How to Make Handling Christmas Gift Returns Easy for Employees

The Boxing Day sale is one of the big shopping events for Australians.

However, it’s also one of the most popular days when people look to swap presents they got for Christmas for something they really wanted.

It could be novelty items that an uncle or aunty thought were funny. Maybe it was an office prank from that weird co-worker. Regardless of who it was, the recipient got their hands on the receipts for the gifts.

Returns can be costly for your business and stressful for your employees. If you want to make it easier for your team to deal with, try these tips.

Hire Extra Staff Members

If you’ve experienced an influx of Christmas present returns in previous years, you might want extra help for this post-festive period. The additional staff will help reduce the workload of your current employees and avoid them burning out and taking time off sick.

Don’t leave it too late to hire staff. The earlier you can get them on board, the better. It helps to familiarise them with your processes, procedures and shipping policy. They will also be able to take on additional duties the longer they’re with your business.

Ensure Your Returns Policy is Clear and Simple

Your return policy needs to be easily understood by your customers and employees. There should be no question about what can be returned or exchanged for other products. You should also make it clear the condition of the product. For example, it should remain unused or in its original box.

Remember, your employees will be the ones enforcing the returns policy. It must be easy for them to explain it to customers. There should also be no risk of misinterpretation. A good idea is to include scripting or definitions for terms unique to your business or industry.

Outline a Process for Staff to Follow

Some online stores will process returns or refunds, no questions asked. But others will prefer customers to exchange the item for another product. To help your team members, you should detail a straightforward process they need to follow before they process the gift return. For example:

• Your staff should understand the state of the present to see if it’s eligible for a return as per the shipping policy.
• If it meets the criteria, propose that the customer exchange the Christmas gift for another item in your store. Highlight any deal or sale that is taking place.
• If the customer would prefer the money instead of finding the perfect gift for themselves, process the refund.

Try to avoid including too many steps in your process. There is a chance they will be handling high volumes of enquiries, which will mean they can respond to more customers quickly if there are fewer tasks.

Keep Christmas Gift Returns Simple

According to Best Life, the most common Christmas gifts that are returned include chocolates, beauty sets, clothing, makeup and scented candles. If your online store sells any of these items, you may need to prepare for increased customer enquiries during the holidays.

A simple and easy-to-understand returns policy benefits your customers and your staff. For shoppers, making it effortless to return presents can result in them coming back when they’re ready to purchase a product from your store.

For your team members, they’re more likely to have fun at work when they’re not stressing over the volume of customer enquiries. It can also help avoid staff burnout and increases in unplanned leave.

So before the holidays are over, take a moment to review your returns policy and consider how you can make it easier for everyone.