Why Consistency Matters for Print Shop Management and shopVOX Software Solutions

“What I do every day matters more than what I do once in a while.” ~ Gretchen Rubin

Consistency is what keeps customers returning again and again. When they first experience your customer service, products and business environment and are pleased with this first experience, they are likely to return. If your print shop is consistent, your customers will be pleased again and again. With consistency, you fall into a habit of doing the same thing day in and day out so you can produce the same results that have first attracted your customers. Sometimes consistency is a challenge for many people. Some may find it tedious and boring. Sometimes laziness or forgetfulness occurs and consistency lacks because tasks are either not being completed or they are late. Then, there are some people that love change and they are constantly changing systems, materials, or something else in a business. While change, of course, can be beneficial, too much change can chase customers away. Even though being consistent may not be a something you or your employees enjoy, consistency should be a priority. This quality is powerful at making a difference in print shops.

Here are some reasons why consistency matters for a print shop and how shopVOX print shop management software can help with consistency: 1. Your values become noticed.As part of a well thought out business model, outlining values is very important. Of course values that are outlined only and not actively pursued by your team, will go unnoticed. In order for these values to be observed by your community or even nationwide, being consistent in those values will allow your company to shine. What are some of your company's values? How are you ensuring that your print shop is living up to these values?

shopVOX solution: If one of your values is accuracy, then use shopVOX online quoting and online proofing

2. Your print shop builds more customer's trust.Trust is vital to building a customer base and to having more repeat customers. Many times people prefer going to a business that they trust, even if they cost a bit more, then a business that is known to be unreliable. With consistent actions, consistent excellent customer service, consistent timeliness, accuracy, honesty, and consistently quality products, you help build this trust. 

shopVOX solution: To make sure that your products are being delivered on time, assign due dates to your jobs when creating them in shopVOX. This way everyone involves with the job knows exactly when each product needs to be completed. Timeliness builds much trust! 3. Employees with greater peace of mind. When your employees have greater peace of mind, they are more productive. Having a system in place where they can easily collaborate, know what their tasks are, know where projects are and know when jobs are due provides them with this peace of mind. 

shopVOX solution: Consistently assign tasks to your staff right in shopVOX. This way they can check for their tasks easily in one location every single day. Also, regularly assign a due date to each job so that there is no assuming nor guessing for your staff.

4. Your shop is more organized. Chaos in a shop is not productive at all! Piles of papers, unorganized materials and not keeping track of sales calls do little to ease business and to move it forward, but does a lot to add to the failure of your shop.

shopVOX solution: Making sure your employees are consistently updating their shopVOX accounts creates a superbly well-organized shop. The few seconds that is takes to track a sales callto leave a note for the next employee, to update an order, or to close a job can keep your shop more organized and ultimately reduce chaos and clutter. 5. Customers want consistency. Since you are here to serve your customers and to make sure they are satisfied, make sure your products are consistent. When consumers buy a product again and again, they expect consistency. If they were pleased with the first purchase, they want the same next time. 

shopVOX solution: If you offer business cards at your print shop, keep notes on the customer's file in shopVOX about the card stock they used, a copy of their proof, and other information shared with you. This way when they reorder, you can easily recall exactly what they ordered and received previously, then produce the cards exactly the same. Practicing consistency is very powerful for your print shop and shopVOX is an excellent tool to ensure consistency. When you use shopVOX everyday, instead of once in a while, your shop will experience much more consistency in many areas of business. So make sure you are being consistent when using shopVOX, when interacting with your employees and customers, when producing products, and when displaying values. Share your thoughts below.

~ The shopVOX team