Call center companies raise the state of emergency in preparation for Christmas
Call center companies have raised the state of emergency early to welcome the Christmas holiday season, and preparations vary according to the type of services they provide, whether to their customers or to themselves.
Bahgat: 20-80% increase in the number of calls depending on the type of services
Ahmed Bahgat, CEO of the American outsourcing services company “VXI” in the Middle East and North Africa, said that this season every year witnesses a significant increase in the volume of calls compared to other times of the year, which makes companies prepare for it early.
Bahgat added to the “Taaheed” newsletter that the percentage of increase in calls ranges from 20% to 80%, depending on the type of service provided, noting that the call center company that provides its services to the fields of tourism, travel and e-commerce is in higher demand at that time of the year compared to other service fields, because hundreds of customers are looking for different travel destinations and suitable offers for them, the same applies to e-commerce customers who compare offers and inquire about them.
He continued: “Many companies resort to confronting this pressure by increasing the number of new employees, most of whom continue to work after the pressure of the seasons ends.
John Gerges, CEO of Ora Communications Outsourcing Services, said that his company realizes the importance of celebrating different occasions in the work environment, especially since it creates a positive atmosphere, allowing our team members to feel that they are in their real home.
“As we celebrate the New Year with our families, we extend this festive spirit to our office. We actively participate in decorating the workplace with festive New Year’s decorations, symbolizing our commitment to start the year with renewed vigor and a collective ambition for growth and success,” Gerges continued.
He explained that the company provides call center services around the clock, seven days a week, without Christmas celebrations affecting work productivity, as part of the balance between its professional responsibilities and its festive activities.
Dr. Amjad Hajji, Customer Service and E-Commerce Consultant, added that Christmas usually begins after November, which witnesses a noticeable increase in sales during the discount season, especially in retail activity or the sale of pharmaceutical products. He explained that New Year’s celebrations coincide with the peak of the winter season, which is full of pharmaceutical and therapeutic inquiries, especially on how to deal with colds.
Hajji explained that companies are preparing for the Christmas season by preparing operating schedules and holidays to suit the needs of customers, especially since this time of year witnesses an increasing demand for pharmaceutical consultations and the purchase of health and beauty supplies such as skin and hair care products.
For his part, Saeed Reyad, Vice President of the Outsourcing Services Division at the IT Communications Association, said that Christmas holidays do not affect the local outsourcing market, unlike cross-border outsourcing services (offshoring), especially since the holiday season begins at the end of December of each year and continues until the beginning of January.
Reyad explained that these holidays cause the postponement of any new contracts and witness a near halt to any work until its completion. They also affect the management of existing projects, especially with the decrease in the number of incoming calls from abroad and thus the reduction in the number of customer service employees.
Reyad confirmed that local call center companies that deal with foreign clients experience a recession during New Year’s Eve more than during the Ramadan season.
He pointed out that companies are working to compress their work schedule and start implementing the contracts agreed upon with clients before the start of the celebrations by a reasonable period to achieve the required targets for the year.
He revealed that the number of calls during the Christmas season related to requests for cosmetics and complementary medicines increased by 20% to 25% compared to normal times, in addition to an increase in the average call duration by 40%.
He pointed out that outsourcing centre contracts are renewed at the end of each year and companies prefer to settle them before the holiday season in order to develop customer service department plans that are consistent with the goals of the new year and provide stability in the work environment, indicating that the mechanism of work of global entities differs from their local counterparts in New Year’s celebrations in terms of the company’s vision and goals, the customer segments served inside and outside Egypt, and the list of targeted products and their advantages.
