#contactcenterworld, @WorkingSol

By Kim Houlne, founder and chief executive, Working Solutions

Every year, the seasonal shopping boom that kicks off on Black Friday and peaks on Cyber Monday gets bigger and bigger, and nowhere is that growth more apparent than in eCommerce. CNBC reports online sales hit a record $6.2 billion in 2018, 23.6% higher than the previous year—and that’s just for Black Friday.

For Cyber Monday, the internet shopping frenzy that follows Black Friday by just a few days, the numbers were even more jaw-dropping. According to Adobe Analytics, retail sales on Cyber Monday 2018 reached more than $7.9 billion, an increase of almost 20% over the year before, making it the largest online shopping day in U.S. history (so far).

Granted, the past doesn’t always predict present-day—and caution is in the air for American consumers. Even as sales dipped in September and a possible recession looms, the online message to retailers remains the same long term: Get on board by preparing for cybersales, or miss out on boosting revenue.

Regardless of the times, stellar sales and service are always bottom-line differentiators. Treated right, online shoppers are more than ready to make repeat purchases. Data from Temkin Group suggests that companies with happy customers have as much as a 16% advantage over competitors in consumers’ willingness to buy, reluctance to switch brands, and likelihood of recommending them. That’s especially important if economic belts tighten.

Savvy consumers who become displeased or disappointed, however, will disappear in a heartbeat, tarnishing a brand’s reputation and driving sales to competitors. According to Salesforce.com, 78% of consumers have given up on a transaction as a result of sub-par customer service, and 57% of customers have stopped buying from a company because a competitor provided a better experience.

It makes sense, then, that a frictionless shopping experience is paramount to customer loyalty. Making that happen often falls to the frontline contact center agent. For cybersales support, retailers increasingly turn to the outsourced, virtual contact center with its on-demand, work-from-home agents to provide vital sales and customer service. To fill that need, contact center providers need to do some basic blocking and tackling to prepare for the holiday onslaught—particularly in these three areas:

1. Make sure your on-demand contact center agents are right for the job.
   
   The ideal agent likes this kind of work, which ebbs and flows with cycles and seasons.Flexible schedules fit into their work/lifestyles. Often, they work for clients whose products and services they already use. This familiarity gives them a firsthand perspective in making upsales, cross-selling and delivering service, insight that customers appreciate. Customers buy from agents who know the offerings they sell.
   
   
   
2. As extensions of a brand, your agents should be immersed in a client’s corporate culture and customers.
   
   To do that, they must be well-prepared. At Working Solutions, degreed educators create customized curricula based on a client’s in-house training. Instruction is interactive, all led by educators who are well-versed in long-distance learning. Through the virtual classroom, agents come together as a team, role-playing real customer scenarios. Initial instruction is strengthened with ongoing agent development. Business updates and team-building occur daily through an agent portal, building ongoing community. Educated agents engage customers better.
   
   
   
3. With an on-demand workforce, the businesses you serve won’t go wanting for qualified customer reps.
   
   For a retailer, nothing is worse than scrambling to find talent, year after year—especially at holiday season. It makes no sense. And the outcome is often subpar workers—business bystanders, not vested professionals. The beauty of on-demand is that the workforce is created in a client’s own image. It scales to ever-changing needs, ramping up or down. Scheduling adjusts to daily demands, unexpected events and long-range projects. Agents are recruited by select skillsets and chosen industries. So when the holiday tsunami hits, the agents are in place to meet the need.

As a contact center provider for retailers, ask yourself: Do I have enough of the right agents in place, all properly schooled and steeped in client culture, and eager to engage holiday shoppers?

Or, do I instead have…

Fact is, an on-demand contact center can reap the big rewards of holiday cybersales and help retail clients build year-round customer loyalty. It could make all the difference between a hapless and healthy business outlook.

#contactcenterworld, @WorkingSol