Christmas is a busy time for businesses. Shops are packed, telephone lines are manic and restaurants are fully booked. But wait a minute; it’s August. So why should you start thinking about your seasonal customer service recruitment now?

It’s never too early to start considering your seasonal recruitment strategy. With so much happening in the run up to Christmas, it’s easy to overlook the basics.

Having an effective customer service recruitment plan prepared can really help you to avoid the common traps that some businesses fall victim to.

Here are a few tips to ensure that your business’ festive season runs as smoothly as possible:

Get in there early – The earlier you start advertising and recruiting staff, the more time you’ll have to train them and prepare them for the real rush. Hiring someone at the beginning of December and throwing them in at the deep end is not going to be beneficial to your business.

Make a clear plan – If you’re recruiting for part-time seasonal positions, look back at previous years and decide roughly how many extra bodies you’re going to need and when you’re going to need them. This helps you avoid hiring people who can only work during the week when Saturday is your busiest day.

Hire in batches – Depending on how many extra staff your business requires, you probably don’t want to hire everyone at once. Can you imagine anything more stressful than training 20 staff all at once on the shop floor after the Christmas rush has started?

Look past experience – Seasonal positions are a fantastic time to build on someone’s potential as a customer service professional. If a candidate is inexperienced but friendly, positive and eager to learn – give them a chance – they may just surprise you.

Don’t panic – On the other hand, don’t hire rude, unprofessional or unfriendly candidates just because you’re desperate for extra staff. With customer service so important to a business, they could damage your brand at the most profitable time of year.

Now’s the perfect time to get ahead of the game and start planning your own seasonal customer service recruitment strategy. Being organised will ensure that you have a plethora of satisfied staff and happy customers.

And this way, if a permanent vacancy does happen to arise after the festive season, you’ll have your own fantastic talent pool to choose from.

By Holly, Copywriter at Webrecruit