Growth is good, but sometimes it happens more quickly than we expect causing all kinds of problems. If you suddenly have more orders than you’re equipped to handle, it’s likely you’ll encounter issues with lead times, personnel, and even your IT equipment. Because sudden growth is often a reaction to external circumstances going on in the market and outside of your control, it may catch you off guard. Upgrading could be the key to handling the additional orders quickly and efficiently.
The first thing you need to do in this situation is hire additional staff to manage the extra workload. Because you’re playing ‘catch up,’ we suggest hiring a temp that’s available for hire in case you decide that this growth spurt is a long term trend. Not all companies allow you to hire their temps. Others charge outrageous fees – and the employee you’re hiring doesn’t see a penny of that. Be sure to check into this first before finding the personnel company you want to work with.
Second, if you can’t produce your product more quickly, spring for quicker shipping. Don’t make your customers wait for you to produce the product they believe you have in stock, and then wait even longer for ground shipping. Pay the difference for overnight shipping yourself. The gain of a happy customer will far outweigh the nominal fee your shipping company will charge you to ship more quickly.
Third, upgrade your IT network. More online sales are lost because of poorly designed websites and slow load times than anything else. If they love your product, but hate dealing with your website, they’re gone. Even if it means upgrading to refurbished IT equipment from the current equipment you bought new, it’s worth it to have the right hardware to handle your infrastructure. Just be sure to find a reputable refurbished hardware company to work with. How do you know if it’s reputable? Easy. Find a company that offers at least a six month warranty on used equipment (a one year warranty is even better), maintains its own inventory, offers a trade-in credit on the routers and switches you no longer need, and encourages you to call and speak to a customer service rep (some companies hide their phone number or take it off their site altogether to discourage you from talking to them – stay away from those).