In our industry, mail schedules are used to project the completion dates of critical steps that must be met in order to mail on time. As the project moves from concept to tangible mail piece, the schedule is adjusted to meet changing circumstances. Creative may be revised; data delayed; approvals held up. What never changes is the mail date.
When a schedule must be compressed, how do your vendors cope? Are their “solutions” limited to charging for overtime or extra equipment, bumping someone else, calling in a favor? Unless there is a consistent methodology for overcoming inevitable scheduling issues, you may miss a mail date or worse: rush to failure and mail something wrong.
When you go back to your vendor for a revised delivery commitment, are you getting the same exact product and process management? Are all proper Q.C. steps and checks still in place to ensure error-free work or will quality be compromised because you allowed your vendor to bypass proven practices in order to meet your mail date?
The best way to avoid this issue is to have frank and substantive dialog with vendors upfront about how they will deal with scheduling challenges. In today’s business environment, it is no longer the case where personal passion or drive of an individual will “make it happen” every time, exactly as specified. You need a plan of action and a prior commitment from your vendor; ideally you should make it a part of the lettershop selection process.
Our “Rapid Response” program is a front-end tool that utilizes automated inventory management, on-line proofing, real-time sign offs and other Internet based solutions that save time without compromising quality.
“Fast Track” is a proprietary approach to order acceleration. It allows us to shorten timelines while a job is in process without compromising standards of performance. Additionally, our commitment to technology, as a means of meeting scheduling challenges, is demonstrated by our continued investment in high-speed ink jet, laser and inserting systems.
How did we come up with these great ideas? Simple: We asked our suppliers.
