Ins and Outs of Mature Season
Now that chick season has come and gone, I have started to learn the ins and outs of the mature bird season. While I am gearing up for another chick season, I am also the assistant to our Mature Sales Coordinator, Char Debroux, who is sharing her secrets and valuable knowledge with me. As of mid-November we have delivered approximately 200,000 mature pheasants and partridges throughout the U.S. and Canada. Our drivers have made the long haul to Canada sixteen times since the end of August.
Coordinating the deliveries of mature birds encompasses many details and cooperation between customers. A full load of mature birds on our freightliner trucks can vary from 2,500 rooster pheasants to 4,500 pheasants and partridges. Truck loads can consist of a one customer load to 8 customers in one load.
Char is a busy lady that everyone wants to talk to; she is busy on the phone with customers, having meetings, and coordinating loads. So if you find that she is busy while you call, Char is training me to assist you right away so you do not need to hold. I appreciate your patience while I am learning about your operations.
Other aspects involved in my training are creating invoices and trip plans, which give instructions to the drivers on what to do at each stop; checking load plans, which designates where the crates are loaded on the trailer; and checking crate numbers so we have the exact number of pheasants or partridges on the truck. Besides doing the paperwork for the deliveries, I am trying to learn the details of our customers’ accounts and deliveries. Every drop is different for customers: the time of day, location, what day of the week, and how the birds are delivered are all factors that play a role in scheduling the deliveries. Char tries to meet the wishes of every customer, and for the most part, I think she succeeds!
Unlike chick season, Char schedules every delivery the week of or even a day ahead of time. Customers sometimes do not know the number of birds they want until a day or two before the delivery, which leads to many changes in the number of crates per truck and the schedule of the deliveries. This being said, Char is always ready for changes in the schedule and is very flexible with customers. I think this is one of the reasons why she is successful in meeting the wishes of every customer.
I have learned many things while assisting Char so far this mature season. The most important thing I have learned is that we do everything within our means to meet our customers’ requests and needs. The mature bird season is customer-oriented and extremely detailed. The smallest detail can affect a delivery and the condition of the birds when they arrive to their destination. It may take some time, but I hope to gain the valuable knowledge that Char has accumulated through her seventeen years as the Mature Sales Coordinator.
Sarah Pope
MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc.