By Jordan Quigley, North American Vice President, Administrative and Customer Support Group, Robert HalfAs we approach the 2024 holiday shopping season, retailers are gearing up for what promises to be a dynamic and potentially record-breaking period. The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that holiday sales will increase by 2.5–3.5% from 2023.This expected surge in activity, coupled with evolving consumer expectations and the steady growth of online retail, means having next-level customer support teams ready to go is a prerequisite for success in today's competitive retail landscape. Fielding the right team of skilled professionals to support customers through the peak shopping and returns cycle requires a thoughtful talent strategy while managing new and more difficult workforce challenges.
As online retail has evolved, so have customer expectations. In addition to browsing through dedicated websites, they want the efficiency of also using text, chatbots and social media to shop and order — with instant access to customer support at every step.That’s why customer-focused staff in the e-commerce space need higher-level, more advanced skills than before. The best service professionals have refined their written communication, creative problem-solving and the art of effective escalation. And although it’s not essential currently, basic AI literacy will likely become more important as artificial intelligence in retail continues to grow.
With unemployment rates hovering around 4%, the demand for skilled talent is still very high. Let’s face it: Employers simply cannot access enough qualified candidates in the limited amount of time they have, especially if they are looking to onboard customer service help during this time of year. And while busy managers try to cover open positions, backlogs continue to grow and other important initiatives are being put on hold.One of the biggest mistakes I see hiring managers make today is not anticipating and planning for candidate turnover. And when hiring, even with all the effort of sourcing, screening and making an offer to a potential employee, there is still no guarantee they will show up on day one. Nor can you be sure your current employees will finish out the busy season when their dream job may be just an online click away.
A great hedge against these perennial issues is to add contract professionals to your seasonal staffing strategy. Call centers, dispatch teams and order fulfillment centers can cut costs and manage increased call volumes by leveraging flexible talent models. Hiring seasonal employees and temporary workers can provide the necessary support during peak periods without the long-term commitment.A specialized talent solutions firm can help fill staffing and skills gaps with tailored approaches to your specific business needs. For example, during a recent holiday season, a national retail/e-commerce company was facing an unprecedented increase in online orders. Existing staff couldn’t handle the increasing volume of orders, and the organization was looking at lost sales and dissatisfied customers if they couldn’t increase their headcount in time. They asked Robert Half to provide retail staffing solutions.Quickly, we were able to tap into our national database of virtual call center and customer support candidates and — using cutting-edge AI sourcing technology to access and assess potential hires — we successfully placed more than 50 remote customer service professionals ahead of their historically busy e-commerce season. Going even further, we provided additional value-added resources for our client, including customized virtual training methods and virtual accountability strategies to ensure customer satisfaction.When choosing a talent solutions partner, here are some advantages you should look for:Turnkey talent — Look for an organization with a deep bench of thoroughly vetted professionals who can guarantee the work will be done on time and to expectations. The firm should also be deeply committed to quality placements, ensuring your satisfaction on day one and throughout the assignment. Any team member who isn’t working out or needs to leave the role unexpectedly should be swiftly replaced by another highly skilled candidate.Trained in advanced customer support skills — Contract professionals should feel confident about leveraging the newest customer-focused technology such as generative AI and digital assistants, live chat and various support platforms. They should also have excellent writing skills since a good deal of communication with customers happens in email and text. Robert Half, for example, can provide its own technology and customer service training to the candidates we intend to place.Remote-ready — Companies today are often challenged by the new reality of managing remote and hybrid teams, so make sure the talent solutions firm can provide individuals who understand how to excel and thrive in these environments.A range of job roles — Choose a firm that can serve as a one-stop shop for filling a variety of seasonal surge roles — for example, not just customer support and call center specialists, but also dispatchers, customer experience specialists, office assistants, project assistants and HR specialists.Whether you are a small business or an enterprise-level operation, working with a specialized talent solutions firm to right-size your customer service team for the seasonal surge can save you precious time, resources and even your reputation. But make sure you partner with a firm that provides the white glove service that will help you meet your own high customer service standards.Follow Jordan Quigley on LinkedIn.
