Navigating Seasonal Peaks

Tips for Smooth Sailing Through Seasonal Peaks

Seasonal peaks pose significant challenges for brands and their contact centers, often straining resources and leading to longer wait times and service disruptions, which can threaten customer satisfaction. Implementing effective strategies during these periods is crucial for maintaining service levels and ensuring customer happiness.?

Understanding Seasonal Peaks?

Seasonal peaks in contact centers are driven by various events such as holiday seasons, product launches, and industry-specific occurrences. For instance, during healthcare enrollment periods, inquiries surge regarding coverage options and eligibility. Similarly, retailers and eCommerce companies experience peaks during significant sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Tax preparation firms and government agencies also witness spikes in call volumes as individuals seek assistance with tax filing and related queries.?

What factors are involved in developing an effective strategy for successfully managing seasonal peaks in contact centers??

Preparation:?

• Forecasting call volumes is imperative for proactively recruiting additional staff to meet peak demands efficiently. Refining the forecast modeling involves the analysis of historical data trends and marketing initiatives for ongoing adjustments.?
• Implementing comprehensive agent training programs is essential for managing increased workloads while ensuring service quality. Additionally, targeted training sessions tailored to address seasonal variations and meet evolving customer expectations should be considered.?

? Recruiting:?

• For broad coverage across time zones, consider a blend-shoring strategy: central call centers paired with a network of remote agents.?
• Proactively cultivate talent pools year-round, incentivizing employee referrals and partnering with staffing experts to secure a reliable roster of agents, targeting the ideal candidates for seasonal peaks.?

Leveraging Technology:?

• Implementing AI-powered chatbots to handle routine inquiries to reduce the workload on human agents so they can focus on handling more complex inquiries.?
• Utilizing advanced analytics to forecast peak periods and optimize staff scheduling and resource allocation.?

? Optimizing Processes:?

• Streamlining workflows and prioritizing tasks to minimize delays and maximize productivity during peak periods.?
• Implementing agile methodologies to quickly adapt to changing demands and address emerging issues.?

Clear Communication:?

• Proactively updating customers on anticipated wait times and service availability to manage expectations and minimize frustration.?

• Offering self-service options and FAQs to empower customers to find answers to common inquiries independently.?

Through a refined process, our Avantive Solutions team leverages cutting-edge technology to ensure seamless operations even during the busiest times. Agile hiring and onboarding practices enable swift adjustments to the workforce, fostering a resilient team for long-term success.?

Contact us to explore how we can optimize your contact center operations for peak performance.?

Featured Favorites

Choose your favorite brand of peppermint tea for a refreshing boost that tames frustration, soothes anxiety, and fights fatigue. With its invigorating aroma and calming properties, this brew keeps you cool, calm, and collected through busy call center peaks.

Need a pick-me-up between meals? Grab your favorite protein bar, packed with protein, carbs, and healthy fats to keep you going during bustling times. Some of our team members swear by RX Bars.

Industry Insight?

“Consumers feel that they already have enough on their plates during the holiday shopping season and other peak periods, so the last thing they need is a convoluted process to get answers to routine questions. They expect timely responses across all channels — websites, apps, social media, chat, email and phone — and when things get tricky, they want to speak to someone who understands their situations and can provide a simple, linear solution.”?

Read more about the holiday shopping season and other peak periods in this editorial by Michael Podolsky on CMSWire.com .??

About Us

Avantive Solutions is a global digital transformation leader specializing in designing, building, and delivering innovative customer experience and strategic sales solutions.

As a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partner of choice for some of the world’s most recognized brands in healthcare and life sciences, financial technology (Fintech,) communications and media, and energy, we reimagine the customer experience and maximize results through enterprise-level technologies. Not only do we offer seamless omnichannel platforms, but we also provide advanced technologies and solutions such as Voice Analytics, Business Intelligence and Data Visualization, AI, and Machine Learning.

Our people-centric teams across the globe are spirited and engaged. We embrace diversity and diverse thinking while celebrating employee achievements and giving back to the communities where we live and work.

www.AvantiveSolutions.com