When you work for a printing company, getting customers to provide feedback and approve designs can be particularly time-consuming. This could be for a number of reasons and trying to overcome these can feel like a constant battle.
However, there are some steps that you can take in order to streamline your print approval process, giving you more time to concentrate on designing and printing, and saving you time when it comes to chasing customer approval.
Organise your clients
When there are lots of different designs and proofs to keep track of, it is integral that you have all of your clients and projects organised in a clear and methodical way. As long as you know exactly what you’re working on for each client, and which stage you’re at, you’ll find the approval process easy. Allowing communications and designs to get mixed up will only lead to confusion, and this will be frustrating for both you and your customers.
The best way to achieve this is to use approval software that enables you to split your clients and projects out into separate folders. Through organising everything like this, you can ensure that you know exactly where you are with each client, even when you’re running multiple projects for a variety of customers at the same time. By having this information to hand, you can provide a personal service to your clients which will give them a fantastic customer experience, and you won’t have to worry about misplacing vital details.
Make it easy for clients to approve your work
In a fast-moving world we all want to be able to do things in the moment, but this does mean that approving print projects can move down a client’s list of priorities if it’s going to take up too much of their time. To counteract this, you need to make it very easy for clients to approve what you have created for them, even when they’re on the go. In addition to this, you want to have a process in place that means you’re not wasting your precious time chasing up responses.
This is where print approval software can come in handy yet again. The right software will enable you to simply upload your work with the click of a button. Then you can get on with another project while you wait for the relevant client to sign in and leave their feedback, or approve the design. In addition to this, when you opt for Approval Pipeline, your clients can log in using any device at any time of day, wherever they are in the world. This not only makes your customers happy because they won’t feel like they need to stop everything in order to approve a print design, but it means that you’re likely to receive feedback a lot quicker than usual too!
Ensure it’s easy to resolve disputes
Nothing slows down print approval more than a dispute, so keeping track of all of the communications you’ve had, and work that you’ve completed is a must. This means that you can go back to previous discussions or designs and settle any issues that may arise. This will not only save you time, but it can save you money too. More often than not, it is the print company that end up paying to fix any problems that have been raised, and this can be costly. By keeping a record of everything that has happened during the project, you can protect yourself should you find yourself faced with a dispute.
The easiest way to keep track of past work and communications for all clients is by using print approval software, such as Approval Pipeline. This software enables you to log all changes and proofs, plus you can version control everything so that you can literally take a step or two back if required. This will also help with internal communication and coordination, as no-one will be made accountable for something that they didn’t do due to everything being kept on record using the software.
Software, like Approval Pipeline, offers you the best chance to streamline your print approval process. It allows you to organise your clients and projects, makes it very easy for your clients to approve your work, and will keep records that can help you during disputes. Should you be interested in purchasing Approval Pipeline for your print business, contact us today and we will be happy to discuss your requirements with you.