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Christmas can be an incredibly busy time for warehouse owners, no matter the industry they’re working in. Somewhere along the supply chain, there will be an increased demand for something and it’s often up to those in the distribution industry to get that chain moving. So how can you ensure smooth warehouse operations this Christmas?
1. Hire seasonal workers
Seasonal workers are on hand to help pick up the slack during peak season. Your permanent workers might not have the time or the capacity to be able to meet the increased demands of your customers, which is why seasonal workers are hired to help.
Extra hands are imperative for making processes quicker and more efficient. Seasonal workers are often temporary, but if you have the vacancies available, you could, if you need to, bring them onto your team of permanent staff members, especially if they do a good job over the peak season.
2. Utilise as much technology as you can
Warehouse management systems (WMSs) are an integral part of running a warehouse. This will help with the order picking process as well as ensure you’re keeping on top of stock levels and where specific products are located for quick and easy access. Part of the technology you use should also include a range of warehouse equipment.
As a minimum, your warehouse should be equipped with pallet trucks, either powered or manual, forklifts, reach trucks and order pickers. The thing you’ll have to think more about is the fuel type. If your operations are carried out, mainly, outdoors, then a diesel forklift or an LPG forklift would be most suitable. However, if your work is carried out indoors, then electric vehicles would be more beneficial for a number of reasons. Electric vehicles are advantageous because:
- They give off zero emissions
- They’re environmentally-friendly
- They’re safe to use around people, even in close proximity
- They’re quiet when in operation
- They’re available in compact models for smaller warehouse premises
- They’re incredibly powerful despite being powered electrically
3. Update your floor plan to allow for easier access to products
If you know that certain products sell well during this time of year, make sure they’re easily accessible. It might be possible to retrieve those items without the help of a machine, as an employee might well be able to reach their hand inside the pallet box and bring out the item they need to fulfil their order. Part of making your operations as efficient as possible involves adapting and being flexible and that starts with updating your floor plan to allow for more effective order picking processes.
4. Make sure regular maintenance is being carried out
The last thing you want to experience during your peak season is downtime. You need to ensure that all of your machinery is running smoothly and effectively. Part of making sure they’re in good, working order will involve performing regular maintenance checks and, where necessary, repairs.
You don’t want to be operating with a reduced number of forklifts, for example, especially if you rely so heavily on them. Maintenance of the warehouse racking is also important to ensure the safety of everyone involved and also to help reduce product damage as a result of unstable storage solutions.
5. Take a look back at statistics from last Christmas
The best way to prepare your warehouse operations for this Christmas is to look back at your performance from previous Christmas seasons. Look back at more than one year to see if you can find any trends in how your customers behave during peak times.
Is there a product that people are more likely to want during Christmas and is this backed up with your own data? Do people consistently buy one type of thing around this time of year, every year? If so, then make sure you have enough supply to meet demand. This is a way to be prepared for the season ahead.
6. Ensure you’re well stocked
As already touched upon, if you know from previous stats that one product will be more popular at this time of year than another, make sure you have enough stock to meet your customer demand. You could also predict what most people are going to be ordering from you, especially if you’re a B2C company.
For example, Amazon would be able to predict that people will be wanting to buy presents from them, more so than food or practical items. On the other hand, it might seem obvious, but according to Printify, Christmas ornaments and decorations are the best-selling items on the run up to, and during, Christmas time. If you sell Christmas ornaments or decorations, then make sure you have plenty of stock available.
7. Maximise warehouse space where possible
Around this time of year, demand will be high for many different products. Therefore, it’s important for your warehouse to be well-stocked. In order for this to happen, especially if you have a small premises, is to maximise storage space throughout your warehouse. There are many ways in which you can do this, including the following:
- Reorganising your shelves, making sure in-demand items are easy to access and less popular products are higher up on the shelves
- Adding more warehouse racking that goes from the floor to the ceiling
- Fitting a mezzanine floor to add an extra level, underneath acts as an effective storage area, especially if you have surplus stock
- Making the aisles more narrow with the addition of extra warehouse racking to prioritise meeting the demand of your customers
- Implementing VNA forklifts and three-wheeled forklifts to navigate compact or tight spaces, so narrow aisles won’t be a problem
8. Deliver exceptional customer service every single time
Customer service is paramount to customer retention. Whether you’re a B2C (business to consumer) or a B2B (business to business) company, it’s important that you focus on delivering exceptional customer service every single time. A study from Help Scout found that 89% of consumers are more likely to buy something again from the same company if they have a positive customer service experience.
Clearly, delivering great customer service will help to keep your customers coming back to you, especially if you’re always fully-stocked with what they need. Delivery times are also imperative for making sure customers come back to you. According to Forbes, people will sooner order something from Amazon because they offer next-day, or even same-day, delivery, as opposed to another platform where they could be waiting even longer for their order to arrive.
If you focus on reasonable delivery times and keep prices competitive, in combination with delivering excellent customer service, you’ll be able to easily retain your customer base for many Christmases to come and, most likely, at other times of the year also.
Multy Lift has over three decades of industry knowledge and expertise to draw upon, as well as a variety of different pieces of material handling equipment that’ll provide the ultimate solution for any business, regardless of the industry you work in. We have new and used warehouse equipment available, including new and second-hand forklifts. We’re also able to offer long and short term contracts for warehouse equipment hire and forklift hire. For more information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our dedicated, professional team – we’re always happy to hear from you.
