With the holiday rush complete, it’s now time for the ‘holiday hangover.” This period from late December to early January is often one of the busiest times for smart home brand support teams. But why?
Well, thanks to the massive spike in sales from Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season, as customers begin to unbox and set up their new smart devices, the increase in sales often translates to an increase in support calls. And while sales increases may benefit your brand, they can also pose a challenge for your support teams come January.
That said, most of the issues customers have with smart devices aren’t caused by device defects; they’re caused by setup and connectivity issues within the customer’s home network. This is problematic for support teams to resolve for two reasons:
- Lack of visibility into the customer’s home network: When a customer calls in, the agent’s only real option is to rely on Q&A with the customer to identify the problem and then guide the customer through troubleshooting steps based on their answers.
- Limited customer understanding of WiFi networks: Agents have no idea whether the customer understands the questions they’re being asked or whether they’re providing accurate answers. Because of this, there is no guarantee that troubleshooting steps will resolve the problem.
When these issues occur, setup issues can quickly become some of the most challenging and time-consuming to fix. So how do you combat these issues? We’ve outlined three steps to help your support team provide customers with the best support to beat the holiday hangover.
1. Set your agents up for success
Look for strategies or solutions that focus on increasing the effectiveness of support calls before calls begin to clog up your phone lines. You can reduce almost every avoidable expense the post-holiday season brings if you act quickly.
2. Be proactive with your support options
Customers want to fix their problems on their own before calling customer service. Before the busy season begins, establish efficient self-service support alternatives to reduce the number of calls customers would otherwise make and the accompanying cost of holiday support calls. This will save your agents time by weeding out the calls that could quickly be resolved without their intervention.
3. Limit returns where possible
To avoid accepting no-fault returns at a rate that could harm your KPIs and business plan, make sure your agents have a plan to determine whether the device is at fault before processing these returns. Again, most issues customers see are due to their WiFi network’s configuration, not their device. Be sure to discuss their concerns before processing returns.
Embrace quality support beyond this season
Though this information may be catered to the post-holiday busy support season, it’s important to note that these tips need not only apply for this time of year. For smart home support teams, cyclical sales spikes are just a part of the job.
Equipping your team with the right approach to handle any fluctuations without seasonal hires, extra expenditures, or unnecessary product returns, you can keep this level of support going all year long. After all, when you embrace change and put your customers first, better support, sales, and word-of-mouth will soon follow.