Winning Q4: Solidify Your Foundation Ahead of Peak Season

Given that peak season can begin as early as September, it’s imperative companies spend Q3 planning for the imminent increase in demand that Q4 yields. The 2023 holiday shopping season saw a 4.9% increase in U.S. online sales compared to 2022, with 95% of consumers planning to shop, up from 88% two years ago (FedEx, 2024). Cyber Week was particularly noteworthy, hitting a record $13 billion in sales—a 7.9% increase from 2022. Cyber Monday alone saw an 8.4% rise in sales compared to the previous year (FedEx, 2024).

What does this mean for your business? A peak in demand.

With these trends expected to continue in 2024, let’s dive deeper into strategies that companies can leverage to plan for success this busy season.

4 Ways to Build and Retain Your Worker Pool

1. Reflect on Last Year: Consider areas of growth from last year’s busy season. Start by asking these questions:

• Were wages high enough to obtain and retain key talent? 

• Were staffing providers able to meet last minute volume? 

• Were orders per hour (OPH) expectations met? 

• Did we utilize the ideal combination of temporary vs. full-time employees? 

• If using temporary support, how did partner(s) stack up against the industry’s new benchmarks: on time arrival rates, fill rates, consistency rates, time to fill shifts, etc.
  
  
  

2. Establish an Efficient Recruitment Process: Focus on hiring the right individuals for the right roles. Screen for the intangibles such as work ethic, consistency and adherence to company values. Use a combination of in-person interviews and digital assessments to ensure a solid fit. We’ve found it helpful to utilize technology to verify worker experiences and track reliability over time, rather than relying on resumes to tell the full story.
   
   
   

3. Offer Competitive Wages and Performance-Based Incentives: Consider a plan for incorporating wage increases, holiday bonuses, performance-based incentives and other perks that can make companies more attractive to potential employees. Incentives drive consistency. For example, we’ve seen that simple tools help retain quality workers; such as offering a $50 incentive for arriving 5 days in a row on time.
    

4. Build Your Roster of All Stars: Starting out with a reliable and consistent workforce will allow companies to execute on increased volume. Trade the last-minute hiring blitzes for a well-trained, consistent worker pool to ensure a smoother ramp when demand increases. Labor can be your team’s greatest operational asset. It is worth investing the time now to set your business up for success.

Implement Scalable Systems

As peak season approaches, efficiency becomes paramount. Automation is a key component of this strategy. As peak season approaches, implementing scalable systems can help you handle increased workloads without compromising on quality.

1. Adopt Advanced Scheduling Tools: Automatically assign shifts based on availability and skill sets, reducing the administrative burden on your HR team. We’ve found it helpful to utilize scheduling tools, match workers with shifts based on criteria, such as skills and availability, and provide real-time updates and data-driven forecasts to optimize labor demands. These processes ensure compliance, fairness, and flexibility, enhancing efficiency and worker satisfaction through mobile access and integration with your workforce management system.

   
   

2. Automate Timesheet Management: Consider exploring solutions to replace paper timesheets. Replace manual paper timesheets. Automated timesheet management saves time and minimizes errors, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks. App-based geo-tracking can ensure accurate timekeeping and reduce time fraud. 

Strategies to Ensure Peak Season Success

1. Develop a Contingency Plan Prepare for unexpected challenges by developing a contingency plan. This should include backup suppliers, additional staff, and alternative logistics solutions to ensure continuity in case of disruptions—unless you’re already partnered with Traba, in that case we’ve got you covered.

   
   

2. Enhance Communication Channels Maintain clear and open communication channels with your team. Regular updates and check-ins can help address issues promptly and keep everyone aligned with the company's goals. Communicate with your staffing agency regarding expected demand to ensure support channels are fortified. 

Conclusions

Preparing for the peak season involves strategic planning and the implementation of scalable systems. By solidifying your workforce foundation early, leveraging technology, and predicting demand accurately, you can turn the challenges of peak season into opportunities for growth. Remember, a well-prepared operation is a successful operation.

As you think about choosing a provider for the busy season and beyond, consider this feedback from one of our valued partners: 

“Traba has provided us with the right folks for the job so quickly that we were able to change our business model and now can accept double the orders. This has greatly increased our revenue.”  – A leading Commercial Printing Facility in Texas 

Set your business up for peak season success—contact Traba today.