Dive Brief:

• L.L. Bean, Amazon.com and Saks were tops in picking up the phones at their call centers Black Friday weekend, according to StellaService, which called the retailers frequently over the weekend.
• Best Buy, which saw its website crash Black Friday, also wasn't picking up the phone with much urgency.
• GameStop didn't even take calls on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, StellaService said.

Dive Insight:

Besides merchandise, responsiveness is key for retailers at any time, much less during the holidays. Call centers are still vibrant profit centers, even in this age of the Internet. A frustrated customer is one that may not return, so it is imperative that warm voices greet a possible sale.

For good retailers, falling short is surely to be scrutinized in the aftermath of the season and steps should be taken to make things as smooth as possible. If not, retailers can count on the long memories of customers who may feel they were snubbed.