If you are a retailer, whether strictly online, or from a bricks and mortar store, you will experience seasonal surges, particularly coming up the Christmas and other annual festivals, and being able to handle a much higher volume of sales enquiries can be difficult, especially for a small business that might only have one person manning the phones, and with that in mind, here is a guide to successfully handling seasonal surges.
- Outsource your Call Handling – Imagine having to deal with 5 or 6 times more calls than usual? This is the nightmare many retailers face, and if you should be unable to handle the influx of enquiries, business will suffer, and so will your reputation, which can have a negative long term impact on your company as a whole. If your business in based in the UK, you can organise short term cover for your business whilst on holiday this summer, or cover for the Christmas rush, or even if your receptionist is absent for any reason. The provider would have an extensive range of packages, especially when providing temporary cover, and furthermore, you will not be subjected to long contracts, and can enjoy the service whenever you need it.
- Essential Temporary Cover – Most companies have at least one receptionist, and without her manning the phones, things would rapidly decline. Such is her value, that losing her for the essential annual holiday can be a nightmare prospect, yet with virtual receptionist services, you can receive essential cover during the times when your regular staff are absent. It might be the annual holiday, or even a bout of sickness, and the provider is geared up to take the strain at any time.
- Tailored Packages – It makes no sense to pay for a service you don’t use, and with an established virtual office provider, you only pay for what you use, and upgrading or downsizing can be done by making a single call to your project manager, who will temporarily suspend the service. This allows you instant control, and if sales should suddenly improve, you can activate the service at a moment’s notice.
- Retain your Business Reputation – Even a single customer who experienced long delays when calling, can damage a company’s reputation, and by ensuring that every call is answered within 5 seconds, you can be sure that your business reputation is never tarnished by slow response. It takes a lot of hard work to attain a good reputation, and yet, in a few weeks, all could be lost if you have problem with call handling, and having the ability to call on the service whenever you need it, you have the ultimate partner who can help your business achieve its goal of sustainable development.
It is understandable that seasonal surges can cause communication issues, but by using the right virtual office service provider, you will be equipped to deal with any situation.
