Preparing for the holiday season
Malls and stores can be overwhelming during the holidays, but retailers aren’t the only companies who should be prepping for the busy season in advance. Every business, including yours, can benefit from getting organized a few months ahead of time. For example, if you have an elevator modernization in the works for a client, how will the holidays impact your timelines? It’s better to organize the details and align with your client now than be bogged down by unexpected delays in holiday season.
This time of year can be stressful and a challenge for many companies. Here are five ways to prepare your business now for a smoother season ahead.
Understand your ERP
ERPs, like MOM, can keep your back office organized all year round. If there are functions of your ERP that you’ve always wanted to take advantage of but haven’t, now is the time to try them. In particular, automated functionality can make certain processes easier, such as billing, and alleviate manual data entry errors, such as in accounting. Another feature you may want to explore is reporting. Most of the modules in MOM have customizable, easy-to-use reporting features that collect the data needed to take the guesswork out of decision-making. Understanding and implementing these features now means you’ll save time and resources later, so you can focus your attention on other areas during the busy holiday season, Small Business Trends confirms.
Readying your clients
Even if your company isn’t impacted too much by the holiday rush, your customers might be. They may have closures, longer response times, and just generally be much busier. That means leads or opportunities could get lost in the hustle and bustle of the season too. Now’s the time to give them any information they may need to review, like safety reminders or maintenance recommendations. They’ll appreciate getting everything they need to know in advance, giving them plenty of time to react before the holidays.
This is a great time to train or remind, your field technicians and sales staff of key customer service behaviors for the holiday season and “what it means to be attentive to the customer,” according to Forbes. Empathy, active listening, and timely resolutions become even more important in the upcoming months.
Holiday season scheduling
Speaking of closures, advance holiday season scheduling is a must. Consult your field technicians for their holiday vacation plans now to ensure you have enough coverage if you’re open. Review your inventory levels for critical or common parts to see if you need to replenish to avoid interruptions in your service.
The right ERP can be a big help with this. MOM 5.0 has month-overview worker-scheduling features, so you can get a better picture of December as a whole. MOM also has inventory tracking that allows you to monitor and manage those key parts for projects.
Apply last year’s learnings
Take a look at “what worked for you and what didn’t” last holiday. For example, did your sales team capitalize on any loyalty campaigns? Did you lose out on any potential leads? Was there a gap in field coverage? These details will be unique to your company and should be evaluated now to ensure you are prepared for the months to come. Asking your team for feedback could uncover some insightful takes on potential wins and opportunities for your company this year.
Start now
While December 25 may be a little over two months away, the holiday season starts earlier and earlier. Don’t wait to start thinking about how to tackle one of the busiest times of the year. Now that you have a jumping off point with tips for achieving a smoother season. You’ll want to strategize, make a plan. And begin implementing it over the next month. Come December, you’ll be happy that you started now!
Want to know more about ERPs before the holidays? Contact us to get started with MOM now.
