You Want It........When?

Honest question, honest answer.

When’s the last time you requested rush proofs on a project for 8:00 am the following morning…but didn’t actually use them until 3:00 that afternoon?

Ah, don’t feel bad, it happens to the best of us. You meant well. Chances are, you arrived at your office with every intention of reviewing them immediately....but then the phone started ringing on two lines, your email was slapping you silly, Chatty Cathy in the next cube was asking your opinion on the best soy latte, and your Blackberry was blowing up like Mount Kilimanjaro.

The relationships between a client and marketing communications provider can become strained under these tight deadline scenarios. So, in an attempt to bring the two factions closer together, I am going to act as a liaison by divulging some industry secrets that most communications companies probably don’t want their clients to know.

Lets start with composition or EDGAR work. If you’re doing a project or series of projects, there are of course times when you need things yesterday. However, if your company needs everything immediately, there may be a kink in the workflow process because even the critical path should allow for some slack. More importantly, by allowing more time to turn the proofs back to you, there is significant cost savings to be had. How much? Well, a company that is able to give 15 hours notice as opposed to 8 hours can save between 20%-40% on composition costs (please read the sentence again to make sure that sinks in). In today’s world, a reduction like that would be beyond welcome. Work with your dedicated Customer Service Representative to figure out how best to save some reporting expense and chances are your Boss will think you rule (he or she might even say “You rule.”)

In a different but related world, printing projects can work in much the same way. Maybe you don’t need those copies going to your Fulfillment house in 48 hours. If so, another 24 hours or more could show you some significant savings. Again, work directly with your Account Executive, your Dedicated Customer Service Representative or your Business Solutions oriented Sales Professional to take full advantage of savings.

And lastly, communication companies that handle a lot of Compliance work will most likely have some peak months and some months where things are not quite as hectic. If you have the luxury of strategically planning your printing needs, you could save a bundle on the off-months.

What this comes down to is if a company and the marketing vendor view their relationship as a respected partnership by compromising on schedules and costs, there will be benefits on all ends, and who knows, it may get you a new office far away from Chatty Cathy.