13 Simple CX Tips To Transform Your BFCM

Hi Team,

Happy Sukkot to those who are celebrating, and happy Thursday to the rest of you all.

We are knee-deep in Q4, and most of the folks I have chatted with in the last two weeks had one question to ask.

“What can I do now to set myself up for BFCM/Q4 success in the CX department?”

You’ll have 47 newsletters and X threads from the growth guys telling you how to 34x your ROAS, but if you’ve been here for a second, you know that’s not my department. 

This week, I’ll try to give you some very practical and actionable tips on the CX component, as well as some ways the AI gods can help in this hectic time.

Ready?

Let’s do it.

This week’s newsie is brought to you by Siena AI!

This week, we’re spotlighting Siena AI, the Empathic Autonomous AI Agent built for commerce. With BFCM and the holidays around the corner, I thought it might be worth sharing more about them that could make your life so much easier this season.

Here are 3 things that make Siena stand out:

• Branded AI Agents: Siena was the first platform to introduce AI Personas that speak your brand’s unique voice and style. They go beyond just “Friendly” or “Professional”—you can have an AI that’s witty and fun on Instagram, and another that keeps it professional in emails. It’s customer service as a medium for connection, not just a utility.

• Advanced Modularity And Customization: Siena lets you plug in any third-party app, create custom actions, and run different strategies on multiple channels. Brands can set AI goals like sending replacements or editing subscriptions, and Siena autonomously handles all the steps. It’s like having a super-agent that reasons through complex tasks, pulling data from systems, asking clarifying questions, and updating records all in real-time. Siena does what was once far beyond AI’s reach.

• No Platform Lock-In: Just like your team members, Siena goes where you need it—no CRM lock-in. Siena integrates seamlessly with your systems, so you’re not tied down by one platform. It’s AI that’s as flexible as you need it to be.

Some recent cool reviews on the success stories:

• MUD/WTR: “What stood out with Siena is that we're in control of everything. We can determine the tone of voice, and give her her own name and persona to reflect our brand personality and values. Our CSAT score went from floating around a 4.5, to now every week being consistently at 4.8 and above.”

— Sara Colon, Customer Support Manager

• Prose: "The quality of response that Siena comes up with is phenomenal. We've even taken inspiration from her responses and added them to our existing customer-facing comms."

— Jessica Weiss, CX Lead Product Partner, Prose

• Simple Modern: Siena responds to 52% of our customer interactions while getting rated as well as human agents. Siena is industry leading and constantly getting better.We’re believers in the vision of Lisa Popovici and Andrei Negrau.

With the busiest shopping season upon us, now might be a good time to see how Siena can lighten the load. I'd recommend booking a time with Lisa and the team—they're incredibly knowledgeable and can show you how Siena might fit into your operations.

Also, they are offering my readers the first 3-months for free and access to their Certification Program. Just hit up their team and drop my name, Eli Weiss. 

Book a demo here. 

Practical CX Tips to Prep for Q4:

Q4 is wild. Between the prep heading into it, the thick of the chaos, and the post-purchase noise, CX is the only team that plays an active role in all three parts.

It was always surreal watching everyone celebrate BFCM and then head out to vacation, knowing well that for CX, we were still in the midst of it. 

Here are some practical tips to keep your CX team sane and your customers happy during BFCM.

1. Prep Macros Ahead of Time

You know the usual spiel: “Where’s my order?”, “Can I still get the discount?” “How do I return this?” — the same questions you’ve seen every year. 

Don’t wait until your team is drowning to start answering these. Get ahead by prepping macros for the most common inquiries.

• Top 5-10 FAQs: Focus on the questions you know you’ll see 1,000 times.

• Make sure the macros include links to self-service options so customers can help themselves with tracking, returns, and FAQs.

This simple step can save your team hours and make sure your customers get quick, accurate answers.

This should take less than an hour and help your team 10x their response times. 

2. QA Every Part of the Site

You’ve probably seen this happen: a promo is running smoothly, orders are flying in, and suddenly, you realize the conversion is a bit lower than usual, and your inbox is full. 

It turns out some buttons on your PDP are finicky, or you are missing the dimensions of the products on the page. 

Test everything before your big sale goes live. Check discount codes, cart functionality, checkout flow, and every little piece of your website on both desktop and mobile. The smallest technical glitch can turn into a nightmare if you don’t catch it early.

3. Keep the Offer Simple

Look, I love a good multi-tiered sale with free gifts, secret discounts, and mystery surprises as much as the next guy, but the reality is that simpler offers almost always win.

Especially during BFCM, when customers’ inboxes are flooded with promotions, your offer needs to be easy to understand and stand out.

• Instead of overcomplicating things, try this: 25% off sitewide or “Spend $100 or more, get a free gift.” You still get that AOV boost, but it’s straightforward.

• If you’re trying to push a more complex sale, keep the messaging super clear. Customers don’t have time to figure out how to unlock five different promo tiers—they’ll just move on to the next email in their inbox.

4. Don’t Send 30 Annoying Emails

Everyone else is going to tell you to send a barrage of emails over BFCM—20, 30, whatever. 

But here’s my POV: you don’t need to add to the noise. Your focus should be on standing out, not overwhelming your customers with email after email.

• Subject lines are your first and most important tool: Nail the subject line, and you’re halfway there. Focus on clarity and urgency without being over the top UNHINGED.

• Quality beats quantity: Yes, it’s okay to send a bit more than usual, but make sure every email or SMS counts. A clear, compelling message with the right timing to the right person is going to work 10x better than spamming your customers.

• A good example: if someone gets the first email, adds to the cart, then abandons it… Send them a text thoughtfully curated for the BFCM sale, creating scarcity and offering them any assistance they would need to get over the finish line. Simplicity will crush over complexity every single time. 

5. Proactively Set Expectations

One of the biggest complaints post-BFCM is, “I didn’t know it would take this long to ship.” Customers don’t care if you’re overwhelmed—they just want their orders. Get ahead of this by setting clear expectations from the start.

• In your order confirmation emails, make sure you’re realistic about delivery times, especially if you know things might be delayed.

• If you’re running free shipping promos, be extra clear about any processing times or delays customers might experience.

If customers know what to expect upfront, they’re less likely to complain later.

6. Plan for Post-Sale Follow-Up

Once BFCM ends, it doesn’t mean the work is over. In fact, the days immediately after the sale can be just as hectic. This is when all the “Where’s my order?” and “How do I return this?” inquiries really start piling up.

• Automate your post-sale communication: Set up clear, automated emails to go out after the sale that includes order tracking links, return instructions, and any other key info to avoid a flood of tickets.

• Send proactive updates: If orders are delayed or there’s a backlog, get ahead of it. Send out an email or SMS to keep customers in the loop so they don’t end up frustrated. Use PDQ or Wonderment.

7. Make Sure Your Team Is Ready

It’s not just about prepping the automations and templates—you need to make sure your team is ready to go, too. The holiday rush is tough, and burnout is real, especially when things get crazy.

• Cross-train your team: Make sure your CX agents know how to handle the high-priority issues and aren’t just stuck on repetitive FAQs.

• Create a cheat sheet: Give your team a rundown of the most common issues, the macro responses, and escalation paths so they can handle things quickly without asking for help every time.

• See the human in them: I’ve always tried to send my team coffee or lunch on BFCM weekend. Everyone else is at Thanksgiving dinner, and your team is crushing tickets and probably not paid enough. If you can’t solve the salary piece, at least appreciate them and treat them well. For the love of god.  

How AI Can Save Your CX Team’s Sanity (and Boost Results) During BFCM:

Alright, you’ve got the fundamentals down—your macros are prepped, your offers are simple, and your team is ready for the chaos. Now, let’s talk about AI and how it can make a real difference during BFCM.

I’m not talking about flashy, overhyped tech that promises to fully replace your team (that’s not happening). I’m talking about using AI smartly to handle the boring repetitive stuff, allowing your team to focus on what really matters: solving the big problems and turning frustrated customers into loyal ones.

Here are some ways to put AI to work this holiday season.

Bonus tip before we start: Siena has created an amazing AI BFCM playbook covering everything from automating customer inquiries to handling returns, split shipments, fulfillment, shipping processes, and even managing holiday gift returns—book a time with them to get it for free. 

1. Automate Repetitive Inquiries with AI

You know what questions are going to pile up: “Where’s my order?”, “What’s the return policy?”  “Can I still get the discount?”. Instead of bogging your team down with these simple questions, automate them using AI.

What to automate:

• Order status updates: Set up AI-driven responses that give customers real-time tracking info and estimated delivery dates.

• FAQ responses: Use AI to respond to questions like “When will my order arrive?” or “What’s the return policy?”—the type of inquiries that make up the majority of your ticket volume during Q4.

Setting this up now will save your team countless hours later. Let the bots handle the FAQs while your team focuses on higher-level tasks.

2. AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis: Flag High-Priority Tickets

During BFCM, not all tickets are created equal. Some customers are asking basic questions, but others are frustrated, upset, or about to churn—and those are the ones you need to prioritize.

This is where AI-powered sentiment analysis comes in. AI tools can quickly scan messages and flag the ones that have negative sentiment, allowing your team to address those critical cases first. Think of it as triage for your CX team—getting to the customers who need help the most urgently.

Set up AI to flag negative sentiment in emails, chats, and social media inquiries so your team can jump in and solve problems before they spiral.

This keeps your team focused on the most impactful conversations instead of getting lost in the weeds with low-priority tickets.

3. Personalization at Scale: Use AI to Deliver Tailored Messages

Customers expect personalized experiences even when their inboxes are blowing up during BFCM. Here’s the good news: AI can help scale personalization without making it feel robotic as hell. 

How to use it:

• Post-purchase emails: Set up AI-driven emails that respond based on customer behavior. If someone bought a high-value item, you can offer them VIP-like treatment or send a special “thank you” message with exclusive offers.

• Dynamic responses: AI tools can adapt email content to the customer’s history or preferences. For example, an AI-driven system could detect a frequent buyer and suggest complementary products or accessories based on their previous purchases.

You don’t have to manually create every message—AI does the heavy lifting while still making it feel personalized.

4. Proactive AI Chatbots to Keep Customers Engaged

Your chatbots shouldn’t just be reactive; they should be proactive. During BFCM, chatbots can handle everything from answering common questions to offering exclusive promotions in real time. This is where AI really shines—engaging customers without overwhelming your agents.

For example:

• A customer lands on your checkout page but doesn’t complete the purchase. An AI-powered chatbot can pop up and offer a limited-time discount to nudge them over the finish line.

• Or, a chatbot can surface helpful articles about returns and shipping times, reducing the number of tickets that hit your CX team.

Set your chatbot to do the work for you during peak times, and don’t leave it sitting idle.

5. Use AI for Real-Time Insights

During Q4, the faster you spot issues, the better. AI can help you track real-time ticket trends—whether it’s a sudden spike in a specific issue or common themes customers are complaining about. These insights can be a game-changer for your CX team.

• Monitor common complaints: If AI detects a pattern—like multiple customers complaining about delivery times—you can immediately update your team and automate a response to address the issue proactively.

• Adjust on the fly: AI can help you make real-time adjustments to your strategy. If one promo isn’t working, or if there’s confusion around a sale, AI will pick up on these trends quickly so you can course-correct before it escalates.

6. AI-Powered Post-Sale Support

BFCM doesn’t end once the sale is over. The post-purchase period is when a lot of brands drop the ball, leading to frustrated customers and lost loyalty. AI can help automate post-sale support, keeping customers informed about their orders and helping them feel valued even after they’ve handed over their money.

• Automated updates: Use AI to send real-time updates on shipping delays, delivery issues, or backorders. Customers appreciate transparency, and AI can help you deliver that at scale.

• Proactive engagement: If AI notices a customer hasn’t opened their order confirmation or delivery notice, send them a follow-up to make sure they have all the info they need.

That’s it for this week!

Any topics you'd like to see me cover in the future?

Just shoot me a DM or an email!

Cheers, 

Eli 💛

P.S. Looking for inspo on your next email/sms campaign?

I know you will love this.