And remember: The goal isn’t just to avoid problems—it’s to help your customers feel supported, even when you’re taking a much-deserved break.
The holidays are a beautiful contradiction: joyful and chaotic, heartwarming and high-pressure, peppermint-scented and occasionally stressful enough to make even the calmest among us contemplate living off-grid. Your customers are running last-minute errands; your team is juggling family schedules; expectations are sky-high.
In moments like these, a tiny tech misstep can feel like a giant frustration. That’s why holiday tech etiquette matters—not as a formality, but as a kindness. Think of this as your gentle guide to not being the business that unintentionally derails someone’s Tuesday.
1. Update Your Online Hours (Before Your First Angry Phone Call)
Picture this: A customer races across town during their lunch break because Google says you’re open, only to find the lights off and the door locked. That isn’t just an inconvenience—that’s an origin story for a very petty villain.
Where to update:
- Google Business Profile (the big one!)
- Facebook, Instagram, Yelp
- Your website banner or pop-up
- Apple Maps (yes, people actually use it)
Friendly sample message:
“Happy Holidays! We’ll be closed Thursday, Nov. 28 to Sunday, Dec. 1 to spend time with family. We’ll be back to regular hours Monday morning—probably with a slight turkey hangover but ready to help!”
From a cybersecurity standpoint, this also prevents someone from impersonating your holiday schedule elsewhere. Own your message; don’t let someone else write it for you.
2. Set Friendly Out-of-Office Replies (That Don’t Sound Like Robots)
If you’re taking time off, let people know—warmly. A good auto-reply is like a friendly concierge: informative, human, and reassuring.
Sample message:
“Thanks for reaching out! Our office is closed for Thanksgiving from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1. We’ll respond as soon as we’re back and caffeinated. If it’s urgent, call our support line at (XXX) XXX-XXXX. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday!”
Keep these messages aligned with your security policies. Avoid phrases like “Everyone is gone until January!” which can inadvertently signal opportunity to the wrong people.
**3. Don’t Overshare in Your “Out of Office”
(Nobody Needs Your Itinerary)**
I love Aunt Carol as much as the next person, but your customers don’t need to know you’re spending the weekend in Denver with her dog, Peanut. And Bob from accounting? His “Friendsgiving potluck tour” can stay between him and his casserole dish.
Beyond being unnecessary, oversharing creates real security risks. Stick to:
- Dates you’ll be unavailable
- When people can expect a response
- Alternate contact options
Save the stories for your group chat.
4. Test Your Phone Systems (Before They Test Your Patience)
Holiday callers are often multitasking, stressed, and on a mission. The last thing they need is a voicemail greeting from 2019 telling them you’re open when you’re not.
The simplest tech audit of the season:
Call your own number.
I promise—this 30-second check prevents misunderstandings, improves customer trust, and keeps your staff from walking into a Monday morning inbox avalanche.
Sample voicemail:
“You’ve reached [Business Name]. Our office is currently closed for the holiday weekend. Please leave a message and we’ll return your call Monday morning. If this is urgent, press 1 to reach our on-call team. Happy Holidays, and thanks for your patience!”
If you use a co-managed IT provider or cloud phone system, this is also a great time to ensure failover routing works. Mirrored Storage clients, for instance, can verify that voice backups and call continuity settings are synced—small steps that prevent big headaches.
5. Communicate Shipping Deadlines (Before the Panic Sets In)
If your business ships anything—products, parts, handmade gifts, your grandmother’s famous peanut brittle—tell customers early when orders need to be placed.
Missed expectations damage trust far more than delayed packages. No one wants to explain why the holiday gift is showing up with Valentine’s Day energy.
Post deadlines on:
- Your homepage
- Product pages
- Checkout screens
- Social media
- Automated confirmation emails
Clear communication is an act of care.
Bottom Line: Good Etiquette = Happy Customers = Healthy Business
Holiday tech etiquette isn’t complicated. It’s simply about clarity, empathy, and respect for people’s time. A few thoughtful updates today can prevent a week’s worth of frustration tomorrow.
If you’d like help ensuring your systems stay polished, secure, and steady through the holiday rush—everything from phone routing to cloud backups to AI-assisted customer service—I’d love to help.
Book your free discovery call here: https://go.scheduleyou.in/hI54VnWs?cid=is:~Contact.Id~