[JOIN IN] Hang Out with Hot Chocolate: Managing Customer Service During the Holidays ☕

Hey everyone!
 
Six important things to know before we get started on our coffee chat 

1. To answer a question, tag the answer with the corresponding number. For example, if you are answering the first question Q1, start your answer with A1 and use the Quote option 

2. If you cannot make it at 11:00 am EST or even if you’re past time, you can still post your answer to a particular question.

3. You can reply to each others threads/posts to keep the conversation going.

4. Be polite and respectful of other people’s opinions.

5. Most importantly, have a great time here!

6. Lastly, I will make sure to engage with all of you to make this interesting! 

A1 : @akshara.sruthi  I totally agree with you on these two points weeks or some days before the holidays are needed to plan ahead and the point of spotting gaps in the current  format of support as during planning you reflect on the current way of working.

I can say that for my team the planning is done few days before the holidays. Thanks

A2: As for our support team, we have made sure to revise and review our self-help content, pre-filled responses for our team. As part of Freshworks Academy, I’m working on creating more videos on Frequently Asked Questions so our customers can help themselves and find answers to their questions instantly.
Not a plug to our content, but this is what I’m working on right now :) 

Fourth question for today is here below. To answer a question, tag the answer with the corresponding number. For example, if you are answering this question Q4, start your answer with A4 and use the quote the option
 

Q4 What are some lessons and insights from previous years that have helped customer service teams perform better during the holiday season? 

A4: I personally think there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to handle seasonal support volumes. A few standard points to keep in mind for every season is: 
1. More and more self-help content,
2. More hands on the team, if you anticipate large volumes of queries.
3. Working with internal teams to get a good idea of rush hours/days. When Marketing runs campaigns, there might be a spike.  

We are creating SOPs, both written and videos to have on hand.

A3. For me there are strategic and tactical responses needed. Ideally there are already mechanisms in place to understand workload levels, contributing factors, and how employees are faring at work. These are the strategic approaches to employee wellbeing that include “pulse”-type surveys, wellbeing education for all (and even more more leaders), mechanisms for spotting issues, initiatives to prevent issues, etc. Then there are the tactical uplifts employed during times of peak workloads and potential stress.

I love the phrase “It’s OK to not be OK” and it takes strong and focused leadership to ensure that their people are first well looked after and second comfortable in speaking up about their issues (and issues they see elsewhere).

@manns, I think indulging in a bit self-care is much needed. With the pandemic set-in, people loose the number of hours spent in front of the screen. Having a very strong routine to manage to do things you love might make you a little prepared to face a storm imo. 

I am waiting………….!

Of course, @manns! I’ll add this to the list of questions. I’m always open to discuss what our community members want to hear.   

Hello @here, this session is it supposed to be a chat or a call ? Please guide me

@akshara.sruthi  This is my first time joining.  What do I need to do?