Industry news, advice and insights from our experts.

Vacation season isn’t just busy. It’s fast-paced and demanding for airlines and hospitality brands. With 51 per cent of Americans planning summer trips and many booking more than they did last year,¹ customer expectation are on the rise. Travellers want quick answers, real-time support, and a seamless service. When they don’t get it, they’re quick to complain or take their business elsewhere. 

Even a single poor interaction can have lasting effects. In fact, over 52 percent of customers stop using a brand after just one bad experience.² That’s why effective travel industry seasonal call center staffing is crucial during peak season—every moment counts. A well-prepared call center helps you meet demand, protect your reputation, and support your team under pressure.

What Your Call Center Is Up Against 

Vacation season brings unique challenges for the travel and hospitality industry: 

• Flight delays and cancellations 

• Overbooked hotels and lost reservations 

• Last-minute schedule changes 

• Inquiries from global travelers in different time zones 

• Upset customers who need real-time, human support 

Each issue can trigger a wave of calls, emails, and social media messages. Handling them effectively requires trained agents who can remain calm, act quickly, and communicate clearly across all channels. 

Yet staffing remains a challenge. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 67 percent of hoteliers still face labor shortages.³ Many call centers are stretched thin, and even fully staffed teams can struggle when seasonal call volumes spike. 

In these moments, customer service matters most. The person on the other end of the line can either protect or break customer trust. 

5 Smart Strategies to Manage Seasonal Surges 

Getting through peak travel season takes more than extra hands. It requires flexible staffing strategies that adjust to demand while maintaining service quality. 

Here’s how to achieve that: 

1. Build a Bench of Pre-Vetted Seasonal Agents

One of the best ways to stay ready is to plan. Keep a pool of trained seasonal agents who already understand your systems, service tools, and hospitality standards. That way, they’re ready to step in fast. 

Why it works: 

• Shorter training time 

• Faster onboarding 

• More consistent service during peak periods 

Instead of rushing to hire last-minute, you’re staying ahead. At Salem Solutions, we help travel and hospitality clients maintain a bench of experienced agents who are ready when the demands of the travel season hit.

2. Use Remote and Hybrid Staffing Models

Remote and hybrid setups help call centers scale quickly by tapping into a wider talent pool. They’re especially useful when local hiring is tough or when you need coverage across several time zones. 

The benefits of these flexible staffing models include: 

• Hire experienced agents from different regions 

• Cover weekends and evenings more easily 

• Offer flexible shifts (weekend, part-time, etc.) to handle peak periods 

• Extend hours without extra facilities 

However, successful remote operations require more than flexible locations. Remote teams need secure systems, clear workflows, clear performance goals and feedback, adequate training, and regular check-ins to stay engaged and on track. 

With the right structure, remote agents can match or even exceed on-site performance, especially during high-volume seasons like summer travel. That extra flexibility can give your team an edge. More flexibility means faster response times and better service when it counts. 

Read More: Rapid Response Hiring: How Flexible Staffing Solutions Address Post-Holiday Turnover in Customer Service Roles 

3. Use Data-Driven, Flexible Shift Schedules

If your call volume spikes in July but your staffing looks the same as in March, your team might get overwhelmed. To prevent this, adopt smart scheduling. Smart scheduling helps you stay ahead without overworking your agents and keeps service steady. 

To build a flexible scheduling plan: 

• Review past call data to find peak days and hours 

• Use split shifts or short blocks to boost coverage without extending agents’ hours 

• Crosstrain agents to handle different call types 

• Start shifts at different times to reduce call volume surges at once 

When staffing matches demand, agents are supported, and customers don’t face long wait times. This reduces burnout and helps maintain service quality during peak season, improving customer experiences.

4. Support Global Travellers with Multilingual, Culturally Aware Service

Travelers today come from many countries and cultures. To serve them well, your team needs more than language skills. They need cultural awareness and empathy. Customers want to feel seen, heard, and respected. Meeting those expectations builds trust and resolves issues faster. 

Multilingual support helps: 

• Avoid confusion that slows down resolution 

• Build stronger connections with international travelers 

• Show inclusivity in high-stress moments 

To strengthen your team: 

• Hire bilingual or multilingual agents for common languages in your market 

• Recruit from diverse communities that reflect your customer base 

• Work with staffing partners that specialize in language-specific roles 

• Train agents on cultural awareness to improve empathy and respect 

Travelers remember the brands that make them feel understood. That connection often starts with the voice on the line. 

5. Use Technology to Strengthen Customer Service

Customers want fast help, but they also want to feel heard. The right tools help your agents deliver both. 

That’s where AI and automation come in. Not to replace your team, but to make them more effective. When agents don’t have to repeat the same answers, they can focus on the issues that need human attention. That’s the kind of service customers remember. 

Think about how often your team answers: 

• “What’s your cancellation policy?” 

• “How do I change my flight?” 

• “What time is check-in?” 

An automated FAQ or chatbot can handle these in seconds. That frees your agents to handle more urgent or sensitive issues like a delayed flight or a lost reservation. 

Here are more smart ways to support your agents with technology: 

• Use skill-based routing to get customers to the right agent the first time, reducing wait times and avoiding frustrating transfers. 

• Track call volume with real-time dashboards, allowing you to shift resources before long wait times accumulate. 

• Use scheduling tools to adjust shifts quickly when calling traffic spikes, especially if you’re working with a lean team. 

With the right tech and staffing, your team stays focused, responds faster, and delivers a service that earns customer loyalty. 

Why Partnering with Salem Solutions Gives You an Edge 

Implementing these strategies requires time, skill, and focus. And during peak season, time is your most limited resource. That’s where having a specialized staffing partner like Salem Solutions makes a difference. 

Salem Solutions helps travel and hospitality businesses stay ahead by: 

• Recruiting and vetting skilled agents year-round 

• Building custom talent pipelines based on your needs 

• Supplying agents trained in air travel, hotel systems, and customer care 

• Expanding your team quickly without lowering service standards 

Partnering with Salem Solutions gives you an edge by helping you set up a system that performs under pressure and protects your customer relationships when it matters most. 

Turn Vacation Season into a Competitive Advantage 

Vacation season comes with delays, cancellations, and high-stress customer issues. But it’s also a chance to build trust, strengthen loyalty, and stand out through exceptional service. 

With the right staffing, tools, and support, your call center can stay fast, calm, and consistent, protecting your brand and keeping customers coming back. 

Want to Staff Up for the Travel Rush Without Losing Service Quality? Partner with Salem Solutions! 

Salem Solutions connects you with skilled call center agents who understand how to handle tough calls, high volumes, and high expectations. If you’re preparing for a busy season, get ahead of it with a team that’s ready to deliver. 

Reach out today! 

References 

1. Accenture, Oxford Economics, STR/CoStar Group, & AHLA Platinum Partners. (2025, February). 2025 State of the Industry Report. The American Hotel & Lodging Association. https://www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/25_SOTI.pdf 

2. McDermott, A., & Eggemeier, T. (2025, February 24). CX Trends 2025: Surge ahead with human-centric AI. Zendesk. https://cxtrends.zendesk.com/ 

3. Hireology. (2025, February 20). 65% of hotels surveyed report staffing shortages. American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). https://www.ahla.com/news/65-surveyed-hotels-report-staffing-shortages 

It’s 9 AM on Black Friday, and your call center phones are already ringing nonstop. Customers want to track delayed orders, process returns, and complain about shipping mix-ups. Your agents look overwhelmed, hold times are climbing, and you can practically feel customer satisfaction dropping with every unanswered call.  

This scene plays out at retail call centers everywhere during the holiday season, when normal busy becomes absolute chaos. And the instinct is to staff up quickly; hire seasonal agents to handle the surge. But rushed hiring often makes things worse.  

Untrained agents take longer to resolve issues, frustrated customers hang up or leave negative reviews, and your experienced team burns out trying to cover the gaps. According to Forrester research, companies that maintain consistent service quality during peak times enjoy 51 percent higher customer retention.¹  

The question isn’t whether to scale up your team, but how to do it without sacrificing the customer experience that drives your bottom line. 

The Cost of Getting Holiday Staffing Wrong

Poor seasonal staffing decisions don’t just create temporary headaches; they trigger costly problems that outlast the holiday season. This is why strategic seasonal staffing matters. Planning ahead lets your company survive the holiday rush and allows you to build stronger customer relationships. 

The Competition for Talent Has Never Been Tougher

The numbers tell the story. With seasonal job searches up 18 percent compared to last year and retail seasonal postings climbing 8 percentage points above previous levels, competition for quality candidates has never been fiercer. Companies that rush to fill positions without a proper strategy often end up with undertrained agents who take 40 percent longer to resolve customer issues.² 

Immediate Operational Chaos

The immediate costs are obvious: wait times stretch from minutes to nearly an hour, first-call resolution rates plummet, and inexperienced agents escalate simple problems. Agent turnover during peak season can reach 60 percent when employees feel unprepared and overwhelmed.³  

Each departed agent represents weeks of training investment lost, plus the expense of recruiting and onboarding their replacement mid-season. 

Long-Term Brand Damage

Most damaging of all are the lasting brand consequences. According to Forrester research, most customers will switch to a competitor after just one poor service experience.⁴  

Thus, a single poor holiday experience can turn loyal customers into former customers who share their frustration through reviews and social media. The customer you lose in December may never return, even when your service improves in January. 

How to Scale Retail Call Center Staffing Without Compromising Customer Experience

The key to successful holiday staffing isn’t just hiring more people but hiring the right people at the right time with the right preparation. 

1. Hire for Fit and Resilience, Not Just Speed

When you’re under pressure to staff up fast, it’s tempting to lower your standards. But hiring seasonal agents who don’t fit your work environment often leads to more customer complaints and internal frustration.

Start by clearly defining what you need. For seasonal call center roles, focus on candidates who learn quickly, stay calm under pressure, and are comfortable with technology. These qualities matter more than previous call center experience. 

In addition, use your historical call volume data to forecast peak periods. If last year’s Cyber Week or Summer Sale brought a 35 percent spike, expect similar or higher this year. Hiring based on these insights helps you avoid over- or understaffing. 

This approach keeps your team prepared and your customers satisfied even during the busiest times.

2. Design Compressed Onboarding That Works

During holiday season, a slow onboarding process is a luxury you can’t afford. But rushing through training sets your team up to fail when call volumes spike. The solution is a focused, intensive onboarding program that gets new hires customer-ready without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.

Build a streamlined 3-5 day program that covers the essentials: Day 1 focuses on tools and systems, Day 2 covers role-playing key customer scenarios, and Day 3 involves supervised live call practice.  

Use microlearning modules for specific situations like “How to handle a return request” or “Navigating shipping delays.” Provide job aids, cheat sheets, and quick reference guides from day one. Pair every new agent with an experienced mentor who can offer informal coaching during their first week on the floor. 

Read More: How to Onboard New Employee for Quicker Integration

3. Support Agents in Real Time to Handle Volume Confidently

Even great onboarding can’t prepare agents for every challenge they’ll face on the job. What sets high-performing contact centers apart is how they support agents during the busiest moments.

Provide supervisors with tools that let them offer live feedback without disrupting the customer’s experience. Features like screen whispering and coaching alerts help adjust tone or guide problem-solving right when agents need it most. 

At the same time, AI-powered assist tools can suggest relevant knowledge base articles or script snippets based on the customer’s words. This reduces pause time, improves accuracy, and builds agent confidence on the spot. Real-time coaching isn’t just about boosting performance; it also protects your customer experience when it matters most.

4. Build Your Bench with Backup Candidates

Holiday staffing rarely goes according to plan. New hires quit unexpectedly, call volumes surge beyond forecasts, and last-minute no-shows leave you scrambling. Smart call centers build their bench strength by identifying and pre-screening backup candidates who can step in quickly when needed.

Maintain a pipeline of qualified candidates who didn’t make the first round of hiring but showed potential. Keep these backup candidates engaged through brief check-ins and updates about future opportunities. When you do need to make emergency hires, you’ll have pre-vetted candidates ready to start within days rather than weeks.  

This also gives you leverage when negotiating with your primary hires. Knowing you have alternatives reduces desperation and helps you maintain hiring standards even under pressure. 

Read More: Building a Strong Call Center Workforce: Leveraging Effective Team Collaboration and Support Systems

5. Hire for Retention Potential, Not Just Gap-Filling

Not every seasonal hire needs to be a short-term solution. Many can become valuable long-term team members, especially after they’ve proven themselves during the high-pressure holiday rush. Look for candidates who show genuine interest in customer service careers rather than just seeking quick holiday cash.

During interviews, ask about their career goals and interest in permanent opportunities. Watch for agents who consistently meet performance metrics, take initiative to help teammates, and adapt well to your company culture. Have a clear process ready to convert high performers into full-time roles before the season ends.  

For those who can’t commit year-round, create a structured rehire program. Maintain an alumni database and reach out early before the next busy season, offering returning agents preferred scheduling and fast-track onboarding to make coming back attractive. 

Read More: The Temp-to-Hire Revolution: Why More Employers Are Choosing Flexible Staffing Over Traditional Hiring

6. Time Your Hiring Cycles Strategically

With competition for seasonal talent at an all-time high, waiting until the last minute means competing for leftover candidates. Successful call centers map out their hiring timeline based on historical data and start recruiting well before peak season hits.

Begin your first wave of hiring 8-10 weeks before your busiest period. This gives you time to be selective and properly train your core seasonal team. Plan a second wave 4-6 weeks out for additional coverage, and keep that backup candidate pipeline ready for emergency hires.  

Stagger start dates so you’re not onboarding everyone at once, as bringing in small groups allows for better training and mentorship. Use your call volume patterns from previous years to identify exactly when you’ll need different staffing levels, then work backward to create your hiring calendar. 

Read More: Optimizing Seasonal Call Center Staffing: 6 Tactics to Maximize Seasonal Staffing Holiday Performance 

Build a seasonal team that delivers under pressure with Salem Solutions

The holiday season doesn’t just test your capacity; it tests your consistency. And customers remember how you show up when it’s busy. To get it right, you need more than just speed in hiring. You need seasonal staff who are trained well, supported in real time, and motivated to perform at their best even on the busiest days. 

That’s where Salem Solutions come in. We connect you with experienced agents who are ready to step in, handle high-volume periods with professionalism, and protect your customer experience at scale. 

If you’re planning to expand your team this season, now’s the time to get ahead. Let’s talk about building a seasonal workforce that’s ready to deliver when it matters most. Connect with us today! 

References

1. 2024 US Customer Experience Index: Brands’ CX Quality Is At An All-Time Low. (2024, June 17). Forrester. https://www.forrester.com/press-newsroom/forrester-2024-us-customer-experience-index/

2., 3. Shrivastava, Allison. “Seasonal Postings Return to Normal, but More Job Seekers Want Holiday Work.” Hiring Lab, 9 Oct. 2024, https://www.hiringlab.org/2024/10/09/seasonal-postings-return-to-normal-but-more-job-seekers-want-holiday-work/.

4. Ramos, L. (2024, May 5). (Re-)Focus On Customer Retention And Growth During Volatile Times. Forrester. https://www.forrester.com/blogs/refocus-on-customer-retention-and-growth-during-volatile-times/

Every fourth quarter, insurance call centers face the same pressure. Claims increase, open enrollment questions surge, and policy renewals flood the system. Inboxes overflow, phone lines jam, and customer wait times grow. Even with clear trends year after year, many teams still head into the year-end peak season unprepared. 

This isn’t just a staffing problem; it’s a planning gap. When hiring starts late, training gets rushed. Agents struggle, service quality drops, and customers feel the impact. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A more strategic, proactive approach can help you build a reliable seasonal hiring system that improves service delivery, reduces turnover and protects performance through the year-end rush. 

Why Seasonal Hiring is Challenging for Insurance Call Centers 

Staffing for the year-end rush might seem simple: hire fast, train quickly, then reduce staff after peak season. However, in insurance, this approach is rarely effective. Training takes longer, systems are more challenging to learn, and mistakes can compromise compliance and customer trust. 

Here are five key challenges that make seasonal hiring especially difficult for insurance call centers: 

1. Licensing and Compliance Requirements

Many roles in insurance require agents to have a state-specific license, especially those involving policy guidance or customer sales. This limits how quickly you can hire and reduces the size of your talent pool. 

Even for roles that don’t need a license, compliance still matters. Agents must follow scripts, give clear disclosures, and handle personal data correctly. When seasonal hires aren’t trained well, it can lead to fines, service errors, or legal issues. Hiring candidates who understand compliance from the start helps protect your business and maintain reliable service. 

2. Short Training Windows for Complex Roles

Insurance roles require agents to learn detailed systems, products, and strict compliance rules. Trying to fit all of that into a short training window before peak season can overwhelm new hires and set them up to fail. 

When training is rushed or too dense: 

• Errors increases 
• Calls take longer to handle 
• More issues are escalated 
• Customers get frustrated 

These challenges create a ripple effect across the team and damage brand trust. However, with focused training, job aids, and support like mentoring, seasonal agents can gain confidence faster, work more efficiently, and stay through the busy season. 

3. Tough Hiring Competition in Q4

During the fourth quarter, many industries like retail, shipping, and other call centers increase hiring to handle holiday demand. These jobs often offer faster hiring, simpler tasks, and shorter training, which can seem more attractive to job seekers. 

Insurance call centers compete in the same tight labor market but with higher expectations and longer onboarding. If you don’t clearly show why your roles are worth it, you may lose strong candidates to jobs that feel easier or more immediate. Offering benefits such as paid licensing, flexible schedules, or end-of-season bonuses can help set your roles apart and attract the right talent.

4. High Turnover Among Temporary Workers

During the year-end rush, seasonal agents often see their roles as short-term. If they feel unsupported or overwhelmed, many leave before the season ends. This creates gaps in coverage right when call volumes are at their highest. 

To avoid this, screen candidates carefully and provide steady support throughout the season. When temporary staff feel included and appreciated, they’re more likely to stay through year-end, reducing disruptions and the cost of rehiring. 

5. Late or Reactive Hiring Cycles

Some insurance call centers delay hiring until the year-end surge has already started. By then, there’s not enough time to properly source, screen, license, or train new agents. 

This last-minute approach weakens onboarding and affects long-term service quality. It can also cause you to lose strong candidates who accepted roles with other employers who planned ahead. 

Practical Steps Insurance Teams Can Take to Improve Year-End Staffing 

To reduce risk and maintain service quality, insurance call centers need a hiring strategy that starts early, targets the right talent, and supports agents throughout the season. Here’s how to achieve that: 

1. Build a Clear Hiring Timeline Early

Begin by reviewing your Q4 service data. Track when call volumes rise, how long calls lasted, and how many agents were needed to meet response times. 

Then, work backwards to build a realistic hiring schedule. For example: 

• Agents should be ready by mid-October 
• Training takes three weeks 
• Licensing and screening need two weeks 
• Hiring should start by early August 

Starting early gives your team time to screen candidates, complete licensing, and provide proper onboarding. It also prepares you ahead of the spike in policy changes, travel-related claims, and inquiries that tend to follow holiday events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and end-of-year promotions. 

When agents are trained and ready before demand peaks, you protect service quality, reduce error rates, and avoid last-minute hiring pressure. 

Early preparation also helps you: 

• Secure a staffing partner with insurance experience ahead of peak season 
• Bring back top-performing seasonal agents from previous years 
• Align HR, operations, and training teams around one timeline 

It’s a simple shift: start early, stay ready, and deliver consistent service throughout the busiest part of the year. 

2. Use Clear Job Campaigns to Attract Better Candidates

With your timeline in place, your next step is outreach. Many job seekers skip over insurance call center roles, assuming they require prior experience or lack flexibility. Clear, targeted messaging helps correct those assumptions and draws in qualified applicants. 

Be clear about: 

• Licensing needs, or whether training will be provided 
• Available shifts (days, evenings, weekends) 
• The value of the role (supporting people with real insurance needs) Opp
• ortunity for growth (possible extensions or future opportunities) 

To reach more qualified candidates: 

• Post on job boards that specialize in insurance and customer service roles 
• Offer referral bonuses to current employees 
• Partner with local training programs or vocational schools 

Clear, targeted recruitment campaigns help attract stronger applicants, reduce drop-off during onboarding, and keep your hiring process moving smoothly. That means less time spent rehiring and more focus on preparing agents for peak service periods. 

3. Get New Hires Call-Ready

Hiring the right people is only half the job. To help new agents succeed, your training must be clear, practical, and focused on what they’ll face day to day. Strong onboarding gets agents up to speed quickly and improves how they manage calls.¹

To get new hires call-ready, start with the basics. Agents need to understand your products, policies, and call procedures, but they don’t need to learn everything at once. Focus on what they’ll use most during live calls. 

Then, train them to navigate your tools. Give them time to practice with your CRM, phone system, and any compliance software. This helps them work faster and avoid early mistakes. 

Soft skills matter too. Agents should learn how to listen well, show empathy, and handle upset callers calmly. 

Make the training more effective with real-world call examples, shadowing opportunities, and clear guides they can reference during shifts. And instead of putting new hires on live calls right away, pair them with experienced staff or ease them in with supervised sessions. This builds confidence, lowers stress, and leads to better performance during the busy season. 

4. Keep Seasonal Agents Engaged to Improve Retention

Seasonal agents may only be on for a short time, but they stay longer and perform better when they feel supported.² 

Read More: Building a Strong Call Center Workforce: Leveraging Effective Team Collaboration and Support Systems 

To keep them engaged, provide regular check-ins and set clear goals. Timely feedback keeps agents aligned and helps them improve. Recognize strong performance, whether it’s low error rates or high customer satisfaction, and show how their work supports the bigger picture. 

Even small perks like flexible shifts or public recognition can boost morale. When agents feel included, they’re more likely to stay through the season and return when you need them again. 

Prepare Now for a Strong Year-End 

Year-end doesn’t have to mean last-minute hiring, overwhelmed agents, and long customer wait times. With a structured seasonal staffing strategy, insurance call centers can move from reactive to ready, delivering consistent service even during the busiest weeks of the year. 

The fourth quarter will be here before you know it. Plan now, and your team will be ready to handle the rush with confidence. 

Ready to Build a Strong Seasonal Team? Partner with Salem Solutions. 

At Salem Solutions, we specialize in placing licensed, experienced call center agents who are ready to step in, perform under pressure, and represent your brand well. From sourcing and screening to onboarding and performance support, we provide end-to-end support that helps you maintain service quality, protect compliance, and scale with confidence through the year-end surge. 

Let’s build a workforce that strengthens your operations and safeguards your call center’s reputation. Contact Salem Solutions Today to get started. 

Reference 

1. (SHRM) Research Team, Alonso, A., & Nelson, K. (2024, January). 2023-24 SHRM State of the Workplace Report. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/research/2023-2024-State-of-the-Workplace-Report.pdf 
2. Birocci, J. H. (2022, August). Call Center Retention: A Correlational Study of Work Attitudes and Satisfaction of Training and Development for Customer Service Agents. Abilene Christian University. https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1521&context=etd