How do you handle production of orders from start to finish?

[tsgstl]

Awesome responses everyone, For those doing things by paper before entering into the computer as a invoice...are you keeping those papers or do you dispose of them once it's generated as a invoice?

yes we TRY and keep everything. We have file cabinets with drawers for years and folders for months. Everything gets stapled together with a copy of the invoice in front. So each month has that months invoices with all paperwork. You never know if or when you will need something from that file. My flexi files are set up the same way. Years then months. Some like to do it by company but I have always had mine done by month.

 

[SD&F]

We keep everything in file cabinets. If for some reason the artwork and paint, etc.. is not in my production file on computer, I can always look back. I have been working towards less paper, but find that no matter how much I have on my system...I am quicker at looking in a file.

 

[Kevin-shopVOX]

wow..all these different systems that signVOX incorporates into just 1 tool. It incorporates every single scenario mentioned here. Just with less work involved and not a single filing cabinet needed. With all of the time you saved you'd just about triple your ROI with signVOX. Just sayin'.

 

[AnotherSignManiac]

We use CASper, anyone that calls in, walks in, cold call ect. gets inputted as a customer. They get a quote that is generated in our system, once it gets ordered it gets WIPped (Work In Progress) to which I get a WIP report daily to keep all order inline so nothing gets missed. Once the order is complete it is then invoiced, customer gets end product and all is happy.

 

[binki]

Our paper write up is our work order. We staple it to the invoice that we keep. The writeup includes import things like colors, drawings, file locations, and other references done during the consultation. Sometimes we spend several hours with our customers doing the up front legwork just to get things down and a lot of that is in handwriting. Not the best option but short of doing a video of the interview (like a dash cam on COPS!) it is all we can do to get things down.

We are a small shop, just 3, sometimes 4 of us there (if you count the 2 black lab's then up to 6) so it is a zoo most days.

Good luck with this. Every day I go in and turn the key and flip the light switch on I am happy I did it. I look at the job board while the computers are booting up and say to myself 'How are we getting all this done today' and I put a cup of water in the micro with a teabag and some Cayenne pepper in it and start the day.

That is just the way it is.