With Christmas on the horizon, delivery companies need to brace themselves for the busiest period of the year particularly when more people than ever are now buying online. The Christmas season is going to be incredibly busy and stressful for delivery companies who will be dealing with a sharp increase in demand, worse weather on the roads and an increase in consumer expectations when it comes to delivery.
Logistics managers are going to have their work cut out for them in the run-up to Christmas and they will need to be on the ball if they are to satisfy customers and succeed during this busy period. So, what can they do to make sure that everything goes according to plan for the holidays?
Preparation
Like many areas of life, preparation will be crucial for success. It is a smart idea to look at past sales for this time of year and reviewing forecasts from clients so that you can get an idea of what to expect but keep in mind that more people than ever are now shopping online so it is likely to be busier this year compared to last.
Flexibility
You need to make sure that there is some flexibility for your customers as they now expect to have a few options for delivery. This might include next day delivery, parcel collection, time slots or even parcel lockers as many people will be at work during delivery hours.
Tracking
Being able to track parcels is important so that nothing goes missing but also so that the consumer can keep track of the shipment. This is possible with third party specialists like Parcel2Go, which will be crucial for such a busy time of the year where you will be handling many more shipments than normal.
Look After Your Team
As a logistics manager, it is important that you recognise that you need to look after your team and you cannot expect them to work like machines. This will be the busiest, most challenging and stressful period of the year so you need to find ways to keep morale high and keep the team motivated. Having perks and making sure that they are paid correctly and on time will be the basic requirements. You may also want to think about hiring temporary staff to lighten the load during this time.
Christmas is fast approaching and it is likely that you have already noticed a surge in demand. Careful planning will be critical for success during this period and hopefully these tips will help to reduce stress and ensure that everything runs smoothly.