Holiday Season at D2C Brands: Leverage AI in Customer Service

Webinar | 08.20.2024 | Ashley Hayslett, Kelsey Moburg, Lauren Cooper

In today’s rapidly evolving customer service landscape, AI implementation strategies for the holiday season are becoming increasingly crucial. Kodif recently hosted an insightful webinar featuring Lauren Cooper, Director of Global Customer Happiness at Tony’s, and Ashley Hayslett, an experienced Fractional CXO with expertise from companies like Hungryroot, Paperless Post, and Helix Sleep.

Quick Recap

The webinar explored practical approaches to implementing AI in customer service operations, particularly during high-volume holiday seasons. Key discussions centered around early planning, targeted AI implementation, and maintaining transparency with customers while leveraging automation effectively.

Understanding the Holiday Season Challenge

For seasonal businesses like Tony’s, the holiday period represents their peak customer service demands. Lauren Cooper emphasizes, “We have essentially nine months of the year to know what’s coming for us”. This foreknowledge creates an opportunity for thorough preparation and strategic AI implementation.

Starting Small with AI Implementation

A crucial insight emerged regarding AI adoption: start small and focused. As Lauren notes, “With AI, it’s such a huge space, and it’s okay to start small and pick the one piece within AI that you want to focus on”.  This approach allows teams to:

• Focus on specific problem areas
• Test and learn effectively
• Avoid overwhelming staff and systems
• Build confidence in AI capabilities

The Importance of Customer Transparency

Both speakers emphasized the critical nature of being upfront with customers about AI usage. Lauren states, “With the introduction of AI, you want to ensure you’re setting the right expectations for your customers. Transparency is key”.  This transparency helps build trust and manage customer expectations effectively.

Continuous Testing and Improvement

Ashley Hayslett highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring: “I think the most important takeaway for teams using AI today is to test it every day and be aware of what’s changing in your organization”. This ensures:

• Consistent performance
• Updated information
• Accurate customer interactions
• Quick problem identification

The failures are just learning experiences

Building Effective Contingency Plans

Lauren emphasizes the importance of having backup plans: “It’s crucial to have a backlog playbook ready for what to do. Test the system and allocate resources accordingly to avoid burning out your team”.

Putting It into Practice

• ✅ Begin holiday season planning immediately, including staffing and automation audits

  ✅ Choose one specific AI focus area for implementation

  ✅ Implement transparent communication about AI usage with customers

  ✅ Create comprehensive backup plans for system failures

  ✅ Train staff on both AI tools and manual override procedures

Watch the webinar now: