The Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping frenzy brings immense business opportunities and presents significant challenges. Managing the surge in customer inquiries while ensuring exceptional service can be overwhelming for in-house teams.
There’s one straightforward solution — outsource customer support staff in preparation for BFCM. Let’s explore the strategic benefits of outsourcing BFCM customer support during such a high-demand season. In this blog, we’ll highlight how it can enhance customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and drive business growth.
Customer demand during BFCM continues to rise
In recent years, the BFCM shopping season has seen a meteoric rise in ticket volume. This is driven by factors such as:
- E-commerce growth: The increasing popularity of online shopping has made BFCM a prime opportunity for retailers to capitalize on consumer demand. With Black Friday 2023 logging in $9.8 billion and Cyber Monday raking in $12.4 billion, it’s safe to say that BFCM 2024 is looking to be another chaotic season.
- Promotional offers: Around 65% of shoppers shared that the availability of coupons positively impacts how they view a brand. During BFCM, retailers offer significant discounts and deals to attract customers seeking the best bargains.
- Convenient shopping: Online shopping and mobile devices have made shopping more accessible during BFCM.
- Changing consumer behavior: Consumers have become accustomed to shopping online and taking advantage of seasonal sales events.
As a result of these factors, the demand for products and services during BFCM has surged. This puts immense pressure on retailers to meet customer expectations and maximize sales. Additionally, eCommerce businesses experience a significant increase in customer service tickets during major shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Data suggests a 20% spike in ticket volume during these peak sales periods.
Customer support: A vital component of successful online businesses
Customer service builds trust, enhances customer experience, and protects brand reputation. By using customer service channels to effectively address customer inquiries and complaints, businesses can gather valuable feedback, increase conversions, and foster customer loyalty.
You must update your customer service policies to prepare for BFCM challenges. Review existing policies regarding shipping, returns, and SLAs to ensure they meet customer expectations and align with increased inquiry volumes.
There will be times when a business may require outsourced customer support staff to meet up with these volumes — especially during peak seasons like BFCM.
Even though your customer support agents and service strategy are on point for the rest of the year, you must treat BFCM as a totally different beast. To deliver exceptional customer service and drive long-term success, businesses need to invest in a dedicated customer support team and utilize practical strategies.
You can base this decision on several factors:
- Workload: If your in-house team is experiencing burnout or is struggling to handle the volume of customer inquiries, outsourcing alleviates this burden.
- Expertise: Outsourcing fills the gap of an in-house team that lacks the knowledge or language skills required to provide excellent customer service to specific regions or markets.
- Cost-effectiveness: Outsourcing can be cost-effective, especially for businesses that operate in multiple time zones or need to provide 24/7 support.
- Scalability: Outsourcing allows businesses to scale their customer support operations up or down as needed to meet demand.
- Focus on core competencies: Outsourcing BFCM customer support frees up internal resources and redirects focus to other core business activities.
It’s advisable to consider outsourcing customer support when:
- Your in-house team needs help to meet customer service standards.
- You must expand your customer support coverage to new markets or time zones.
- You want to reduce costs associated with hiring, training, and managing an in-house customer support team.
- You need access to specialized expertise or language skills that are unavailable in-house.
8 benefits of outsourcing BFCM customer support staff
Outsourcing customer support for the BFCM shopping and holiday season offers significant advantages for eCommerce businesses:
1. You can scale up or down as needed
One of the most significant benefits of outsourcing customer support during BFCM is the ability to quickly and flexibly scale operations to meet the surge in demand. Hiring and training additional in-house staff can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Outsourcing allows businesses to:
- Rapidly increase staffing: Outsourced customer service teams can quickly mobilize additional agents to handle increased call volumes and chat inquiries.
- Flexibly scale: Scale up or down operations based on real-time demand fluctuations, ensuring optimal resource allocation. This means that you can scale up as needed to meet the insane demand of the BFCM season, and then scale down after Q4.
2. Cost-effectiveness
Outsourcing customer support during BFCM and the holiday season can be more cost-effective than expanding your in-house team. Here’s why:
- Variable costs: In 2022 up to 2023, businesses spent more than $101 billion on training. Outsourcing allows you to pay for customer support services only when needed, avoiding the fixed costs of hiring and training additional staff.
- Reduced overhead: Outsourcing helps to reduce overhead costs related to employee benefits, office space, and equipment.
- Risk mitigation: Outsourcing can help mitigate the risks of hiring and managing a sizable seasonal workforce.
3. Specialized expertise
Outsourced customer service reps and support providers often possess specialized expertise in handling high-volume customer inquiries and resolving complex issues. This is invaluable during the BFCM shopping season.
- Dedicated teams: Many outsourced providers have teams specifically trained to handle increased call volume and complex customer queries — the common BFCM hurdles.
- Advanced technology: Outsourced providers often have access to state-of-the-art technology and tools to handle customer inquiries effectively.
- Experience and best practices: Outsourced providers have experience handling customer support during peak seasons and can apply best practices to ensure a smooth customer experience.
4. 24/7 support
If your current team doesn’t operate 24/7 and it seems to be working well for you and your customers, consider BFCM a challenge. Due to the massive deals, online shoppers worldwide are usually up and about. Another key benefit of outsourcing customer support staff during BFCM is offering customers round-the-clock assistance. This ensures that customers can get help whenever needed, regardless of location or time zone.
- Global reach: Outsourced customer support providers often have teams located in different time zones. This allows them to provide continuous coverage.
- Improved customer experience: By offering 24/7 support, businesses enhance customer satisfaction and increase the number of loyal customers.
- Increased sales: Customers who receive timely and effective support are likelier to purchase and recommend the business to others.
5. Focus on core competencies
Outsourcing customer support during BFCM can help your company free up internal resources to focus on core business activities. Here are some practical examples:
- Marketing and sales: Concentrate on marketing and sales initiatives to drive customer acquisition and increase revenue during this lucrative season.
- Inventory management: Optimize inventory levels, ship out orders on time, and ensure efficient supply chain management. BFCM is not just about getting a spike in orders, it’s about delivering customer satisfaction.
- Strategic planning: Focus on long-term strategic planning and business development post-BFCM.
6. Improved customer experience and satisfaction
Reward loyal customers with exclusive offers and discounts during BFCM to acknowledge their dedication and encourage repeat purchases. Outsourcing customer support during BFCM significantly improves customer satisfaction and loyalty. Here’s why:
- Specialized expertise: Outsourced and experienced agents provide more specialized assistance to resolve customer inquiries effectively.
- Consistent service: Outsourced providers ensure consistent customer service quality, even during peak demand periods.
- Positive customer experiences: Satisfied customers are likelier to become loyal brand advocates by repeating purchases and recommending the business to others.
- Long-term relationship building: Engaging repeat customers with exclusive offers and marketing tactics can boost sales and enhance brand visibility through word-of-mouth recommendations.
7. Reduced internal stress
Outsourcing customer support during BFCM can alleviate the strain on your in-house team, reduce stress, and prevent burnout.
- Reduced workload: By transferring customer support responsibilities to an outsourced provider, internal teams can focus on core business activities and avoid being overwhelmed by the increased workload.
- Enhanced morale: Having extra people on board helps to ease the burden of customer support during a very stressful season. Hence, outsourcing boosts employee morale and job satisfaction.
8. Risk mitigation
Finally, outsourcing customer support can reduce the risks associated with hiring and managing a sizable seasonal workforce for BFCM.
- Compliance risks: Outsourced providers are typically experts in local labor laws and regulations, ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of penalties or legal issues.
- Talent acquisition challenges: Finding and hiring temporary staff for BFCM can be time-consuming and challenging. Outsourcing streamlines this process.
- Training costs: Outsourcing eliminates the need for extensive training and onboarding of temporary staff.
- Wage and benefits compliance: Wages for the same position vary depending on location. For example, hiring staff outside the US tends to be at least 20% cheaper for American companies. Outsourced providers ensure compliance with local wage and benefits laws.
Best practices when outsourcing customer service staff
Businesses can ensure a successful outsourcing experience during BFCM by being up-to-date and following best practices:
Plan and prepare way before the holiday season
- Anticipate demand: Accurately forecast the expected increase in customer inquiries and plan accordingly. Don’t wait until BFCM!
- Select a reliable partner: As early as now, choose an experienced and trusted outsourced customer support provider with a proven track record and expertise in handling high-volume customer interactions.
- Clear communication: Establish communication channels and align expectations with the outsourced provider to avoid misunderstandings.
- Knowledge transfer: Provide the outsourced provider with necessary information, training materials, and access to your customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Don’t overlook quality assurance
- Set performance metrics: Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the outsourced provider’s performance, such as average response time, customer satisfaction ratings, and first-call resolution rates.
- Regular monitoring: Monitor the outsourced provider’s performance closely to ensure they meet your expectations.
- Feedback mechanisms: Implement mechanisms to gather customer feedback and identify areas for improvement.
Plan for scalability and flexibility
- Plan for peak demand: Ensure that the outsourced provider can scale up their operations to meet the surge in demand during BFCM.
- Plan for flexibility: Maintain flexibility in your outsourcing agreement to accommodate changes in demand or business needs.
Identify necessary integrations and collaboration efforts
- Technology integration: Ensure seamless integration between your internal systems and outsourced provider.
- Collaboration: Foster effective collaboration between your in-house team and the outsourced provider to ensure a smooth transition and effective communication.
- Leverage hybrid customer service: Combine traditional, human-based customer support channels with digital, self-service options. This offers a multifaceted approach to assisting customers by allowing them to choose a method that best suits their needs and preferences.
Don’t wait—outsource customer support for BFCM as early as now!
By partnering with a reputable provider, businesses can efficiently scale operations to meet increased demand, reduce costs, access specialized expertise, provide 24/7 support, and alleviate internal stress. This allows companies to focus on core business activities while ensuring exceptional customer service and mitigating risks associated with managing a large seasonal workforce.
Also, remember to consider the different types of customer service teams and which would best suit your company’s needs. Contact LTVplus today to find the right customer service staff you need for the upcoming BFCM season.
