What is your recommendation for managing the number of technicians in a situation where jobs are scarce?

Short Answer: When jobs are scarce, reduce the number of technicians to just one. Ensure this technician is handling at least one or two jobs per day to maintain their skills and efficiency. Only consider expanding your team once your current technician’s schedule is fully booked and you are confident that adding another technician will also fill up their calendar immediately. Expansion should only happen when there is clear demand for more technicians.

Full Explanation

In situations where available jobs are limited, it is crucial to streamline your workforce to maintain efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs. The best approach is to reduce your team to one technician who can manage a reasonable workload, typically at least one to two jobs daily. This strategy keeps the technician actively engaged and sharp.

As your business grows and the technician’s schedule becomes fully booked consistently, it indicates sufficient demand. Once you reach this point and are sure the new hire’s calendar will also be fully booked from day one, you can justify expanding your team. It is important to only increase staff numbers when the workload clearly supports it.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Let go of additional technicians: Scale down to having just one technician when jobs are scarce.
Maintain daily jobs: Ensure the remaining technician handles one or two jobs per day to stay in shape and efficient.
Monitor demand: Watch the technician’s calendar and workload closely.
Assess readiness for expansion: Consider hiring more technicians only when the current technician’s calendar is consistently full and the added technician’s schedule will also be fully booked from the start.
Expand thoughtfully: Grow your team only when demand clearly surpasses the available workforce capacity.

Real Examples

Start with one technician and focus on generating a minimum of one or two jobs daily. As orders increase and the schedule begins to fill, you have a straightforward signal that your business is ready to add another technician without risking idle time or underutilization. This cautious approach avoids overstaffing and ensures smooth growth aligned with customer demand.

Common Mistakes

Hiring too soon: Bringing on new technicians before the current workforce is fully booked can lead to inefficiency and increased payroll costs.
Retaining an oversized team during low demand: Maintaining more technicians than necessary can hurt your business financially when jobs are scarce.
Ignoring workload monitoring: Not tracking technician schedules can result in missed opportunities to scale appropriately.

FAQs

Why should I only have one technician when jobs are scarce?: This keeps your workforce lean and ensures each technician stays engaged with enough daily jobs to maintain skill and efficiency.
When is the right time to hire additional technicians?: Only when your current technician’s schedule is consistently full and you can reasonably expect the new technician’s calendar to be fully booked from day one.
What happens if I hire more technicians too early?: It can lead to underutilized staff, unnecessary payroll expenses, and reduced overall efficiency.

Key Takeaways

Downsize to one technician during low job periods for efficiency.
Keep the technician busy with at least one or two jobs daily.
Expand your workforce only when existing schedules are fully booked.
Growth should be driven by concrete demand to avoid financial strain.