While all businesses have ebbs and flows, seasonal businesses such as those in the tourism, hospitality, landscaping, gardening, home improvement, and recreation industries have high peaks — and deep valleys. As long as people are at home and not working, businesses such as ski resorts, golf courses, summer camps, and food trucks have to plan accordingly.
A cloud telephone system is a perfect solution for seasonal businesses. Because of the flexibility, it offers a variety of features and benefits that can help them make the most of their off-season while still being prepared for when things get busy. Here are just a few ways a cloud telephone system can help a seasonal business succeed:
Scalability
Unlike traditional telephone systems, cloud solutions allow you to scale up or down quickly and easily according to your business needs. This is ideal for seasonal businesses because they can increase their capacity to handle peak demand. At the same time, they don’t have to invest in expensive equipment that might not be used during the slower months. With cloud solutions, adding extra lines or features is simple and cost-effective.
Flexibility
Cloud phone systems offer extreme flexibility in terms of where calls can be made and how they appear on caller IDs. This means that even during off-seasons you can have multiple employees working from different locations while still appearing as if they’re all working from one office. It also allows you to give customers an impression of stability. Even though your staff is temporary, they can use the same phone number no matter who answers their call or where they happen to be located at the moment.
Cost Savings
Traditional telephone systems require costly hardware and upkeep fees, but with a cloud-based system, your costs are significantly lower. That’s because, there’s no need for major investments in upgrades. Plus, you only pay for what you use—so you don’t have to worry about overspending on unused features during slow periods.
Mobility
Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of using a cloud telephone system is its ease of mobility when it comes to remote work options. This feature makes it easy for employees to stay connected no matter where they are locate. A perfect option for those times when staff needs to work remotely due to bad weather or other circumstances.
Cloud phone systems provide peace of mind knowing that regardless of how demanding things get during peak season, your business will always have reliable communication tools ready at hand. In addition, you get enough scalability, flexibility, cost savings, and mobility options available so that you’re never left wanting more once things slow down again.
Indeed, for many seasonal businesses, 70% or more of their annual revenue rolls in during the spring and summer months. If they miss this window of opportunity, they’ll head into a long, painful winter filled with belt-tightening, deep budget cuts, layoffs, and in more severe cases, a sell-off or shutdown.
Examples of Seasonal Companies
Seasonal businesses have great potential for small businesses looking to increase revenue over a certain time of year. Seasonal businesses offer products or services that primarily cater to the needs of a particular season and may stay open year-round while making the majority of their income during their prime seasons. The main advantage of such seasonal businesses is that they give the business owner some flexibility in their working schedule. Not only can an entrepreneur get more vacation time throughout the year, but they also don’t need to pay overhead costs if they close up shop during unprofitable times.
There are many different types of seasonal companies that offer products or services depending on the market. Small business owners need to make sure they set rates accordingly and have enough clients/customers ready for business whenever their season begins so that they remain profitable throughout the year.
Lawn Care Companies
Lawn care companies provide a valuable service to those who are unable to maintain their lawns by themselves. During the warmer months, these companies become busy performing such tasks as mowing, edging, trimming bushes and shrubs, seeding or over-seeding, and applying fertilizer. For colder climates that experience snow in winter, these services may not be available during the coldest months though some businesses still offer snow removal services.
Tax Preparation Services
The regular tax season can be a busy and stressful time for many individuals, meaning that having access to a good tax service is very important. A quality tax preparation and accounting company help ensure that all of their customer’s taxes are filed correctly and on time. During the tax season, most companies tend to stay open during regular business hours from January until April. Upon nearing the deadline, some may stay open for late filers depending on demand. However, during the off-season when there isn’t as much demand for services, most companies switch to an appointment-only basis rather than having someone in the office full-time.
School-Related Companies
School-related businesses are often seasonal, and their operations depend upon the activities of children. Tutoring services, for example, see a surge in student demand during the school year when students seek help in a variety of subjects from certified tutors. Conversely, these businesses aren’t as active over summer vacations because fewer students need assistance and due to other competing summer activities for kids.
Similarly, after-school programs, whether through schools or independent providers, tend to close down during summer. Such companies open up again when the new school year starts so that parents can drop off their children until they finish work hours at the end of the day. Industries that provide items and apparel to athletic departments in high schools and colleges also experience a decrease in activity during the off-season. That’s because football teams don’t practice or compete with other schools leading up to pre-season training. Summer provides a great opportunity for athletes to rest after post-season action before prepping for competition again by fall.
Hiring Time Means All Hands On Deck
The importance of hiring quality employees cannot be understated when it comes to companies that rely on peak-season sales. Quality employees are the backbone of success during these seasonal rushes. Having a reliable labor force that is capable of rising to the challenge can often be the difference between thriving and failing. Without a sufficient pool of qualified and well-trained employees, any potential productivity from peak season can dissipate rapidly.
For this reason, companies should take the proper steps to ensure their workforce is ready for any upcoming surges in customer demand. This involves having the right recruiting process in place. Additionally, they need proper onboarding and training for new recruits so they’re ready for whatever tasks come their way. There are other things to think about when hiring quality employees. These include providing competitive wages and attractive amenities. All these steps help create an atmosphere where both managers and hires can feel comfortable in their positions while also helping meet increased demand during peak season head-on.
To exploit their revenue potential, seasonal businesses typically go on a hiring blitz and onboard anywhere from a handful to hundreds of temporary new hires. That’s where a cloud telephone system enters the picture and makes a BIG difference. Here are the 3 key advantages:
1. Affordably and Immediately Assign Numbers
With a conventional landline telephone system, assigning unique phone numbers to new staff can be a nightmare. It’s very costly, and it’s time-consuming since a technician often has to re-configure the on-premises PBX system. As a result, temporary hires often don’t get their own number.
However, with a cloud telephone system, all temporary hires can affordably and immediately get a unique number (or extension). This allows them to be more productive and efficient from day one. Therefore, businesses can maximize their revenue and profitability during peak seasons by investing in a cloud telephone system. This allows them to quickly and conveniently assign unique phone numbers to temporary hires.
2. Maximize Office Space
Conventional phone systems are fed by telephone lines coming through the wall. As such, temporary hires who need regular access to a phone are often crammed into small workspaces — because that’s where the outlets are.
A cloud telephone system doesn’t use 19th-century telephone lines. It leverages the existing LAN (through desktops/laptops) or Wi-Fi network (through tablets/smartphones). That means virtually any area of the office can become a functional, connected workspace. As a result, businesses can quickly and conveniently assign unique phone numbers to temporary hires, maximize office space, and connect distributed workers so they can communicate more effectively.
3. Connect Distributed Workers
Many seasonal businesses temporarily hire remote workers to handle sales, support, and other important functions. With a conventional phone system, these workers are on an island and disconnected from the main workforce. That leads to communication gaps and reduced performance.
With a cloud telephone system, all workers — permanent full-time and temporary remote alike — use the same platform to send/receive calls, share instant messages, hold conference calls, access group calendars, and more. It doesn’t matter if temporary hires are on the other side of the city, state, country, or world.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, a cloud-based telephone system is the perfect solution for seasonal businesses. It provides the flexibility needed to handle increased call volumes during peak times and the reliability needed to support customers while out of season. Additionally, cloud phone systems are cost-effective and offer features such as auto attendants, voicemail, business texting, call forwarding, and more.
If you are a seasonal business considering a telephone system, make sure to consider the benefits of cloud-based technology. This type of system provides your organization with the flexibility and scalability necessary to maximize your peak season revenues and keep customers happy throughout the year.
Seasonal businesses don’t just want to maximize revenue in the spring and summer: they need to succeed in the short term and survive in the long term. A cloud telephone system is a valuable and, vital solution that helps them “make hay while the sun shines!”
To learn more about how Carolina Digital Phone can help you manage and grow your seasonal or year-round business, call us today at (336) 544-6000.