How to prepare your logistics for the holiday season

While the rest of the population is busy buying presents and stocking the fridge ready for the Christmas holidays, the logistics sector is at peak activity – ensuring shops and households get the deliveries they need to make sure a good time will be had by all.

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In turn, those full-on logistics operations mean that recruitment agencies need to be on the ball with their preparations, working with their retail (particularly online), transport and warehousing clients get everything ready.

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So, a good relationship with your recruiters can mean a large proportion of the stressful run-up to Christmas will be plain sailing. They’ll help make sure you have the staff in place where and when they are most needed – the most fundamental need in terms of keeping goods moving at a speed customers expect. 

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From additional drivers to picking and packing and stock control at headquarters, to waste management firms and last-mile delivery services, its all likely to be impacted, and recruitment agencies will be ahead of the curve – ready to respond to your needs.

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Planning is essential and clients who have a good relationship with their recruitment providers will benefit from guidance, starting early and looking back at the experience of previous years to get the strategy right.

Hire Temporary workers

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It’s almost inevitable that temporary workers will be needed to fulfil the Christmas logistics and transport requirements. The massive increase in demand shouldn’t lead to wages becoming unrealistic. Agreeing staffing levels, with the support of an experienced recruitment agency, will help avoid the hugely inflated rates that come with last-minute panic in the recruitment of extra employees. 

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In addition, negotiating rates through an agency is not only more likely to lead to a reasonable rate, but is also a lot less stressful for the employer.

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Plan ahead

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Working partnerships between employer and recruitment agency will typically involve the following:

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• Start planning ahead well in advance, look at last year’s performance and assess whether the need for additional staff will be the same or greater.
• Review last year’s volumes and assess how well that was handled by the team and whether more Christmas employees are needed.
• Look at any changes in the business model to identify areas that might be different this year – is the warehouse no longer dealing with a key item, or has a retailer launched a product that is likely to be a favourite in this year’s Christmas stockings?
• Is there any new technology or software that will speed up or streamline the process?

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Prepare for the future

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Before the main rush begins, recruitment agencies will work closely with clients to find, onboard and assess temporary workers so they are up to speed by the time demand his peak levels. 

The important thing for the logistics and retail sectors is that they are well prepared and have a good, strong relationship in place with an experienced recruitment agency to ensure they can provide a service that meets the needs of their customers.

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If you’re looking to recruit the best talent in logistics and transport for Christmas and during peak seasons, the team at ACS Staffing Solutions can help! Contact us online or give us a call on 01604 704058.