After the holidays, the good feelings usually go away and people have to come down from their holiday high. This usually involves having to deal with defective Christmas gifts or missed deliveries. The disappointment of a late or ruined Christmas present usually hits when the holidays are over and that’s when the customer gets angry.
This is where your company should be ready. There are several things you can do so that it won’t reflect so badly on you.
Multiple Channels of Customer Support
The biggest problem that your customer might face is that they may not be able to contact you. This is because if you only have one way to service customer service concerns, whether it is e-mail or a phone hotline, it can be quickly overcome. You need to be ready for the flood of customer service attempts.
If you aren’t ready for it, you’ll have very disappointed customers. For example, 57 percent of people can get frustrated enough waiting on the phone that they just give up on their concern. That is a major lost opportunity in ensuring that a customer will be happy with you. Setting up alternative methods for customers to contact you will ensure that they can get a response when they try to contact you.
Have Friendly Staff Ready
When customers do reach you, you need to have the right people answering. Emotions are running high at this point and having novice employees connecting with these people can be a problem. The inexperienced staff doesn’t have the skills yet to defuse angry people and they likely will fail in handling their demands. To help with the post-holiday rush, you need to get your best customer service people working. Give them a bonus or appropriate benefits. It can pay off as long as you have happy customers.
Setup A Return and Refund Policy
No business likes the idea of accepting returns or doing refunds. But it is very important when it comes to attracting and retaining customers. According to customer surveys, 91 percent of them feel that a good refund or return policy is important when it comes to buying. This is even more important when it comes to online purchases, where the buyers don’t get to see the product until they receive it. Have a clearly defined policy on how customers can return the product they got or refund them. Simple time limits and quality checks can do a lot to ensure that the return or refund is not an unfair one.
Be Ready To Handle A Flood Of Returns
While having a return policy is a good idea, it can also be difficult to implement. This is especially so when you have a lot of them coming your way. So instead of doing everything by hand, you should have integrated returns software into your logistics process. It can do most of the heavy lifting like tracking where the product came from and what needs to get sent out in replacement. With a simple click of the button, you should know what you should be sending out next.
Give Them Something For Their Troubles
No one likes having to complain about their Christmas gift or return them. This is a hassle that a lot of people don’t like to deal with. You should do something to make up for it. Offering a coupon or a discount can help ease the disappointment and can ensure a customer comes back.
The post-holiday blues can be bad for many businesses if they aren’t ready. Taking the time to ensure that your customers are happy about their experience can go a long way. You can be sure that they will remember how you treated them and that will reflect whether they will come back again for the next holidays.
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