How Poor Print Order Management Can Drain Profits: 5 Key Factors to Know

Summary: Are you struggling with poor financial health due to outdated print order management approaches? This blog will help you discover the 5 critical factors in print order management that are ruining your business profitability. Also, learn the right approach to tackle them and unveil how efficient print shop order management software can positively impact revenue growth.

Client satisfaction and profitability go hand in hand because satisfied customers keep coming back to you for repeat orders, recommend your business in their network, and make timely payments. Balancing both aspects with effective order management is essential to stay competitive in the ever-evolving print industry landscape.

The order management software market is anticipated to reach USD 5.7 billion by the year 2032, driven by the rising demand for automation, real-time visibility on inventory levels, and order management from multiple sales channels.

By utilizing modern technologies like print shop order management software, new-age printers are experiencing a significant increase in revenue and can serve customers in a better way.

Let's Dive In!

5 Factors in Print Shop Order Management That Cost Your Print Business

When running a print business, it is necessary to choose the right print order management system. Some basic yet very important areas in this system can impact the finances of your print business. Let’s discuss the harmful factors that cost your business and the areas that need your immediate attention.

1. Traditional Print Order Management

Even today, some printers rely on traditional methods like manual data entry and juggle multiple platforms to intake orders from emails, phone calls, walk-ins, or other sales channels. This can lead to serious issues like miscommunication, delays in order processing, and redundancies in operations, which directly impact the financial health of the business.

2. Dependency on Key Individuals

A major finance draining factor is the reliance on key individuals like print business owners, and senior staff to manage new orders without a robust order approval system in place. The absence of proper communication and collaboration between different departments within a printing business negatively affects order processing and leads to delays in order fulfillment.

3. Reordering Errors & Mismanaged Job Files

When handling reorders from repeat customers, miscommunication about the design changes over the phone and a lack of version control can lead to printing incorrect design files. This factor of an inefficient system for managing reorders can cause reprints, material wastage, significant time consumption, and financial losses.

4. Poor Client Retention Due to Sales Staff Turnover

In a B2B landscape where long-term client relationships matter, clients are assigned to specific sales representatives. When this staff member leaves your organization, and there is no structured CRM in place, new sales representatives may find it difficult to maintain strong customer relationships, leading to clients shifting to your competitors.

5. Outstanding Payments & Credit Limit Issues

Enabling clients to purchase on credit limit without a real-time payment tracking system in place can lead to an exceed in the outstanding balance from the agreed credit limit. For instance, B2B clients who place bulk orders on credit with a payment due date will be able to continue placing orders even if the previous dues are not paid, leading to delayed payments and financial strain for the print provider.

How to Address These Revenue Draining Factors in Print Order Management?

These revenue-draining factors can be addressed only by utilizing a different approach other than the outdated print order management practices. Let’s dive into the solutions for tackling these issues.

1. Utilize Automated Print Order Management System

Implement an automated print management software with high scalability that centralizes all sales channels in a single platform. This advanced system can eliminate manual intervention, reduce miscommunication, streamline workflows, speed up order processing, ensure error-free print operations, and enhance customer experience.

2. Opt for Web-to-Print Driven Order Approval Workflows

Implement a web-to-print driven order approval system that provides various types of approval processes to eliminate dependency on key individuals. With role-based access and customizable approval workflows, print businesses can enhance collaboration across departments and ensure seamless order processing.

3. Implement a Design Proofing System with Version Control

Use a modern design proofing system that enables seamless collaboration between designers and customers to proof designs and allows to maintain all of the design versions or iterations. This structured design proofing and approval system can help printers avoid costly reprints, and material wastage due to incorrect orders.

4. Use a CRM System to Strengthen Client Relationships

Ensure your print management system supports extensive third-party integrations with popular CRM platforms like Zoho and Salesforce to manage client relationships. Despite the change in staff, the system will allow your new staff members to retain customer data like store past orders, preferences, and communication history and offer personalized service.

5. Enable Automated Invoicing & Credit Tracking

Utilize modern W2P systems that allow automation of operations like payment invoicing and credit tracking in real-time to seamlessly manage credit limits and outstanding balances. This enables printers to alert customers with automated reminders for pending invoices, prevent overdue payments, and improve cash flow management.

Over to YouAlthough managing a plethora of print orders can be a tedious task, doing it the right way can reduce financial loss and help you stay profitable in the long run. Adopting a modern print order management system like the ones offered by OnPrintShop can automate print operations from start to end and streamline customer’s online ordering experiences with print-specific features.If you are worried about maintaining the financial health of your print business and want to implement the right technology for print order management, then OnPrintShop is your go-to choice.Request a demo with OnPrintShop today to learn how our forward-thinking web-to-print innovations can maximize your revenue and take your print business to new heights of success.