It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
…and by far the most stressful.
Yep, the countdown for Christmas is on, and for business owners it’s all systems go. You want to end the year with a bang. But how do you survive the festive season without going crackers?
Maintain your levels of service
Christmas is an incredibly busy time for many businesses. Although most of us want to start winding down as the festive season approaches, the demand doesn’t slow down to match. This is particularly true for E-Commerce businesses, who find that their sales boom during the holidays as customers scrabble to buy last-minute gifts and essentials.
So, you’ve got to be ready for the rush – but then just to complicate things further, chances are you’ve already got half your staff already booked on annual leave throughout the month. You can’t exactly ask them to put down the eggnog and come back to work … so what’s the solution?
Virtual assistants can fill the gaps in your service offering during the festive season, meaning that no calls go unanswered, no emails go unread and everyone’s happy. What more can you ask for?
Ensure a great standard of customer service
How many times have you endured terrible hold music for what feels like hours (or literally for hours), only to be met with automated voice at the end of the phone? And how many times did that make you want to throw your phone across the room?
People may be getting in the Christmas spirit but that doesn’t mean they’ll be any more willing to deal with sub-par customer service. It’s not enough to simply send an automatic email response saying you’ll pick up their enquiry in the New Year – you need someone to be there, keeping your customers happy.
Call handling services are great for covering your customer service needs over the festive period.
The end result?
Happy customers who will remember the amazing customer service you provided, and happy employees who can spend their holidays watching Die Hard (it IS a Christmas movie!) in peace, knowing that everything is in safe hands.
Keep on top of your schedules
December is a bit of a whirlwind, isn’t it?
Everywhere has completely different opening times, everyone is getting booked up for last-minute meetings. There are Christmas parties to contend with (albeit virtual ones for most of us), family commitments, using up annual leave.
Staying on top of your schedule in December is a job in itself. And you don’t want potential clients or customers getting the impression that your business is badly managed.
If you’re struggling to keep up with your commitments, it’s time to consider outsourcing your diary management.
A virtual assistant will do all of the hard work for you, meaning no more time stressing about double booking appointments or missing key dates, and more time doing what really matters (falling asleep in front of the TV).
Keep your employees’ spirits up
Let’s face it, it’s not been an easy year, and as it starts to edge closer to Christmas, there’s a good chance your employees will be bordering on burnout.
Of course, there’s still plenty of work to be done, but if you want to keep everyone motivated to ride out the festive season – it’s time to give them some Christmas cheer.
Whether that’s organising a Secret Santa, setting some Christmas-themed challenges or sorting out a virtual quiz.
Having a bit of fun can break up a hectic workday and keep everyone happy.
Christmas communications
It’s a tale as old as time – businesses being so busy working for clients and customers, that they forget to do anything to promote themselves, or work on communications for their brand.
Far from ideal, especially when Christmas is a great time to send out an end-of-year newsletter to boast about your business achievements, or to share some social posts to let your followers know about your holiday opening hours.
Not a social media or tech whizz? Bring in the experts! A virtual PA can support your marketing services, social media and communications to make sure your existing customers are fully up to speed, and even attract new ones for the new year.
SmartPA has been making Christmas easy for years, providing clients with experienced, hands-on business support to help them weather even the busiest of periods.
Why not get in touch to find out how we can make Christmas even more special?
