touchpoint for creating lasting brand loyalty. The holidays can be a more emotional time for customers, so retailers must immerse people in the brand and be sensitive to customer needs. For existing customers, add a personalized element during this time of year by offering a special recognition or reward. For new customers, offer incentives and discounts to come back later in the year.
Tip: Since a lot of shoppers are buying gifts and not as familiar with what they are purchasing, make sure customer service representatives are trained to provide advice and recommend the right products.
#3 Provide User-Friendly Returns
Returns are a critical component of holiday season customer service. For all shoppers, ensure your returns policies are user-friendly and seamless to turn a potential customer pain point into a differentiator. For example, allowing customers to order a new size online before even returning the other product through the mail or to a brick-and-mortar store is a great way to drive customer satisfaction.
When planning for holiday returns, evaluate last year’s customer service volumes, types of inquiries and resolution times to anticipate how you need to staff to efficiently and effectively respond to customers. Make it easy for customers to get quick answers by providing clear information about your return policy on your website and leverage channels like live chat and messenger.
Tip: Streamline the returns process by bringing every interaction into a single customer view to eliminate work for busy customers.
While the holiday season can be a stressful time for consumers and retailers alike, this peak time is also an opportunity to create a long-term impression with customers. With the right seasonal staffing, personalized service and stress-free returns, brands can provide an exceptional customer experience that turns holiday shoppers into year-long, repeat customers.
About The Author
Fara Haron is the CEO North America, Ireland and Southeast Asia & EVP Global Clients at Majorel. She leads a rapidly growing team of customer service professionals helping companies with their global customer service strategy, providing top-notch customer engagement to some of the world’s largest and most respected brands.