Back

Preparing for the holiday season

Published on December 20, 2024

Share

The holiday season brings unique challenges for businesses. With team members taking well-deserved vacations, it’s essential to ensure that your communication system is ready to maintain excellent service despite a reduced workforce.

Telia Smart Connect offers several built-in features to help your business stay responsive and professional during this time. From updating availability to optimizing call handling, here’s how you can prepare your communication setup for the holiday season.

1. Update opening hours and announcements

Accurate opening hours and clear communication are key to managing customer expectations during the holidays. Using Telia Smart Connect’s opening hours feature, you can:

Define holiday-specific schedules or create temporary exceptions for reduced hours.
Set up pre-recorded audio files to inform callers of your holiday hours or provide alternate options when your office is closed.

For example, you can create a professional announcement that informs customers of limited availability and directs them to leave a message or try again later.

User guide: Learn how to set up holiday-specific opening hours
User guide: Learn how to upload audio announcements

2. Automate availability with calendar integration

Telia Smart Connect’s calendar integration syncs directly with Microsoft 365, ensuring employee availability reflects their real-time schedules. This means:

Calls can be routed to an alternative team member.
Colleagues can see who’s on vacation or unavailable, improving internal communication.

For example, if a team member is away, their calls can be forwarded to another colleague or an appropriate queue, ensuring no inquiry goes unanswered.

3. Update availability across devices

Telia Smart Connect allows employees to update their availability status easily, whether they’re using the desktop or mobile app. This feature ensures that team members can:

Quickly set their status to options like “Vacation” or “Busy.”
Forward calls to another team member or voicemail when they’re unavailable.

This flexibility ensures calls are always routed to someone who can assist, helping maintain service levels while allowing employees to enjoy their time off.

User guide: Learn how to update your availability on mobile
User guide: Learn how to update your availability on desktop

4. Leverage reporting and SLA-monitoring to optimize resources

Real-time reporting and analytics provide valuable insights into call volumes, wait times, and missed calls during the holidays. Use these tools to:

Monitor performance metrics and identify peak times.
Reallocate resources or adjust call routing to improve efficiency.
Set up SLA-monitoring to automatically receive notifications when key performance thresholds are exceeded

For example, reporting can help you determine when additional team members are needed or if queues need to be reorganized. To learn more about how reporting can benefit your business, check out our blog post on statistics and reporting.

User guide: Learn how to use dashboards for real-time insights
User guide: Learn how to set up SLA-monitoring

Tips to prepare your communication system for the holidays

Set clear holiday hours: Update your opening hours and communicate them via professional audio announcements.
Streamline availability: Use calendar integration and mobile app settings to ensure accurate availability and smooth call routing.
Plan backup resources: Coordinate with colleagues to handle calls during peak times or staff shortages.
Monitor performance: Use real-time reporting to adjust resources and maintain service quality.

Stay prepared and keep operations running smoothly

Managing a reduced workforce during the holiday season doesn’t have to be stressful. With Telia Smart Connect’s built-in tools for availability, reporting, and communication management, you can keep your operations seamless and professional.

To learn more, contact us today or explore our user guides and blog posts: