It’s the employees that make the business. Without the people to get the job done, your company is not much more than a dead letter on paper. So when you’re starting a moving company, hiring and training moving crews should be a priority. Movers are the ones who will interact with your customers the most, they’ll be the ones who truly leave an impression, and the ones who determine the success or failure of your company. It is, therefore, vital to ensure that you have the right people for the job. This means selecting the right people to hire and then giving them the training and know-how they’ll need in their new position.
Before hiring and training moving crews
You can’t just jump into hiring and training movers. Like everything else in business, this process also starts with a proper business plan. As a business owner, you should know just how important a good plan is. Skipping this step would, therefore, be a mistake.
Know what you’re looking for
Whenever you’re in the process of hiring, you want to come out the other end with the perfect moving team. But there are questions that you need to answer on the road to finding that optimal team of movers:
- What does the perfect moving crew look like?
- How many movers do you need in order to grow your business?
- And how many can you afford to hire at the moment?
- Are you looking for people with a specific specialty, such as storage facility managers or moving truck drivers?
- Do you need someone who has enough experience to start immediately or will you have a training period for the new team?
You need to know the answers to these questions in advance because these things determine what you’re looking for. What you’re looking for shapes your recruitment process. So look at relocation industry analysis, the expected workload in the upcoming months, and your own finances. Decide on the number of movers you need. Then decide on what specifically you’re looking for in those movers – which skills and which qualities. This will help you find the right people for your company.
Develop and structure your employment process
It’s important to be consistent when hiring new workers. They should all go through the same vetting and interviewing process and be chosen based on the same criteria. That’s the only way to ensure all of your movers are equally qualified. If you’re doing the hiring yourself, it shouldn’t be hard to stay consistent. But if you have people helping you, you need a clearly outlined procedure. Set out the criteria for everyone involved and stick to a process: narrow down the pool from applications, then do a phone interview, and finally follow up in person. Everyone working on hiring should be following the same guidelines.
The process of hiring and training moving crews
Once you know the kind of people you want by your side as you grow your moving business, it’s time to go out and find them. This is where you implement your hiring process, starting with announcing the vacancy.
Start the recruitment process
The first thing you need to do is to let people know there’s an open position in your company. You’ll want to put out ads on websites like Craigslist and Indeed as well as local vacancy directories. You should also tell your current employees that you’re looking to expand – some of them might have recommendations. Be careful in how you phrase your ad: state clearly what your ideal candidate is like, what you find acceptable, and what it is that you’re offering.
Narrow down your choices and do interviews
The first round of recruitment is typically going through the applications and discarding the obvious no’s. The next step is usually phone interviews – these will give you a better idea of what the people behind the applications are really like. Finally, you should do in-person interviews whenever possible as well. You may want to include some type of test – perhaps you can ask potential drivers to drive around the block or potential packers to pack a piece of furniture. This will help you weed out anyone who may have lied on the application.
In the end, if you’re still not sure who to hire, check the references of your remaining options. Contact previous employees for more information on the kind of workers the applicants really are.
Don’t discount anyone permanently
You only have a limited number of open positions in your company. You should always fill them with the best candidates. Sometimes, that means passing up on some good applicants because others have more experience, better references, or more physical strength. But things change. You’ll need more workers in the future. And these same applicants may improve on their CVs in the meantime.
So, keep the CVs of rejected candidates in your system. This isn’t too hard; one of the upsides of CRM software solutions is the ability to keep large amounts of data organized – you can use the same system for storing information about potential employees. The next time you have a vacancy, you can contact people from your database to speed up the process!
Train the people for the work they’ll be doing
There are many different types of jobs in the moving industry. Not all of your employees will be doing the exact same thing – some will primarily be drivers while others specialize in pool table disassembly. It’s very important to make your training practical and specific to the position you’re filling. Teach your new employees how to do the work you’ve hired them to do, at least for the beginning. That way, you can put them in the field faster instead of spending weeks training them to do every possible thing in the moving business.
Instill the importance of quality work and good customer service in your employees
Your movers are the ones who represent your company to your customers. It’s not enough for them to be good at their job – that’s the bare minimum people will expect. They must also treat your customers right. As we all know, customer service makes a big difference. So make sure that your movers know how to provide it. Teach them about the values of your business too and make sure their behavior reflects well on your company.
Hiring and training moving crews is just the beginning
Although vitally important, hiring and training moving crews is just the first step. Once your movers are in the field, you need to ensure they consistently provide the highest quality of service. To that end, you’ll need to implement periodic evaluations and even further training. But your customers’ satisfaction isn’t the only thing to keep in mind. These days, it’s hard to find and keep quality workers. So you need to make sure they’re happy at your company and want to stay with you. Give them opportunities for advancement, chances to improve their positions, and space to grow.
