The holiday season is here, bringing a surge in website traffic and increased activity for your customer service team. To ensure your business can handle this influx, consider the following tips:
1. Make Sure Your Website Can Handle an Increase in Traffic
- Ensure your website is mobile-responsive and loads quickly on all devices.
- If needed, hire a web developer or handle tasks yourself to optimize performance.
- Be prepared for peak hours (between 5 pm and 9 pm) when traffic is highest. High traffic can prevent customers from loading your site, especially on public Wi-Fi networks, unless they use VPNs.
- Have a backup plan in case your website goes down during busy periods.
2. Prepare Your Customer Service Team for the Holiday Rush
- Develop a staffing strategy to manage increased workload.
- Consider adding extra personnel and scheduling shifts accordingly.
- Upgrade equipment or software if necessary before the busy season.
- Ensure your team is fully prepared to handle higher customer inquiries and demands.
3. Adjust Traffic Routing Policies for Network Resiliency
- Configure your routers to handle increased traffic.
- Verify they have enough memory and CPU capacity to support higher loads.
4. Ensure Storage Clusters & Disks Have Sufficient Capacity & IOPS
- Prepare for increased data activity, order volume, and transactions.
- For environments using VMware vSAN or shared storage:
- Check available disk space on all nodes.
- Confirm bandwidth between hosts and storage.
- Monitor read/write IOPS and add higher-performance disks if needed.
5. Maintain Adequate Inventory Levels
- Stock up in advance to prevent shortages.
- Ensuring enough inventory helps customer satisfaction and avoids delays or lost sales.
- Consider potential demand spikes and plan accordingly.
6. Conduct Load & Stress Testing with Chaotic Situations
- Simulate high-load scenarios to evaluate system performance.
- Identify and resolve potential issues before peak traffic.
- Engage your team in fun, realistic testing to boost preparedness and morale.
7. Avoid Last-Minute Changes with a Change Freeze
- Establish a change freeze plan to prevent untested modifications during peak periods.
- Ensure all changes are tested beforehand.
- Prepare contingency plans for any issues that may arise.
- Verify new systems or updates are stable before deployment.
8. Have Tested Standby Resources Ready
- Prepare backup personnel and resources.
- Create a contact list for quick communication.
- Ensure backups for hardware, software, and key personnel are available and ready to deploy if needed.
9. Pre-Establish Escalation Protocols & Communication Templates
- Prepare communication templates for outages or issues.
- Establish escalation procedures so any team member can effectively communicate with customers or clients during disturbances.
- Include key contact information and standard messages for quick deployment.
Wrapping up
Following these tips can help you navigate the holiday season smoothly. Proper preparation minimizes disruptions, ensuring your business stays operational during one of its busiest times. With a little extra effort, you can provide a seamless experience for your customers and team alike.
By Bobby J. Davidson
I am passionate about our companies and truly enjoy the work we do. To learn more about the Davidson Family of Companies, please visit www.bobbydavidson.com/about. Don’t forget to subscribe to my Newsletter located at the bottom of this page for updates and insights.