Many businesses will be taking a break over the holidays, while others will be having their busiest time of year. Whatever you’re doing, there are a few things to do now in preparation for the holiday season. The last thing you want to do over the break is upset your clients; or have to deal with unhappy clients. So a little holiday season customer service is in order.
A few simple things you can do to help keep everyone on track to a fun & relaxing holiday season are:
Let clients know about any changes to operating hours or availability now
Nobody will be impressed if you tell them about your holiday when you’re on the way out the door. If you’re planning on a “working holiday”, let your clients know to expect slightly delayed reaction times from you – unless you plan on spending your entire break chained to your smartphone.
If you don’t already know, ask clients what they’re planning
Whether it’s going to be business as usual or your clients are closing over the break, make sure you know early on so that you can plan accordingly. Clients that are going to be working over the break will require systems set up to allow everything to continue as usual. While clients who are closing may need help or a reminder about Out of Office messages etc.
Give clients a plan B
If you are closing over the break and your clients aren’t, make sure they know what to do if there’s an urgent problem. Give them someone to contact, whether it’s a locum or you are checking voicemail or email on a regular basis, let them know when and which method is preferred. Likewise, if your client is shutting down over the break, make sure they know when you’ll be back on deck.
Follow up closer to Xmas if necessary
I guarantee that some clients won’t get back to you until just before you’re about to walk out the door. Regardless of whether they will be open or closed over the break, nearly everyone is busy at this time of year. Those that aren’t are probably already in holiday mode. Make it easy for them and they may not notice it, but they’ll notice if you’re making things harder.
Show some appreciation
It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas cards; gifts; a party; or just a quick phone call or email. Don’t forget to give your clients some love and wish them happy Christmas/Holidays/Seasons Greetings or whatever they celebrate. It doesn’t have to be a huge expense but it’s nice to make some sort of gesture to mark the end of the year and thank them for choosing to do business with you over the year. It’s also a great way to get back in contact with clients you haven’t touched base with in a while.
Holiday season customer service isn’t difficult. Simply keeping in touch and communicating well with your clients can prevent a host of problems. Remember that a major part of communicating is listening to your clients’ needs and making sure you give them all the information that they need and/or want.
