Friday, June 21, 2019

CRS Celebrates 1st day of summer!

First day of summer after a really really long winter in Vermont!  Still, overcast and temperatures in the high 50's and low 60's; but summer!  Our first BBQ for lunch!  Brats


Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Moving? Preparing for possible delays in the summer

Delays!  Seems like we see them often in our everyday life!  The vast majority of our experiences are on time ones!  But it is the few times we are delayed that we remember the most.  We need to be prepared for those few times we are delayed to make them more tolerable. 


Spring and summer are the busiest time of the year to move.  This year, with the driver shortage scheduling pack, load and delivery of your household goods presents a challenge for dispatchers and local agents around the country.  Everyone's objective is to schedule these important dates around the needs of our customers and meet every customers expectations in hitting those dates!  However, just like everything in life, we must have a back up plan in case delay's occur.

Delays can occur during busy times for a variety of reasons.  Weather, mechanical issues, sickness, customer delays, larger shipments than expected and the like can create a delay in a moving van.  I recently attended the loading of an automobile by a carrier. This truck was enormous!  I asked the driver if he had issues moving in the snow.  He said he had special chains for the truck, but in a bad storm he would prefer to hunker down somewhere and not travel.  "The last thing I want is to skid off the road and damage someones $50,000 car!"  Not only a safety issue but also customer satisfaction issue of doing everything possible to insure their goods are delivered the way they were picked up.

So, with all the variables, over 90% of the shipments we manage are delivered within the delivery spreads provided for in our customer's order for service.  But, everyone must take some small precautions to be sure their life is not totally disrupted if a delay should occur.  Yes the van lines we use all will compensate our customers for delays which is intended to cover their living expenses due to delay,  But, everyone needs to think about the necessities they need to carry out the things they intend to do when they arrive in their new location.

Be prepared to live without the items being shipped.  If you are working, pack seperately any work cloths needed to work for a short period of time; say several days.  If the delay is longer, you can always clean some of them  If you are moving to a warmer climate, take cloths you may need there for warmer weather.  And, if your computer is importand, plan to take it with you and not on the moving truck.  If you have important medication, carry it with you.  Empty house at destination?  Perhaps if you have a large family, blow up mattress' would be a fun adventure of camping out in your new house with the kids!

Being prepared for the unexpected with a plan is smart!  Even if you can not take all the items you may need if you encounter a delay in delivery, a plan on how to cope and obtain nececssary items can make  the situation much more tolerable.

Our Consultants work one on one with all of our customers to deliver valuable information throughout our customer's moves. Should unexpected things happen during our customer's move, one call to their Consultant will heip them through with alternatives. courses of action and information.  Call Consumers Relocation to manage your next move. 

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Recruitment and talent acquisition move assistance

Every HR conference we went to this year was well attended by company recruiters and talent acquisition specialists.  Everyone of them spoke of the challenges they encountered in attracting new professionals to their organizations!  Everyone of them who spoke to us about our Move Management services expressed interest and said "boy could I use your services when I bring people in from out of state or over seas".

Many organizations large and small seem to be struggling with the notion of assisting  newly hired employees with their relocation to the new location.  Some organizations have a solid policy of reimbursement for new hires' moves while others have none.  Mostly none!

Our services are used a lot for newly hired employees whether the company is simply reimbursing the employee for costs, paying for move costs directly or a combination of both.  We are used also for companies that will not be participating in the cost of the move but wish to offer move assistance that will save the employee time and money when they move! 

Simply, at the least an employee moving from out of state is going to spend time and money moving their personal belongings, whether a complete household or one room of things.  In most cases they will be charged with the daunting task of figuring out the logistics of moving a full household or simply a small amount that will not fit into their car.  And, they are dealing with time constraints of getting to their new job on a schedule which accommodates their new employer. 

I was talking to one health care professional yesterday who was asking what our company does.  She explained she just moved from Florida, and all her Regional Health Care System did was give her a couple local real estate magazines with homes for sale and contacts!  That was it!  No prearranged services to ease her transition or guidance about suppliers which may assist. 

Consumers Relocation provides move coordination assistance and vehicle shipping from anywhere in the country or world eliminating the complicated task for the employer of finding reputable movers and auto shippers in out of state or country locations.  We provide the new hire guidance and one on one assistance with a professional Consultant in our office for the physical move portion of their relocation; allowing them to concentrate on their new job; not getting there.  We provide the employee or employer vetted proven movers with specific contract guidelines for pricing and service delivery anywhere in the country or world.  We provide the resources for small moves that need to be containerized to large full service moves.

We alleviate the "deer in the headlights" syndrome for an employee when they are faced with a long distance move and don't know where to start!   We provide the employer a valuable service to offer their employee to eliminate that shock!  Both the employee and employer win.