Niyamath Parveez

At this time of year, many people are thinking about switching to outsourcing as a means to improve their working capabilities. This is extremely true for small businesses where one person may have to do a great number of jobs. There may not be the opportunity to employ a lot of other staff on a full time basis but having some help at certain times can make a big difference to how the organization works. Seasonal work can also encourage the use of outsourcing and one of the most important times of year is the Christmas and New Year period. Therefore, who else would benefit from outsourcing more than Santa Claus?

One of the most important things that Santa Claus has to do is to make a list of who is naughty and nice. Given that this list is expected to contain the names of every child in the world, it is going to be a very long list. This may be something where there is the scope for outsourcing. If Santa Claus was to hire someone to assist with list making, it may free up more time to focus on other areas. There is also the fact that Santa is required to check the list twice, so having an extra pair of hands around to do this should make light work of the administration elements of the job.

Don’t forget, Santa does have a lot of assistance from the elves who work in his grotto throughout the year making toys for children. However, with the harsh economic climate, it may well be that Santa will make it easier for parents the world over by utilizing outsourced workers to help make the toys. It will be harsh on the elves who make the toys but outsourcing should see the labor costs of Santa’s production reduce dramatically.

Another major cost and time expenditure for Santa Claus comes in the fact that he personally undertakes all the travel himself in one evening. Using the services of worldwide outsourcing firms would make it much easier on himself. At the moment, there is a great deal of waster occurring due to the fact that Santa does not have the time to stop at every house and enjoy the treats children have left out for him and his reindeer. This means that parents will have to eat these goods themselves or throw them in the bin before the children wake up. With so many people concerned about natural wastage, using outsourcing can make it easier to give every home a little more time.

Equally, the wear and tear on the reindeers is likely to be causing them a great deal of damage so outsourcing the distribution element is likely to make life so much easier for Santa Claus and will lower replacement costs. The cost of ensuring that your travel vehicles are in fully functioning order can be very expensive so taking better care of your travel plans could save money in the long run.

Christmas is a joyous occasion but Santa Claus could make life much easier for himself if he undertook outsourcing as an option.

In the build up to Christmas, and although it may be too early for most people to be considering it, businesses have to be prepared, many UK firms are starting to fret over the Royal Mail strike. The ins and outs of the Royal Mail strike won’t be discussed here, both parties have their points and their failings which indicate an unwillingness to negotiate but for the firms who are looking to sell in the run-up to Christmas, the uncertainty is bad for business.

Quite simply, if consumers are not confident of ordering online and receiving their purchase in time for Christmas, they will look elsewhere for their gifts. This could be disastrous for online stores who invariably see the Christmas retail market as their most important time of the year. If consumers are unwilling to shop with them, they could see their whole projections for the year go to waste. Given the current economic climate, many organizations are largely reliant on this market for their existence and the New Year could see firms going to the wall if they have a disappointing Christmas sales period. This is not the concern of the Royal Mail management or striking staff but there is a wider economic impact for the country as a whole from their actions.

Therefore, companies need to do all that they can to mitigate the downside incurred by the Royal Mail strike and outsourcing their delivery system is a fantastic way to work around the problems they may face. Many courier and delivery companies are reacting to the Royal Mail strike by offering deals and incentives for customers to work alongside them and this provides a better opportunity for the company to offer their customers a guaranteed delivery date. An online retailer which can advertise the fact that their deliveries are being handled externally from the Royal Mail will offer a greater degree of confidence to their consumers making it more likely that a shopper will buy from the site.

Therefore, setting up an outsourcing deal may be of tremendous benefit to a number of firms for the biggest retail period of the year but it is not something that should just be rushed into? Depending on the length of the strike, what sort of contract should be entered into? Is it better for a firm to just look to covering the Christmas market and then go back to the Royal Mail for the quieter New Year period? Would the outsourcing firm be happy with this type of contract? Would there be a higher premium involved because of the short term nature of the contract? If the price was high, could the firm justify using this outsourcing service or would they be required to pass on the extra cost to their customers, making it seem a costlier process for all concerned.

With the focus turning towards promotion and selling, this may not be something that many firms have a lot of time to wrestle with but there needs to be a focus on what needs to be done for the good of the business.