How to Combat Workforce Shortages

How Businesses Use Technology to Combate Workforce Shortages

Posted on:
Aug 26, 2022

It’s always a good feeling when your products are in demand. It’s usually a sign that people resonate with the product you’re selling or the service you’re providing. Most of the time, it also means that your business is about to experience a huge boom in sales. However, problems arise when you can no longer keep up with this demand. What’s worse is when the reason you can’t keep up with this is increasing demand for your product is out of your control. An example of this is having a shortage of workers that can fulfill your orders. Luckily, there are now solutions and technology that can massively help shippers with these types of problems.

The Great Resignation

As its name suggests, the “great resignation” is a phenomenon wherein employees voluntarily leave their jobs in mass. This creates a lot of problems for employers since this can cause a lot of orders to pile up leading to multiple backorders and possibly the loss of loyal customers. This has been attributed to the shortage of work brought about by the recent pandemic. However, the great resignation has its roots dating all the way back to more than a decade ago. So this is not necessarily something new.

Only now has there been a large spike in this phenomenon since essential workers such as those that work in grocery stores, hospitals, and restaurants are not only overworked – they are also massively underpaid considering the amount of work they have to do and the dangers that they have to face on a daily basis.

How You Can Utilize Technology

Luckily, technology has evolved so much over the past couple of years that it’s now extremely easy to find freight services that work within your budget and in your own time. This greatly cuts out the need for any middlemen and is a life saver when your workforce is running thin. Services such as these makes shipping easier and more affordable not only for large businesses, but also for individual customers.

So, here’s how you can make use of technology for your business:

  • User-Friendly: Online freight shipping marketplaces are primarily self-service, but are fortunately very easy to use. Since these services are so easily accessible, they can be accomplished by fewer people. If need be, you yourself might even be able to do this without it being too much of a hassle.
  • Full and Less-Than-Truckload Shipping: These services also offer both full truckload and less-than-truckload shipping. This means that you do not have to fill an entire truck full of orders before shipping your items out to paying customers.
  • Affordable Rates: Since the use of technology and freight shipping marketplaces are still quite a new idea, companies offer competitive prices to entice customers to avail of their service. This benefits you as a business owner since it can help make your profit margin that much larger.
  • Accessible: Say goodbye to prolonged negotiations and back and forths with online freight shipping. Using these services is as simple as choosing a courier that fits both your needs and your budget.
  • Promo Codes and Referrals: These are things seldom seen in traditional logistics. However, these promos reward you for your continued use of the service and when you encourage your friends and family to do so as well.

Incorporate Workforce Management Software

Another advantage of using freight shipping marketplaces is the ability to utilize workforce management software along with it. This type of software allows you to see what your employees are currently working on and how much progress they’ve made so far. In a logistics setting, transportation management systems help you plan and execute the best way to move goods to your warehouses as well as to your customers. By improving your workflow, you are mitigating the fallback from having a workforce shortage.

Digital Twins

This is another advantage that comes with making use of technology when you’re shipping out your goods. A digital twin is a representation of a physical entity in a digital format allowing users to run simulations and such. This allows for better planning in order to prevent any unnecessary outcomes in shipping that may negatively affect your business. For the shipping industry, the use of a digital twin is revolutionary since it offers end-to-end supply chain optimization as well as providing users with awareness of multiple situations with regards to operational parameters.

Leverage Automation for Employee Attraction and Retention

Contrary to what most people may think, automating some parts of your company’s workflow may actually be beneficial to your employees. Knowing that a considerable portion of their work will be hands-off might actually help attract more employees. Not only that, but this will also help with employee retention. With automation in place, members of your team won’t feel burnt out as much. Being able to leverage automation is extremely valuable since you will be less likely to feel the effects of having a smaller workforce.

Let GoShip handle all your shipping needs

The great resignation has hurt a lot of business over the past couple of years, but thanks to new technology that doesn’t have to be the case for you. The GoShip online freight marketplace helps you find the best couriers at competitive prices. Shippers no longer have to worry about having a small workforce thanks to this completely self-service platform. This cuts the freight broker out of the equation, allowing you to save valuable time and money. Check out GoShip’s services and quotations.


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