The holiday season is just around the corner, making things exciting for online business owners. While the sales increase is welcome, it’s also essential to prepare for the digital holiday rush. In today’s modern world, customer service can make or break e-commerce businesses.

A recent Microsoft study shows that a whopping 90% of Americans consider customer service a crucial deciding factor in choosing a brand. Let’s face it: no one wants to do business with companies that treat customers poorly. Read on for six hacks to boost your customer service and support online for the holidays!

1.   Analyze Previous Data

One of the best ways to plan for the holidays is to review previous data, such as customer interactions, pain points, and online customer service improvement opportunities.

Below are some components you can research.

• Holiday shopping incremental customer volume versus the rest of the year
• Common customer concerns and questions
• Customers’ preferred communication channels

Analyzing this data will help you come up with a strategy to better accommodate the increased traffic and questions that are sure to come with it. Then you can make a more informed strategy so your support team can go into the holiday rush with a plan.

2.   Prepare for the Holiday Traffic

Holiday shopping is supposed to be fun, but studies done by the American Psychological Association reveal it stresses out eight out of ten Americans. Any website component can chase customers away, including slow loading times, confusing navigation, and complex checkout processes.

Remember to assess integrations, restock inventories, and beef up security measures to elevate customer experiences during the holidays.

3.   Get Ready to Scale

No matter how much you prepare for the holidays, you always need a contingency plan to scale up or down as needed.

If you find your staff overwhelmed with inquiries, you can automate e-commerce support, add manpower hours, or outsource business components.

4.   Make Self-Service Easy

Before the holiday season arrives, make sure your processes make it easy for potential buyers to find what they need on their own. Here are some ways to guide holiday shoppers:

• Links to FAQs
• Video guides
• Relevant articles

From tracking pages to complex AI-powered e-commerce support, digital self-service is a cost-effective way to deliver quick results for customers. With the right tools on your side, you and your online customer service team can celebrate the holidays without affecting your operations.

5.   Surprise Fans with Shipping Options

Don’t limit all the holiday cheer to your e-commerce store. You can create a strategy to expand your channels, such as:

• Online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Wish
• Social media pages like Facebook and Instagram
• International platforms such as Mercado Libre

If you decide to open new revenue streams, connect your channels for seamless transactions. It’s best to use a unified system to provide clients with a holistic experience no matter which platform they choose.

6.   Develop Relevant Marketing Campaigns

From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, there are many opportunities to make customers feel the love during the holidays. Personalized holiday offers have many advantages, including:

• Attracting massive audiences.
• Converting random visitors into customers.
• Reactivating inactive clients.

The season provides online business owners with an opportunity to boost sales. According to MuchNeeded, holiday shopping accounts for 30% of all sales annually.

Elevate Your Customer Service

Your customer service and support online play a critical role in your holiday success. Whatever strategy you prefer, make sure your e-commerce platform can address consumer needs.

At A2 Hosting, we offer hosting solutions 20x faster than our competitors, boosting load speeds, SEO rankings, and sales. We’re here if you need a reliable partner in prepping your business for the holidays. Talk to our sales team today to learn how we can help you and your eCommerce website!

Learn More:

Keep coming back to our blog this week to read our experts from all different departments of A2 Hosting advising you on how to get your site ready for Q4! We’re also running a sale on all of our A2 Turbo products so check out our website today for deals and discounts you don’t want to miss!

Related Resources:

• A2 Hosting’s Ultimate Guide to Getting Your eCommerce Website Holiday Ready
• A Developer’s Checklist for Getting Your Site Ready for the Holidays
• How Your eCommerce Business Can Nail Holiday Customer Service
• How to Handle Heavy Traffic to Your eCommerce Site During the Holiday Season