Surge Ready
20 things to check before your year-end and Q1 call volume spike.
Busy season is easier when you’re not making decisions in the middle of it. Work through the checklist right here, tick off what’s done, and your readiness score adds itself up as you go.
Pick your forecast and overflow items first. Even a basic overflow rule and callback setup will make a big difference.
The checklist
Five short sections, four items each. Work through it with your supervisors and tick what’s done. The best time is six to eight weeks before your busiest stretch starts, so there’s still time to fix what you find.
Forecast
You can’t plan for a spike you haven’t measured. Start with your own numbers from last year.
Routing and Overflow
Overflow rules only work if they’re set, assigned, and tested before you need them.
Callbacks
Callbacks keep callers from giving up, but only if someone actually calls them back.
After Hours and Holidays
The calls that come in after the office closes still count. So do the ones on holidays.
People and Visibility
Your team and your ability to see what’s happening live will carry you through the spike.
How ready are you?
You’ve completed 0 of 20 items. Here’s where that puts you.
Pick your forecast and overflow items first. Even a basic overflow rule and callback setup will make a big difference.
Focus on whatever is missing in routing and callbacks first, since those have the biggest impact on hold times.
Run one more routing test a week before the spike and keep your daily check-ins on the calendar.
Email me my score and the printable checklist
We’ll send your score of 0/20, the items you still have open, and the full PDF so you can work through it with your supervisors.
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After the peak: five questions to ask in March
Once things calm down, take 30 minutes to look back. It makes next year’s checklist much easier.
- Which days were heavier than we expected, and why?
- Did our overflow trigger kick in at the right time, or too late?
- How many callbacks did we promise, and how many did we actually return the same day?
- What came in after hours that we weren’t ready for?
- Who carried the most load, and how do we spread it out next time?
Write the answers down and save them with this checklist. Next year, you’ll start ahead.
Frequently asked questions
What is a surge readiness checklist?
It’s a list of the steps a contact center should complete before a predictable busy period, covering forecasting, overflow routing, callbacks, after-hours coverage, and staffing.
How far ahead should we complete this checklist?
Six to eight weeks before your busiest stretch is ideal. That leaves time to test routing, brief backup staff, and update holiday schedules.
Which items matter most if we’re short on time?
Start with your overflow trigger, your backup group, and callbacks. Those three have the most direct effect on hold times and abandoned calls.
Does this checklist work for healthcare, financial services, and field services?
Yes. The timing and call reasons differ, with open enrollment, tax season, and winter weather, but the same five areas apply to all three.
What should we do after the busy season ends?
Review what happened while it’s fresh. Look at your heaviest days, how overflow and callbacks performed, and what came in after hours, then use those notes to plan next year.
Bring your checklist and your questions.
Book 30 minutes with our team. We’ll walk through your surge plan and show you how callbacks, overflow routing, and real-time wallboards work in Xima.
