SignFlowPro.com

Priority Workflow Software

Customer Contact | Signs & Items | Detail Job Completion

Efficiency Equals Profit

In a custom product business, one of the hardest jobs to do is to manage an efficient, profitable workflow.
Accounting invoices never have all the required detail, and they are not available to the workshop electronically.
Typical sign shops will print an invoice, attach papers that may show the job, but still don't explain all the detail that has to be done.
Many shops will put papers in a folder, where the folder must be passed on to subsequent departments. Some shops clip the invoices to a wall. They get mixed up on the wall, not staying alphabetical, not by date, not arranged by next work detail to be done. It's a waste of time & money to constantly locate and re-arrange papers. Often, they are hard to find.
Worst of all: design and production people have not been informed of the work to be done until the minute it needs to be done. Anticipating work is an important key to efficiency.
Some shops have a morning meeting to go over all the jobs. The problem is, that the people listening cannot possibly absorb all the info for a full day of production. Taking notes is slow and inaccurate, if the job doesn't get done until the next day, they will have to take the very same notes again. Add up the yearly cost of meetings (30 minutes times 260 weekdays)!
Using invoices in the shop has a hidden detriment. We all know that many sign shop workers go on to start a shop of their own, maybe not too far away. Letting them see all the invoices lets them see all your prices. These days, a cell phone could easily take a snapshot of every single job your shop does.

Day One Priority

SignFlow.Pro organizes by keeping track of three things.
1. Customer, simply enter four things, Company Name, Contact, Phone & Email. SignFlow.Pro does not keep track of money.
It Specializes in Workflow & Jobs.
2. Item or Sign, enter the Quantity, Sides, Width, Height and Item Info.
Item Info is used to help production of the sign, like:
"This is a re-order, except change the phone to 800-385-1784"
or
"Lawn sign text: Joe's Landscaping, Full Service Lawncare, 800-385-1784"

3. Details quickly select all the job Details (15 seconds total, really), example;

Design: Customer logo in email
Design: Create sign with logo
Approval: Customer Approval
Approval: Sign Permit
Print: Gloss Vinyl
Substrate: Laminate with 3 mil.
Substrate: Alumicor 10mm
Finish: Edge Trim Cap 4 Sides
Install: Shop

The Details come from a list called Work Details. When you register for SignFlow.Pro you get a starting list of Details, over 100 of them.
The list can be customized at anytime. You can add, update or delete. Also, you can alter their type (like Design or Approval) and change the stage (order of the list).
You can enter any number of Customers.
Customers can have any number of Items (signs).
Items can have any number of Details.
Customers can be entered as a Buying Customer or as a Consultation. As a Consultation you not only take their basic info, but also make entries into a Notes field, that will hold what the customer is looking for. When the job actually starts, you can add Items and Details. Then they automatically are changed to a Buying Customer.

Production - Workflow Control

With SignFlow.Pro you can instantly change which customer is highest on the list. In fact you can adjust the priority of any customer at any time.
All workers on the system will see your changes. As you know, sign shops aren't like McDonalds, items don't come out in the same order they were placed. For example: a customer at priority 25 calls and says they need their signs in 2 days instead of a week, you can move them up to priority 5 (choose any number). New items are put at the bottom of the priority list, unless you set a higher priority number while entering the info.
When the Designer sees the list of jobs, the list is ordered by customer priority, #1 at the top, of course. They can see where to find to components (files, older files, customer drawing, email, etc.).
If there is no file, the actual text for the sign can be in the Item's Info Box, along with colors, etc. The person who enters jobs, can enter the sign text in the Info Box by typing or by pasting from the customers email. The designer can copy the text from the Info Box in SignFlow.Pro and paste it into the graphics software (AI, Flexi, Corel, etc.). The text takes on the font and size that's already set in the software. Simple signs can be designed in minutes. Less mistakes because the sign text is not retyped at each stage.
The Designer can also see the whole production flow: design, proof, approval, print or cut, substrate & finishing. The exact materials for each type of work. That helps the designer understand the job, so they can see if bleeds or other output adjustments are required. The designer can group material types, like gloss vinyl, banner material or a certain color for cut vinyl.
Production can see all the Item Details and instantly know how to do each job when it's output. Thumbnails quickly help production workers identify print and cut output. If production workers are not online with SignFlow.Pro, the designer can print a page that outlines the exact substrate and finishing details. That page will have a thumbnail of the item.
Production can see the jobs to come soon, group similar substrates for ordering or cutting before the output is done. It's a lot more efficient (higher profit) to cut 040" aluminum for a few jobs as a group, instead of individually.