26th June, 2024
Seasonal peaks and troughs can wreak havoc on an attraction’s staffing strategy, especially when teams aren’t supported with the right tools.
During peak times, managers have a lot on their plate – often more than twice as much, in fact – and if they don't handle scheduling well, they leave their business wide open to mistakes, frustrations and inefficiencies.
To avoid that, a reliable staff scheduling system that allows for quick responses to sudden changes is crucial to deal with fluctuations in demand, whether it’s a summer surge or a winter storm that puts people off making the trip out.
Here are three ways efficient staff scheduling can make a big difference in operational performance throughout the year.
During peak times, managing staff can be overwhelming. Planning schedules, juggling employee availability and avoiding conflicts typically means a lot of time and energy spent on admin. And the more intricate the scheduling, the higher the chance that managers may make poor decisions.
Left unchecked, admin can snowball into a chronic issue that gets in the way of creating memorable guest experiences and other valuable aspects of day-to-day operations.
Having an intuitive dashboard that consolidates all your staffing data into one clear view can drastically reduce the administrative load. By making adjustments easy and sharing them with staff seamlessly, you ensure everyone stays in sync.
Seasonal peaks and troughs often catch managers off guard, leading to frantic last-minute calls and stressed-out employees. Sudden surges in demand can turn even the most meticulous staffing plans upside down, so it pays for businesses to stay agile enough to pivot at a moment’s notice.
The same goes for off-peak periods, where overstaffing can drain resources and inflate operational costs. Predicting these fluctuations can be daunting, often resulting in too many or too few hands on deck.
The key is to be proactive and take steps to help manage seasonal swings ahead of time, which is where the right tech can be a big help. By integrating your staff scheduling system with your ticketing and point-of-sale platforms, you gain accurate, real-time attendance numbers to directly inform your staffing decisions.
That’s exactly how Tulleys Farm adjusted staffing levels based on actual demand and robust historical data to ensure they were always prepared for surges and lulls throughout the year – you can read the full case study here.
Consistently updating notice boards and rotas in response to changes or employee absences can be a significant challenge for managers. Frequent adjustments increase the risk of errors, which can lead to scheduling conflicts, employee frustration and even delays in compensation. These issues can quickly have a negative impact on employee engagement and overall productivity.
It's crucial to maintain an accurate and up-to-date schedule to foster a satisfied and motivated workforce. By allowing employees to update their availability on the same dashboard that managers use, you create a transparent and efficient system. Employees can request and approve shift swaps among themselves.
This not only minimises conflicts but also boosts morale and engagement, ensuring your team is motivated and ready to deliver excellent service year-round.
Mastering seasonal staffing doesn't have to be a chore. By leveraging advanced systems, you can turn seasonal fluctuations into a strategic advantage. With agile planning, reduced administrative burdens and improved employee engagement, your business can thrive no matter the season.
If you're curious about DigiTickets' range of integrated staffing solutions, don't hesitate to reach out and make sure to download your free copy of our latest report – Your Roadmap to Selling More Tickets in 2024 – for more expert insights and industry trends!
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