The UK’s leading telephone answering and outsourced switchboard service expects an increase of 15-20 per cent in calls on the two Fridays before Christmas as the staff party season gets back into full swing after the ‘Scrooge’ years of the recession. Will everyone be on their best behaviour?
According to one of those top ten lists currently doing the rounds of our inboxes, the worst behaviour at a company Christmas party is downing too much booze (bah humbug?), wearing something totally inappropriate and saying something totally inappropriate, in that order.
But there’s worse behaviour than that, at least from the point of view of client relations. Failing to arrange for business to continue smoothly when staff finish early for the Christmas bash or take time off, can result in disappointed clients and loss of prospects to competitors – more far-reaching than a bad head or a bit of embarrassment.
It seems that many companies are not making that mistake, according to Moneypenny the leading UK telephone answering service which handles calls for more than 700 law firms. The company reports that it has seen the number of businesses taking up temporary cover this year – including some law firms – treble as compared to a non-holiday month, in anticipation of the festivities, with calls on the two Fridays before Christmas expected to spike significantly as they do each year.
Many employees have found their company Christmas parties scaled down or even cancelled over recent years as the recession cast its Scrooge-like shadow following the financial crash of 2008; however it seems the company Christmas bash is staging something of a recovery. A poll of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) members shows 72 per cent are holding a party this year, compared to just 58 per cent in 2009.
And that probably means even more demand for services like Moneypenny as managers arrange for professional answering services to take their calls while they and their staff enjoy themselves, ensuring all is calm, all is bright – and everyone can go home and sleep in heavenly peace knowing that any callers will receive a professional response.
Moneypenny’s Commercial Director, Joanna Swash, says: “We monitor trends throughout the year and know from experience that certain days around the Christmas period are busier than others. We are always prepared for this as we ‘overstaff’ anyway to allow for variations to ensure no call to our clients is ever left unanswered. We are expecting quite a surge in calls this year among our existing clients and from those who have taken up our service just to cover the festive period.”
For details of Moneypenny’s services, call 0345 123 3700 or email hello@moneypenny.co.uk
