It’s that time of the year again. Customers love it, retailers love it, the economy loves it, and everybody wins with the biggest end-of-the-year sales. But with great discounts come great responsibilities for the contact centers to ensure everything goes on smoothly. In the US alone 76% of the customers plan to shop at the 2022 Black Friday sales and are set to spend roughly 158 Billion Dollars.
With the increased demands, there are bound to be issues that come up. Additionally. companies will also be facing tough competition. Brands will therefore have to step up with their customer experience and service departments. They will have to anticipate the issues that their customers might face and complain about. Your contact center agent and customer service department need to think one step ahead to get a competitive edge in the market.
Here are some issues that we feel the companies should pre-emptively address:
1. Holiday Rush
The festive season is upon us. This year, as it has been a trend for the last few years, customers will try to get ahead of their festive shopping and finish it well in advance. They have eagerly been waiting for seasonal sale days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday and plan to make the most of them.
The traffic both on the websites and in-store is going to be at an all-time high. This could further translate into an influx of calls, queries, and complaints for the contact centers as well.
Contact centers will have to be prepared to take on the extra holiday load with reduced AHTs, short IVRs, and high FCRs.
2. Supply Chain and Manufacturing Issues
The last two years have deeply affected the supply chain across industries. There are bound to be production delays that companies will have to deal with, especially during the holiday season. All the departments need to plan their operations keeping this in mind and practice forethinking.
There also needs to be efficient communication between the different departments. This way when a distressed customer calls with a complaint, your contact center agent will have a clear answer for them. They won’t seem clueless and irritate the customer. Real-time recommendations and data could help contact center agents in such cases.
3. Inventory and Stock Issues
Operating in a dynamic market with volatile customers means having to deal with the disparities between demand and supply. In some cases, the demand might exceed the supply. This would naturally cause a product shortage and lead to inventory issues. The rush could also lead to order mix-ups and fulfillment delays. This can further get complicated for companies with an omnichannel presence.
Managers need to prepare their agents to deal with complaints from emotional and maybe even angry, aggressive customers. Some special training to calm the customers along with Real-Time KPIs and data-driven recommendations can help agents overcome difficult calls and handle escalations.
4. Shipping and Delivery Delays
The holiday rush will also affect post-production processes such as Shipping and Delivery. If and when these issues come up, contact center agents should be able to tackle them smoothly.
If they are struggling to find information when the customer is on call, it would not only increase their AHT but the caller would also lose faith in the agent, get upset and maybe even escalate the matter. Speech Analytics can help establish a system in place to display all the customer-related information, categorize the call quickly and give the customer the assistance they seek with their complaint.
5. Ominichannel Assistance
It can be annoying for a customer with a minor complaint or one that just wants to clarify something to go through the ordeal of getting on a call with an agent. They shouldn’t have to get through the IVR and wait in line for a small problem. Managers can not only solve these problems efficiently but also ease the load on their contact center with Omnichannel customer service.
Making themselves accessible by being available on chat, email, and other digital platforms can help enhance the customer journey. Omnichannel Interaction Analytics can further make customer service more effective by analyzing both text and voice interactions. The agent can step in as and when needed, equipped with all the information they need to assist the customer and resolve their complaint.
Final Takeaway
With the average shopper looking to spend $574 on Black Friday deals and $735 for holiday gifting, companies need to elevate customer service and experience. Leaders will have to anticipate the needs of their customers and innovate to revolutionize their customer journey and service. Research shows that companies with the best customer experience spend 140% more than those that have the worst.
Investing in and harnessing the power of AI with Speech Analytics and Real-Time solutions can enable companies to truly engage with their customers, and maintain a long-term relationship with them. These solutions will ensure smooth operations on a day-to-day basis and enable them to handle any complaint that is headed their way effectively.
Xdroid’s AI-driven VoiceAnalytics and Real-Time AgentAssist can equip you with valuable insights to take on the holiday season, resolve any and every customer issue or complaint, and elevate your contact center operations.
