It’s hard to think of a business that isn’t in some way affected by seasonal timelines. Even if you don’t offer any products, sales or special services over any seasonal period, your customers will no doubt be more willing to spend after certain times of year at least somewhat defined by the seasonal period – even if that just means after tax season.
But in terms of seasons and holidays, many, many businesses are affected. Logistics firms deliver year round for instance, but they do most of their hard work and volume before Christmas, for obvious reasons, although of course the holiday of note can change in various countries and cultures.
As we go into the thick of autumn/fall, you can be certain that most businesses are planning their end of calendar year plans and defining how to avoid common issues that may crop up. In this post, we intend to discuss what those are, and help you along in that path:
Early Planning For Inventory
No business wants to begin scrambling to figure out where to put extra stock in November, as that’s a sign they’ve already left it too late. Looking at what happened last year can give you a rough idea of how much more you’ll need, and from there, you can start lining up solutions before everyone else is competing for the same resources.
For example, for some businesses, finding small warehouses for rent to handle overflow, or negotiating with suppliers to stagger deliveries so they’re not drowning in boxes all at once is wise. The wise approach is to get ahead of it while you still have options, because once the rush starts the prices of limited space can increase and may not be available.
Prepare Your Team For The Workload
This time of year usually means hours and more pressure on your staff, and if they’re not ready for it, it can cause some real frustration. In some cases hiring temporary workers helps, but you need to bring them on early enough that they’re trained and useful by the time the busy period hits, not learning on the job while orders are piling up.
Your existing team also needs to know what to expect and how workloads will alter exactly, so nobody’s caught off guard or burning out halfway through. You need to be focused about schedules, expectations, and what support is available, and also have a good overtime structure in place or rewards scheme if certain measures or met. It’ll help.
Have Backup Plans For Issues
Unfortunately, something is bound to go wrong when you’re firing on all cylinders, it just seems to be how these processes work. A few contingencies can help you in this respect, such as being able to offload to another department or having order limitations so your entire volume isn’t much more than you can deliver to your clients.
Backup plans may also be safety-focused, such as ensuring proper storage, security processes are still followed, or even having more security on hand for when the value of stock in your firm is much higher than it would have been.
Wit this advice, you’ll be sure to manage seasonal activity with care.
