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Warehouse logistics can be tough to navigate at this time of year. Demand is high, things are busy, staff shortages are more pronounced and you could experience a lack of warehouse equipment at a time when you need it most. So how can you make sure that your Christmas logistics throughout your warehouse are going off without a hitch this festive season? Here’s how you can optimise Christmas logistics in your warehouse this year:
Make your plans well in advance
Organisation is key to any business and industry, including warehousing and distribution. The Christmas season needs to be planned for well in advance, with planning beginning as early as spring for the upcoming festive season. This ensures that you have all of your ducks in a row and that you have plugged all of the holes and problems that could arise. It also allows you to ensure that your employees are working efficiently, but that they’re also happy.
One way to do this is to ask for their input. How can you make their roles easier during one of the busiest times of the year? Ask your employees what their grievances are and pose some solutions to those problems. Whether you need to acquire additional equipment for them to use or if they need additional training to refresh their knowledge right before Christmas starts, there’s always something you can do, if you plan ahead.
Rethink your shipping strategy
Is your current shipping strategy sufficient enough to keep up with additional demand this Christmas? If you don’t think it’s up to the job of dealing with increased sales and returns, then it could require a temporary overhaul, at least over the festive season. Rethink how the shipping side of things are going to go before the Christmas period hits and straighten things out as part of your planning process at the start of the year. Additionally, you could hire additional order pickers and lorries to keep up with demand.
Streamline the returns process
Consumers need to see that their refunds are being processed in an efficient and timely manner. They will be keen to get their money back for items that didn’t quite hit the mark. Additionally, they’ll appreciate a returns process that is free of charge and easy to execute. Make it as convenient for the customer as possible. Also, make sure that you’re picking up the baton when it’s your turn to process the return.
Part of this involves refunding their money as quickly as possible. As a result, you’ll have happy customers. In turn, they’ll be more likely to order from you again, knowing how timely and straightforward the returns process was. This is further solidified by rethinking your shipping strategy, so that goods arrive in an impressive amount of time.
Communicate with your customers effectively
A good way to keep your customers happy, alongside a streamlined shipping strategy and a seamless return policy, is to make sure you’re communicating with them regularly when there are any developments. From the placement of the order right through to when they expect delivery, you need to make sure that they’re being updated throughout the process.
The same also goes for any items that are returned. Customers are anxious to get their hard-earned money back should the product not meet their expectations. With this in mind, give them some reassurance that their refund is being processed. Do this by giving them consistent updates as and when any developments happen.
Add a hint of magic to your shipping packaging
Something that can set you apart from your competitors is how the product is received by your customers. Is there a way in which you can add a hint of Christmas magic to your packaging? If not, you can do this in a really simple way.
Try adding seasonal tissue paper to the inside of the box. Alternatively, have some Christmas boxes printed with festive drawings on the outside. There’s plenty you can do to set this product apart from others that are received throughout the other months of the year.
Have the right material handling equipment available
Something that will help to make warehouse operations and logistics more straightforward over the Christmas season to make sure that you already have the equipment on hand to get the job done as and when needed.
Will your fleet of forklifts be enough or will you need other pieces of warehouse equipment? Multy Lift has a wealth of machinery available, such as pallet trucks, reach trucks, warehouse stackers and more.
We can cater to all budgets and requirements, with second-hand warehouse equipment for sale, alongside brand new machines. We are also pleased to offer warehouse equipment hire for those who need temporary additional resources.
Make sure staff shortages are taken care of & that they’re fully-trained
Staff shortages cannot be accurately predicted. But with Christmas comes cold weather, so staff shortages can come as a result of sickness, for instance. As part of your advanced planning, provision a budget sufficient enough to hire seasonal, temporary workers. This will help you to keep up with the increased demand.
In addition, make sure your employees are fully-trained and have been on refresher courses. This ensures that workers can operate the equipment needed and are aware of safety procedures, among other things. Essentially, staff numbers and adequate training is paramount to the smooth-running of any warehouse at Christmas.
Maximise storage space throughout your warehouse to accommodate additional stock
Maximising the space throughout your commercial premises is a great thing to consider. Especially if you want to optimise your warehouse operations at Christmas. This is because you need to be able to accommodate additional stock levels to meet demand. It also ensures that you aren’t rapidly and consistently selling out of popular items. There are a number of ways in which you can do this, even with a small commercial property.
Firstly, you can implement additional warehouse racking and construct mezzanine flooring. If you’re worried about navigating your equipment through aisles that have become more narrow as a result, then make sure you’ve acquired VNA forklifts in good time. Multy Lift can either sell you a new VNA forklift or a used VNA forklift from Aisle-Master.
Alternatively, if you only require the VNA forklift for a short time, over Christmas, then we have forklift rental services available that will allow you to hire a VNA forklift if needed. Our forklift hire contracts can be tailored to your exact needs and budget. So look to us if you want to bridge any gaps in your fleet for a specific period of time.
If you would like further information about our material handling equipment for sale, including forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, pallet trucks and more, or to discuss our forklift hire services, then get in touch with a member of our friendly, professional team today – we have over three decades of experience providing customers throughout the UK with material handling solutions that are second-to-none, so you’ll always be able to count on us to help you.
