‘Twas the night before your team’s holiday break, and all through the office, there was… chaos. Instead of enjoying that company-bought egg nog, your team is scrambling to track down down delayed IT hardware, trying to work out how on earth to carry out the remote onboarding of three new hires about to start in Darwin, Australia, and wondering why their IT equipment is closer to the North Pole than their Christmas tree.
That’s one scenario. Here’s scenario #2:
The holiday party is in full swing, and the worst thing you have to deal with is deciding which employee’s bad sweater wins the competition this year. Your IT hardware procurement and logistics workflows aren’t any more of a consideration than those cookie crumbs on your shirt, thanks to you taking the reigns ahead of the holiday crunch, creating a streamlined system that ensures Plans A through Z are in place and ready to go. All your employees are fully equipped, and you can go back to your kids, who are calm and nestled in their beds (or vacation rentals, your pick).
So how can you get to scenario #2, skipping the nightmare and heading straight to the ‘nog? Let’s break down the top logistics issues a company can face, often during its busiest season. With just a few small tweaks that keep your IT logistics running smoothly, the only reason you’ll need to spring from your bed is to check out that reindeer clatter—and not to figure out what company data went awry with your most recent offboarding.
The top IT logistics issues managers face during the holidays (and how to fix them)
Too much to handle
Over the holiday season, you’ve got enough to think about with all the presents you’re hoping to get your kids—and fighting your way through crowded stores, or websites crashing from timed-out connections, is the last thing you need. So, it’s easy to forget those new hires who also need their holiday “gifts,” by which we mean, a working laptop on January 2 when they incorporate. Ensuring IT logistics run smoothly, like getting the right equipment delivered, pre-configured, and ready to go, for teams all around the world, might be too much to handle. But with the right tools in place, you can make onboarding as seamless as granny’s wrapping paper around a box.
How to fix it: Automate your IT logistics by partnering with a global solution that handles hardware procurement, configuration, and delivery, with experts on call for any trouble. Use an IT logistics platform (and not a spreadsheet!) to automate tracking and ensure new equipment is shipped and ready long before your new hires start, no matter where they’re located. Automation can mean fewer headaches for your IT team and a smoother onboarding experience for your new employees. This way, you’ll enter the new year with a workforce that’s equipped, motivated, and ready to contribute. No pre-holiday panic, no post-holiday scramble.
Automate your IT logistics before the holiday chaos.
Delayed shipments
Ports and last-mile delivery options are weak spots in any supply chain logistics, causing delays outside your control yet still making you look responsible. Nervous new hiresoverloading your IT and HR teams can create a bottleneck in operations as more resources get diverted into navigating every package’s journey from your warehouse to an employee’s home.
How to fix it: Plan ahead. You can order IT equipment well in advance of critical deadlines, particularly during the holiday season when supply chains are most strained. Set up timelines for when remotely onboarded employees need their devices and consider potential shipping delays over the holidays to avoid unnecessary stress. And, if time does catch up with you, ensure you have a good ITAM platform for last-minute orders.
To minimise disruptions, consider diversifying your supply chain by working with multiple vendors or using warehousing options to `store equipment closer to your employees’ locations. Additionally, automate shipment tracking and notifications to provide real-time updates, ensuring both your team and the recipient stay informed about delivery progress.
A burnt-out staff
Complaints, wrong equipment, IT office issues, accounting errors – the holiday crunch seems like it’s felt in every department, customer-facing or not. A study by Monster found that 53% of workers surveyed said they had more stress during the holiday season, with 41% reporting a decline in productivity, which can result in a loss of your company’s profitability when it matters most.
How to fix it: Temporary and seasonal employees can be the lynchpin that keeps your company’s operations smooth and steady. And now, thanks to remote onboarding and the rise of online workers, you don’t need to worry about securing extra office space. Set up procedures for hiring and onboarding remote employees to help lighten the load this holiday season so that your full-time staff can focus on the critical systems while your seasonal employees handle the influx of short-term holiday tasks.
Case in point: Over the past few years, Amazon has laid off a significant portion of its staff to help cut costs. Yet Amazon still understands the holiday season is a “must win” time where the investment in staff is worth the price, so it’s hiring an additional 250,000 workers to manage its operations during the holiday season. While you might not need that many, don’t be afraid of bringing on new hires when you need them. Equipping them with the right IT hardware is not so difficult, after all.
This year, fill your company’s stocking with cash instead of coal
Make this the Q4 where your IT managers focus on what’s ahead and leave these holiday headaches to the pros. Global IT logistics solutions might not be Santa Claus, but the peace of mind they give your company is a pretty great gift. So, rather than spending the run-up to Christmas frantically ordering IT equipment, spend your time on your family’s gifts and lets Dots do the boring stuff. Book a demo today.
