The Christmas season is finally here! Even though many retail establishments have been ushering in the holidays since before Halloween, many people have just begun preparations for this joyous time of year. With Thanksgiving safely tucked away in our memories, we can now focus on the weeks ahead leading up to both Christmas and Hanukkah!
As you plan your busy schedule with shopping sprees, holiday parties, family gatherings and other merriment, don’t forget to properly prep your company for the holidays. Here are some tips to help you ensure your business doesn’t suffer any setbacks during the days you are closed:
- Clearly communicate with your employees what days your business will be closed. Because they are usually the first to have communications with your clients, it’s best they be informed ahead of time and can help remind customers so they can be prepared.
- Notify your clients directly of what your holiday hours will be. Christmas Eve and the start of Hanukkah both fall on Saturday this year, so it’s important to remember that not all companies will be closed the Friday before or the Monday after. Same for New Year’s Day, therefore your customers will appreciate the heads up if you plan on closing up either before or after the actual holiday. If you have an emergency support number, it’s good to remind them of that also.
- Double check your calendar to reschedule any meetings that might normally fall on a day you plan to close the office, such as weekly sales meetings, etc.
- Be sure deadlines that might fall during holiday closings are addressed early enough to be either bumped up or postponed.
- Notify vendors who regularly schedule shipments to your office, such as break room suppliers, FedEx and UPS that you will be closed.
- Make a list of what equipment should be turned off if you’re going to be closed for a longer period of time. And don’t forget to unplug the company Christmas tree!
- Remind employees to update their voicemail messages to let callers know what your holiday hours will be. Their message should also include an alternate number in the event a customer has an urgent matter that needs to be addressed immediately.
- Don’t forget to empty out the refrigerator and toss all the holiday goodies if you plan on being closed for more than a couple of days! Nothing worse that starting the new year with a messy, moldy, bug-infested breakroom!
Most importantly, plan on having a Safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!