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As the holiday shopping season approaches, businesses prepare for one of the most critical times of the year. Both brick-and-mortar and online stores experience a surge in customer demand, with holiday shopping starting earlier and earlier. For many retailers, the holiday season represents a significant portion of their annual revenue, making talent selection and consistent customer experience delivery crucial.
Companies often hire temporary employees to handle the holiday rush, but with little time for extensive onboarding, how can businesses ensure that these seasonal employees work well with veteran employees?
In my book Leading the Starbucks Way, I highlight the importance of scaling teams to deliver consistent experiences. A Starbucks customer named Jenny once remarked, “When I travel, I try to spot a Starbucks. It feels like you are connecting with a little bit of home wherever you are in the world.” This consistency is especially important during the hectic holiday season.
Starbucks leaders have crafted a clear service vision to drive that consistency:
“We create inspired moments in each customer’s day.”
Four key behaviors support this vision: anticipate, connect, personalize, and own. As your business gears up for the holiday season, implementing a similar framework can help ensure that even your seasonal employees deliver exceptional and brand-consistent customer experiences.
Lessons for Leaders: Preparing for the Holiday Season
- Define Your Service Vision: Establish a clear service vision that embodies your brand values. This vision should be simple and easily understood by veteran employees and new hires.
- Provide Key Service Behaviors: Identify key behaviors that guide employees in delivering the ideal customer experience. These should be actionable and easy to remember, like Starbucks’ focus on anticipating, connecting, personalizing, and owning each interaction.
- Train for Speed and Quality: Speed is essential during the holiday rush but must not come at the expense of quality. Train employees to deliver efficient service while also creating meaningful interactions with customers.
- Equip Employees with Practical Tools: Provide your seasonal employees with simple tools or guidelines—such as checklists or key phrases—that help them quickly grasp your service standards and apply them in real time.
- Leverage Your Permanent Staff: Long-term employees are essential to maintaining consistency. Empower your permanent staff to mentor and support seasonal workers, reinforcing your company’s service vision and culture.
- Prepare for Consistency: Customers expect a consistent experience, regardless of the time of year. Train your team to focus on delivering the same level of service during the holiday rush as they do during slower periods.
The holiday season is an opportunity to serve more customers and create lasting impressions that lead to repeat business. By preparing your team—seasonal and permanent alike—to focus on service consistency and elevated experiences, you can turn holiday shoppers into loyal, long-term customers.
Undeniably, the holiday retail season is challenging, but in the words of General George S. Patton.
“Accept challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”
During the busiest time of year, may you feel the exhilaration of victory by focusing on quality and consistency. May that focus also ensure your customers return long after the holiday rush has ended.
Related: How Personal Connection Transforms Service into Unforgettable Experiences