The fastest way peak season breaks down isn’t inventory or carriers. It’s people.
One of the most common breakdowns for ecommerce and omnifulfillment is staffing and training. In Q1, we often hear from brands that spent much of December waiting on orders because their provider didn’t have enough trained people in place before peak started. By the time seasonal hires were up to speed, shipping windows had closed, and damage to customer trust was already being felt.
The good news is that this is preventable. Learning to prevent staffing breakdowns before peak season is one of the easiest areas to lock down ahead of time—if you know what to confirm with your provider. Here are a few things to check before volumes spike.
New hires aren’t trained until volumes are already spiking.
The most common labor issue in peak isn’t just headcount, it’s timing. Too many providers wait until November to bring on seasonal staff, which means training happens when accuracy and speed matter most. The result is mislabeled packages, wrong items, and orders sitting longer than promised.
Here’s how to prevent staffing breakdowns before peak season.
Ask your fulfillment partner these three questions and pay close attention to the answers:
- When do you start hiring for the holiday season?
- How long is the training period before seasonal staff begin fulfilling orders?
- How do you reassign staff if certain areas get overloaded?
A weak provider tells you, “Seasonal labor takes time to ramp.” A strong one has hiring and training completed before peak begins, with cross-trained teams ready to move where demand is heaviest.
Staffing failures don’t just create errors. They increase reship costs, clog customer service channels, and turn holiday campaigns into recovery projects. They also put long-term loyalty at risk when first-time buyers receive a poor experience.
The right labor plan will prevent staffing breakdowns before peak season—which protects your margins and helps keep customers happy. When the team is trained and ready before peak, orders move on time, campaigns stay on track, and customer trust stays intact.
We’ve covered just one of the common pitfalls seen during peak season. In “The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding Holiday Logistics Pitfalls”, we break down three more that cause the biggest problems in Q4 and how to avoid them. Download it now so your business can get through the holidays without losing momentum.
