How to Handle Call Spikes in Customer Service Without Sacrificing CX

Learn how to handle call spikes without sacrificing customer experience. This guide shares 10 proven strategies to manage high call volume, improve forecasting, and keep your team ready for potential surges.

Call spikes are a natural part of running a contact center. You might see them after a product launch, a billing error, or a holiday promotion. Sometimes it’s a system outage that sends everyone to the phones at once. Whatever the cause, a spike means navigating more calls than your team is set up to handle on a normal day.

It doesn’t take long for the pressure to build. Hold times start creeping up, agents feel stretched thin, and customers grow less patient. Zendesk found that 60% of people say long waits are the most frustrating part of getting help. But more calls obviously mean longer wait times.  

You can't prevent all call volume surges, however, that doesn't mean your team can't be prepared for them. A clear process, a few handy tools, and well-trained staff put you in a better position to handle an influx of calls. Here’s how you can stay ahead of the surge. 

Understanding and Forecasting Call Spikes

A sudden increase in call volume can be stressful, but forecasting (or predicting) them is what separates teams who stay steady under pressure from those who end up in panic mode. It starts with taking an honest look at your past data. 

Pull reports covering at least a year or two and look for patterns and trends. For example, you might find that the first week of the month always brings higher call volume because of billing questions. Or that every big sale announcement is followed by three days of heavy traffic.

Around 72% of companies say analytics help them improve their customer experience, so make the most of yours. Just remember, it’s not only about looking back at past data, you also need to use that data to forecast when calls might increase again. 

Think about the common triggers of call spikes: service disruptions, promotions, seasonal demand, product changes, unexpected publicity, and billing issues. Any one of these can catch you off guard if you’re not tracking them.

A workforce management system can pull all your data into one place. When you can see call patterns broken down by hour or by day, it’s much easier to figure out when you’ll need more people on the phones. It also helps to have open communication with other teams. 

A shared calendar between support, marketing, and product can go a long way. When everyone knows about major launches or campaigns ahead of time, you have more time to prepare.

How to Handle Call Spikes: 10 Effective Strategies

Eventually, every company finds their own way to manage call spikes. Usually through trial and error. Most end up with a mix of tactics they can pull from – so they can adjust based on what’s happening. Some spikes need more people on the phones. Others call for better self-service or clearer communication. Here are some of the strategies that make the biggest difference.

1. Create an Overflow Plan

An overflow plan gives your team a clear path to follow when calls start to back up. Without one, it’s easy to get stuck in reactive mode.

Start by deciding what threshold counts as a spike. For example, you might define it as calls exceeding 150% of your normal hourly average. Once you hit that threshold, you can automatically trigger steps like deploying backup staff, updating your IVR messaging, or extending business hours.

Having pre-written scripts and recorded announcements ready helps agents respond faster when call volume jumps. 

2. Introduce Intelligent Call Routing

When call volumes are high, smart routing can help you make the most of the team you have. Routing calls by skill ensures that customers with complex issues don’t get passed around.

Skill-based routing also helps newer agents avoid taking calls they aren’t prepared to handle under pressure. Your team is already strained when they have to handle call spikes, so don’t add to the stress by giving them calls they can’t handle. 

You can also consider routing high-value customers to a priority queue. This doesn’t mean other callers are ignored, but it ensures your most critical accounts get prompt help when queues are long.

3. Offer Self-Service Options

A good self-service setup can take a lot of pressure off your phone lines. Many customers just want a quick answer about an order status, a password reset, or a basic policy question. They can usually handle that alone, or with a little help from a chatbot. 

Try updating your IVR menu to cover the questions you hear most. A smart system can figure out why someone is calling and either point them to an online resource or walk them through a simple fix. 

It also helps to check your knowledge base and chatbots now and then. Make sure you’re answering the things customers actually ask. The clearer your self-service options are, the fewer people will feel they have to wait to talk to someone.

4. Cross-Train and Scale Your Team

When calls start piling up, it helps to have people who can handle more than one type of issue. If your team is cross-trained, you’re not stuck relying only on a few specialists who are already swamped. 

It’s also smart to think ahead about who you can call in on short notice if you need extra hands. Some companies keep a list of part-time staff or former employees who can pick up extra shifts when demand spikes. Others work with staffing firms so they’re not scrambling to find help at the last minute. Having that backup ready can take a lot of pressure off your core team when the phones are ringing nonstop.

Some outsourced professionals will already be cross-trained for a range of tasks too, so you won’t have to worry about upskilling them. 

5. Enable Omnichannel Support

Not every customer needs or wants to call. Giving people the flexibility to reach you by chat, email, or messaging apps can ease phone queues during spikes. They’ll be happier knowing they can use the channels they’re comfortable with, and your call queues will shorten. 

If you’re promoting an omnichannel approach, make sure your customers know they won’t have to repeat their story every time they switch. Check that your system keeps track of past conversations, so an agent can see what’s already been discussed.

This helps to keep experiences smooth, and it stops your agents from wasting time trying to get information the customer has already shared. 

6. Add Callback Options

Long hold times can sour an interaction before it even begins. One of the simplest ways to keep customers from waiting on the line is to offer a callback option.

This can be as basic as letting someone reserve their place in the queue and hang up, or as structured as allowing them to schedule a callback window that works for their schedule. Studies show around 63% of customers prefer a callback over waiting on hold. 

Callbacks don’t just reduce frustration, they also flatten out peaks, since the system can space out when calls are returned.

7. Communicate with Customers Proactively

Don’t want to handle call spikes constantly? It helps to share clear updates when you know something’s wrong, like a shipping delay or an outage. A message to your customers up front can stop a lot of people from calling in just to ask what’s going on.

You can get the word out in a few ways. Some teams record an IVR message so callers hear it right away. Others send emails or texts or put a notice at the top of their website. You could even use outbound voice messages or alerts for affected customers. 

It helps if your message is concrete. For example, saying, “Our payment system is down and should be back by 3 PM” is much clearer than a generic line about longer wait times. The more specific you can be, the less likely people will keep calling to find out what’s going on.

8. Deploy Supervisors to the Front Lines

When calls start adding up, supervisors and team leaders should be stepping in. You don’t want them to spend all day on the phones, but jumping in during peak periods shows support and keeps issues from escalating.

Supervisors can also monitor live calls and coach agents who might be struggling under the extra pressure. Sometimes a quick suggestion or a reminder about leveraging the right resources can prevent mistakes that potentially create more follow-up work later.

Iron out a clear plan for when and how supervisors will assist, so everyone knows what to expect if the queue hits certain thresholds. 

9. Monitor in Real Time

Diving into real-time data might sound like an advanced tactic to handle call spikes. But really, if you already have the right monitoring tools built into your system, it’s an easy way to keep tabs on what’s happening in the moment. 

You want to know how many people are stuck on hold, how long they’ve been there, and which agents are available to jump in. Straightforward dashboards can show you all that. If you see the queue climbing, you can do something about it right away. Maybe you reassign a few people from chat to phone calls. Maybe you pull in backup staff or extend hours by an hour or two. 

With immediate insights, you’re not making decisions in the dark. You can see the pressure building and step in before it gets worse.

10. Document the Spike for Post-Mortem Review

After the rush settles, it helps to sit down and review what happened. This isn’t about blaming anyone. It’s just about learning.

Start simple. Pull a report showing when calls started to climb, how long people waited, and how many calls dropped. Look at when you brought in extra help or turned on any overflow measures. Then, talk with your team while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind. 

They’ll be able to point out what slowed them down or caused confusion. Maybe call routing didn’t work the way you planned, or the recorded message wasn’t clear. Write down what went well and what didn’t so you have something to build on next time.

Staying Ready for the Next Surge

Call spikes are just part of running a contact center. You can plan as much as you like, but sometimes a promotion hits harder than you thought, or something breaks and everyone calls at once. The teams that get through it without burning out are usually the ones who spent time getting ready.

Clear forecasts, a good overflow plan, and smart routing make a big difference. Customers can tell when your team stays steady and responsive, even when it’s hectic. It shows you care about doing things right.

Need more help handling heavy traffic on multiple channels? Learn how to manage different communication channels effectively here.