Deliver high-quality CX, boost revenue, and retain top talent
amid the sales rush
The most wonderful time for retail and eCommerce companies is when peak season hits—and it’s likely also the most pressure-ridden, since how they perform when customer service demand is at its highest has a highly significant impact on their reputation and bottom line. In 2023 alone, US Census Bureau data show that holiday retail sales grew by 3.8% compared to 2022, amounting to $964.4 billion.
The challenge lies not only in meeting increased customer demands but also in maintaining service quality while keeping your best agents engaged and motivated. Research supports, after all, the fact that employee engagement drives improvement in performance, and therefore impacts customer satisfaction–according to this whitepaper, contact centers with high employee satisfaction tend to also have higher first call resolution rates, and that for every 1% increase in FCR, there is a 1% increase in CSAT, too.
Navigating the hullabaloo of retail & eCommerce peak season, therefore, needs a strategy that focuses on three key areas: driving revenue, adaptive workforce management, and employee engagement.
Driving Revenue
Revenue is the name of the game for retail and eCommerce companies, especially during peak seasons. The support that customers receive during such hectic periods is, ultimately, impacted by operational efficiencies that companies implement in order to empower their CX teams. These can come in the form of:
- AI-Assisted Customer Interactions. AI tools that provide real-time suggestions to agents can help them resolve issues faster and more accurately–which improves handling time and enhances the customer experience. Research shows that agents who use AI tools are able to handle 13.8% more customer inquiries compared to those who don’t. This year, it is expected that retail spend via chatbots will reach $142 billion, from just $2.9 billion in 2019.
- Robust Knowledge Management Systems. These should be comprehensive, easily accessible, and designed to empower agents to find answers quickly, reducing Average Handle Time (AHT) and improving FCR rates.
- Continuous Quality Monitoring. Real-time speech analytics and sentiment analysis can be leveraged to identify areas for improvement. This allows for immediate coaching and prevents small issues from becoming major problems.
Adaptive Workforce Management
From November to December 2023 alone, the National Retail Federation recorded that overall seasonal hiring saw the opening of almost 440,000 holiday jobs in the US. Issues on staff scheduling, attendance and performance management, labor forecasting, and labor law compliance can be quite overwhelming, especially when volumes are high, and the best recourse is to turn to adaptive workforce management solutions that can efficiently work as a virtual agent assistant.
These tools can:
- Automatically monitor agent idle time and deliver training, coaching, and off-phone tasks when service levels can best accommodate, streamlining communications;
- Consistently prompt agents with a helping hand when they exceeded thresholds for talk, hold, or after-call work times, enhancing call handling;
- Automatically find the right time to connect agents with supervisors, ensuring individual coaching is completed while protecting service levels; and
- Boost agent morale with automated delivery of surprise breaks and wellness breaks, increasing agent satisfaction and engagement.
Employee Engagement
On the average, call center agents’ tenure is at 14 months–a number that we have doubled here at OP360. It all boils down to our belief that employee engagement means one thing: Happy employees equals happy customers.
Achieving this involves the use of the right set of tools, so that a company ensure that they equip and empower their agents to perform at their best, and set them up for success.
On top of those, there are other components to an effective employee engagement strategy in retail and eCommerce CX, such as:
- Personalized Development Plans: Tailored growth paths for each agent allows them to focus on their strengths and aspirations. This investment in their future increases loyalty and improves performance.
- Upselling Training: Equipping agents with the skills to identify and act on sales opportunities that naturally within customer interactions not only increases revenue, but also enhances the customer’s perception of personalized service.
- Gamification–with purpose: Implementing gamification elements not only tracks performance metrics; it also promotes learning and collaboration. Reward improvements in key areas such as handling time and FTR.
- Wellness and Community: Introduce programs that support mental and physical health during high-stress periods, such as onsite relaxation areas, virtual yoga sessions, access to counseling services. Open opportunities for employees to connect with the communities your company serves, whether through volunteering or other outreach activities.
- Recognition and Rewards: A robust recognition program that acknowledges both individual and team achievements leaves a huge impact. Consider non-monetary rewards that provide memorable experiences or career advancement opportunities.
Providing high-quality CX during peak seasons while retaining top talent shouldn’t burn you out—all it takes is an approach that balances revenue generation strategies with efficient workforce management, all while maintaining an engaging work environment. By focusing on these areas, companies can not only survive the seasonal rushes, but also thrive, turning challenges into opportunities for growth and excellence.
At OP360, we’re committed to partnering with our clients to implement these best practices, ensuring that every interaction is an opportunity to exceed customer expectations and drive business success. Remember, your agents are your front line in the battle for customer loyalty – invest in them, and they’ll invest their best in your customers.
