How to get your business ready for Christmas

Proper Christmas planning can do wonders for bringing in last-minute work and positioning yourself for the new year ahead.

Of course, if you’re still a relatively young business, it can be tricky to know where to start, which is why we’ve shared our most important Christmas must-dos below to help your business stand out from the competition this winter.

Christmas business preparations: Where to start

As with all seasonal events and occasions, effective Christmas business preparation starts with identifying where best to direct your focus and then leaning into that niche. So, with that in mind, here are our six most important Christmas business preparation steps to follow:

1. Plan for customer emergencies

It doesn’t matter if you're planning to shut up shop over the whole of Christmas or just for a week or two; the key to any successful holiday is to be as prepared as possible ahead of your time off.

Making a limited contingency plan for any unexpected emergencies your customers may face could position you to pick up last-minute work.

For example, burst pipes and power cuts can happen at any time of the year. So, by making yourself available for emergency plumbing or electrical work on Boxing Day and in the run-up to new year (albeit on reduced hours), you can earn additional income while simultaneously providing the kind of brand-boosting service that customers love.

2. Alert customers to any closures

Just as shops and cafés typically put up signs to let customers know when they’ll be closed during Christmas, you should also take the time to inform your customers of your working hours over the festive period.

Whether you post Christmas working hours on your website or social media, or update your Google My Business account, customers will know your availability ahead of time, keeping potential dissatisfaction to a minimum and reducing the chance of missed leads.

If you do plan to take on emergency work over the Christmas period, we’d also recommend setting up an out-of-office email or voicemail to let customers know when they can expect a response, as well as instructions on how to get in touch if their query is urgent.

3. Consider holiday marketing

The busy Christmas period is often the perfect time to show customers that your business has genuine heart and personality, while also informing them about upcoming deals or interesting products.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to engage with your customers on social media or through newsletters, delivering your news with a fun and festive twist that gets into the Christmas spirit.

For example, you could encourage your social media followers to take part in competitions, such as 'best-dressed Christmas tree', and award prizes to the top-voted images. Alternatively, you could send out a special Christmas-themed newsletter to get customers excited about what your business has to offer over December and into January.

In some cases, just sharing useful information around your trade can do wonders for customer engagement, such as boiler and window companies advising customers on how they can make their homes more energy efficient during cold weather.

The possibilities are pretty much endless, so don’t be afraid of jumping in and giving one a go.

4. Invest in your customers

Depending on your industry, you might find that the end of the year is traditionally your quiet period. If that's the case, this can be a fantastic opportunity to invest more time in your customer relationships as well as helpful new business technologies.

For example, you could start by replying to recent customer reviews or comments on your website and social media to thank them for their kind words or address any complaints.

You could also follow up on previous jobs to see whether customers were happy with the work, and ask how you could improve your services in future.

Finally, if you’ve been meaning to update your website and improve your online visibility,  now is a good time to focus on SEO best practices to make yourself stand out on Google and provide a better online experience for your customers.

Simply put, taking the time to do things like this can really pay off in the long run. Not only does it improve your business's credibility, but if a customer feels valued, they're more likely to use your services again and recommend you to others through word-of-mouth marketing.

5. Account for security

If you’re planning to close over the festive period, don't forget to secure your business premises, look after your business van and protect your work tools.

Many premises will be empty and unsupervised on Christmas Day, and those without adequate security measures could become a tempting target for thieves. Regardless of your business premises or workspace, make sure you hide all valuable items out of sight and lock up properly on your last day of trading.

6. Get ready for 2026

With the new year just around the corner, it's always helpful to have a plan in place for anything you need to do ahead of time for January and the months beyond.

When you can, take the time to consider what obligations and commitments your business has agreed to in January. Is there anything you could start now to make the process easier down the line?

For example, you may have a large contract that's up for renewal soon, or a full kitchen to install within the first week of the new year. Or you might simply need to set aside time to complete your self-assessment tax return before the January 31 deadline.

Whatever it is, make sure you give yourself enough time to plan in advance, so you’re not rushing around at the last minute. 

How are our Which? Trusted Traders preparing for Christmas?

To wrap up, we asked some of our Trusted Traders how they’ve been preparing for the holidays and what plans they’d put in place to help usher in a successful January.

What challenges does the Christmas break pose to your business?

KJM Windows & Conservatories said: ‘Our industry generally shuts down for the best part of two weeks over the Christmas break. We are not normally asked to install products in people's homes during this time, and sales calls are nonexistent, so we take this opportunity to have a proper break.

‘For us, any sales enquiries that do come in can be dealt with online or via a redirected telephone call, so we even close the showroom.’

Other industries, meanwhile, must continue operating to ensure no customers are left in a vulnerable position. Tincknell Heating noted some of the challenges that face the business each winter: ‘As a well-established business, we have many loyal, long-standing customers, some of whom are elderly and vulnerable and would struggle without heating in cold weather.

‘However, trying to ensure we have adequate cover for boiler emergencies over Christmas can be difficult – we want to make sure our customers are well looked after, but we also want our staff to enjoy the Christmas period with their friends and family.’

What about emergencies over the holiday period?

Heatable, an online boiler retailer and installer, is firmly on board with the idea of providing emergency holiday services, saying: ‘Emergency visits are part and parcel of undertaking heating and plumbing works.

‘Speedy resolutions are a priority for us year-round, but there is an additional emphasis on this over the holiday period. We don’t want anyone's turkey to double up as a radiator.

‘Thankfully, we’re blessed with a loyal and dedicated network of engineers, allowing us to keep a year-round skeleton crew (previously reserved for Halloween) active and ready to go, enabling us to get out to emergency visits at this time of year as quickly as we usually would.’

How are you preparing for Christmas this year?

Horsford Window & Conservatory Co Ltd said staff had been organising their project and supply deliveries beforehand so they could get to work straight away in the new year, while Ebor Mobility said it had put in new video and telephone lines to support its customers during this time.

Is there any advice you have for other Which? Trusted Traders on managing the Christmas period?

In’N’Out Autocentres added: ‘Make sure you plan your resources ahead of time so you have sufficient cover for work, and that enough members of the senior management team are available to handle any sudden emergencies.’

Indeed, the consistent message we got from all the businesses we spoke to was to make sure staff were well looked after and were able to enjoy a well-deserved break, ready to come back raring to go in the new year.

Tincknell Heating summed this up perfectly: ‘Try to have fun if you can - no one really wants to be at work during Christmas, but sometimes it's necessary. If you can make it fun, it doesn't seem so bad. And customers remember well if you can help them out when they really need it.’

Become a Trusted Trader this Christmas

While these aren’t the only steps you can take to ensure you have a successful work wrap-up for the year, they’re a great place to start. 

One other thing you might want to consider before the year ends is to surprise your customers by becoming a Which? Trusted Trader.

Those that pass our rigorous vetting process are allowed to display the Which? seal of approval on their branding, while also getting access to their very own business profile to display reviews and previous examples of their work. It’s a surefire signal to customers that you’re a business worth working with. 

Get in touch today to find out more, and don’t forget to visit our trade hub for more guides like this one.