Customer service, and being made to feel important, is a big part of all repeat experiences. For example, we'll return to a restaurant if it has exceptional service even if the prices are a little higher than another restaurant. We shop at Costco because they sell quality merchandise, keep track of our purchases and make returns really easy.
So what does all this have to do with selling vehicle graphics? Everything, actually.
My point is that good customer service and making your clients feel as important as they really are, is what keeps them coming back to you. One vehicle turns into two, which turns into a fleet over time. In this article we'll discuss some easy ways to improve your fleet account management before, during and after the vehicles are at your shop.
Customer
One of our fleet accounts came to us a few years ago with a stack of old graphics. They had purchased them from another company and weren't happy with the quality, the color consistency, or with the poor customer service they received.
When a large company like this comes to you, with a bad taste already in their mouths from another sign company, it's your time to really step up and make their life easier. They're already frustrated; for them the process of getting fleet graphics has been more difficult than it should be, and all you have to do is take that burden off their shoulders.
It might sound a bit dramatic, but try to put yourself in their shoes. They already have a job to do. They were not hired to purchase signs, ensure that the colors are consistent and make sure the product is high quality. Their job description doesn't include making sure that the designed graphics work across all the different vehicle types in their fleet or that the company will keep important information on file.
That's our job. And when we take this responsibility away from them, and allow them to do their actual job, then they will continue to partner with us to make their life easier.
Organize
The best way to ensure that we're handling all of this for them is to be really organized from the beginning. We have a workflow system that we've created for our shop that allows us to flow jobs smoothly from the front counter through installation. Part of this system includes the keeping good records on all aspects of the customer's order.
When we first start working with a customer we gather any existing artwork, note font types, color preferences and any other information relevant to their fleet. Some of our fleet accounts come in with multiple vehicles at once and some start out with one vehicle and add more vehicles over time; our organization keeps track of all their information so we were always ready to help them out.
Design
One of the first things we tackle once we have a new job is the design of the vehicle graphics themselves. This takes into account the customer's logo, colors, fonts, contact information, slogan and any photo or other design element they may be using on other advertising.
Since consistency is so key in creating effective advertising across a fleet of vehicles, it's important to nail down design elements that will work for each vehicle. On one of our fleet accounts for a local solar company we utilize a swish design that may vary in length and placement across different vehicles, but is a consistent element that helps tie the fleet together.
If you don't already proof your graphics on either photos of the customer's vehicles or use vehicle template software, I would highly suggest adding this into your design arsenal. Not only does it help you lay out the graphics and work around obstacles, it also looks professional and helps your customer visualize the final design.
Color
If we will use cut vinyl graphics, we note the product line and color in the customer's paperwork. We also cut small swatches of vinyl that we place in their file folder or on the invoice that goes in our file system.
If we're doing printed graphics we note the type of vinyl, especially if it's a specialty vinyl. For most of our accounts, when we're first setting up their colors, we do a sample test print for the customer to approve before printing all their graphics. This sample print out is kept on file too for future reference.
Vehicles
There are a few exceptions, but most of our fleet accounts have different vehicle types within their fleet. Some of our customers will use a car for their sales people, trucks for their support people and vans for their repair people. Each person is doing a different job but their vehicle carries the same logo and advertising for the company.
Our job is to be sure that not only the colors remain consistent from one vehicle to the next, but the company logo, slogan and contact information is also clearly marked. The graphics might be sized differently for each vehicle but the design elements remain consistent.
Placement
Another important part of lettering fleets is placement consistency. These vehicles are often parked side-by-side in a yard at the end of the day and it's obvious when elements of the design are not installed in the same exact place on each vehicle type.
We do run into problems with this sometimes though. Many times a company will want the same graphics for all their pickups for example, but they are bringing us Fords, Dodges and Chevys. Each truck type has different tailgates, bed lengths, door handle and body molding placements that we have to work around.
To accommodate all the vehicles we do our best to keep the same “look” from vehicle to vehicle but note the measurements for each vehicle make and model. This is where the organization comes into play again.
Since we proof most of our graphics on a scaled photo of the vehicle we simply print the final proof out. We use these proofs during installation for reference and then carefully note the measurements we take as we go. Since the photo is scaled, and we place the graphics in the computer, we have a fairly good idea of sizing but it's still smart to note final placement since the curve of the vehicle can affect actual measurements.
For some of our spot graphic fleets the customer simply gives us the make, model and year of the vehicle so we proof on a template. This template is then printed out and we note our measurements on that particular vehicle type. Templates help with consistency as you note your spacing from point A to point B. Simply drawing a rough vehicle or trying to write it out can be confusing to reference on future vehicles. Art Station Vehicle Templates is a great source for quality vehicle templates.
Material
We talked about consistency in color and placement but another consideration is your material choices. Our company has worked with quite a few materials over the years, but we've nailed down our favorite materials and use them consistently.
By using only a handful of media types we keep our inventory of materials very organized. Each material is labeled—both vinyl and laminate. We also know that if it was a vehicle, then we also know we used a premium vinyl and laminate, and that any repeat orders will be printed on the same exact material.
Material differences can also affect your color consistency. Recently we were printing some color samples for a customer for a non-vehicle job and were trying to match up a background color for a piece of equipment. Since it wasn't a vehicle, and we were just playing with colors, we used 3M IJ35c for one sample and 3M IJ180Cv3 on another sample—the rolls of media looked the same—but once we printed each sample, the white tone of the vinyl itself affected the samples enough to make a difference to the customer.
Purchasing rolls of the same media over and over also helps us streamline the ordering process from our suppliers. When the supplier knows we go through the same media over and over, they keep it in stock for us. We're also able to negotiate good pricing on materials that we consistently order.