The festive season is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness.
However, for those working in contact centres, Christmas can be a unique blend of festive cheer and operational challenges, even in a well-oiled machine like CallEEAST!
Despite the busy nature of the job, CallEEAST always goes the extra mile to create a festive atmosphere, with decorations being a big part of this transformation - from twinkling fairy lights to Christmas trees adorned with ornaments, our little piece of the world is transformed into a winter wonderland.
On top of this we also have festive activities – this year we’ve done a raffle for the TASC (The Ambulance Service Charity), a Secret Santa, Xmas Jumper Day (and Xmas Hat Day coming soon), a buffet, a Xmas meal for the team and it wouldn’t be complete without our very own handsome Santa visiting the room (and indeed the whole building) with sweets for all (naughty and nice!).
While the festive season brings joy, it also brings an increase in call volumes with callers inquiring about opening hours, getting last minute treatment or just panicking that we won’t be here for a few days (don’t worry – we will – we’re 24/7, 365 days a year!). This surge means we must be on our (twinkle) toes to balance meeting the needs of the callers with the holiday spirit. We also know that during the holidays, emotions can run high with callers getting stressed about getting their services/treatment, and so our call handlers are particularly empathetic at this time of year as they often find themselves not just solving problems but also providing a listening ear and a bit of holiday cheer.
A kind word or a little extra patience goes a long way in making someone’s day better, and Great Customer Service is something that I’m really proud of the CallEEAST team for – the way they always have a customer/patient-centric approach to everything they do is outstanding.
Being open all year round means that some of our colleagues can miss out on family gatherings or events, but we try to accommodate as much time off for staff as possible and we start our planning of this early in the year so that everyone gets some time off at least. We know it’s not great to work over Xmas, but the dedication of the team in their support of callers is truly outstanding and it’s appreciated by everyone.
Finally, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!
