How to Handle A Summer Customer Service Rush

Summertime can be a boon for your business, but are you ready to handle a summer customer service rush? Here are some tips to help your business keep its cool during a busy summer season.

Know what to expect

If you know that summer is going to be busy, you can plan ahead for the rush so your staff isn’t overwhelmed. Start by looking at your customer service statistics from previous summers. Are there certain weeks that are busier than others? Use this data to plan employee vacation schedules and to see if you need to bring in extra help.

Consider using outside assistance

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your staff just won’t be able to keep up with the customer service demand. Instead of penalizing your customers, why not bring in extra help to ease some of the strain? Whether you bring in temporary workers, use a call centre to field some of the extra calls, or even bring in extra reception staff to help answer customer questions, it can help take the stress off of your employees without letting your customers down.

Refresher training

Before the summer rush actually hits, it’s a great idea to offer staff extra training or even ‘refresher’ training so they know how to handle customer service calls as efficiently as possible. Look for areas your employees may be struggling so you can help them provide better customer service. Ideally, you’ll always be looking for ways to help your employees improve their performance, but it’s especially important before a busy season.

Give your customers extra options

When call wait times are higher than usual, customers prefer to have other ways to contact you. Make sure you can be reached via email, through social media, or even  through instant chat platforms so they won’t be kept waiting longer than necessary. You don’t have to limit these to the summertime–the easier it is for customers to reach out to you, the happier they’ll be all year long.

Being prepared can make the difference between good customer service and great customer service, so give Answer 365 a call and find out how you can improve your own customer service experience.