By: Luis Esparza
Partner and Client Relation Director
It’s no mystery that contact centers experience higher than normal call volumes during the holidays. Frantic customers, with last minute requests, are hoping to get everything done before businesses close for the New Year. It’s a stressful period for any customer service agent, and managers should always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Having a CRM solution and a call-back option in place will certainly help during this chaotic time. On top of that, you can use the holiday season as an opportunity to engage with staff and keep them motivated. After all, if you want customers to leave with a warm and fuzzy feeling after interacting with your brand, you’ll need to have cheerful agents!
Here are 5 ways to make your call center happy for the holidays:
Contest: Bring Joy to the Work-space
Desks, cubicles or even your office walls/hallways; designate an area for agents to flex their creativity and get a little holiday bonus as a reward (a gift card will do). This is a fun way to get the festive spirit flowing and make the call center environment feel a little more like home.
We love this ambitious effort by an anonymous cubicle resident. How can you be sad with those Who Ville inspired lights all around?
Festive Bake-Off: Treat Your Team
Setup a station for agents to create some fast and simple treats to enjoy through the day. Or, on a separate occasion, invite staff to bring their own holiday baked goods to share with the office. There’s nothing like fueling up for a busy day in the call center than with some sweet holiday munchies. Here’s an easy yet festive snack that your staff can make together:
Super Secret Santa: White Elephant Gift Exchange
A white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing, impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. Usually, the goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain party-goers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought-after item.
Ugly Christmas Sweaters: A Timeless Tradition
Holiday ugly Christmas sweaters are always a fun idea this time of the year, and for good reason, they’re super cozy and fun to wear! Let your staff relax a little in their Chrsitmas ugly sweaters during one of those notoriously busy days. Not only will your agents have a laugh over their coworker’s hilarious sweaters, but they’ll probably be way too cozy to get stressed out during the work day.
The Big Bash: Mocktails and Cheer
We know it might be hard to find time, but it’s essential to show your agents just how appreciated they are during this busy stretch. Let them blow off steam with a drop-in party lounge. Offer some fun mocktails and depending on budget, present them with a holiday buffet or even something as simple as pizza. This will offer an escape during their down time and help them get through those spikey call periods.
Here are 17 holiday mocktail ideas to get the party going:
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