Email is Killing Print Shop Productivity

Email: The Double-edged Sword

Email communication is like a double-edged sword for print shop sales reps and graphic designers. On one hand, it's a helpful tool for communicating with customers and team members. On the other hand, the constant influx of emails can be a major distraction, leading to decreased productivity and missed deadlines. It's like trying to work on a masterpiece painting while a parade of clowns is marching through your studio.

In short, email communication can be a real productivity killer for print shop sales reps and graphic designers. It's important for print shops to find a solution to this problem in order to improve productivity and efficiency. Or else, the parade of clowns will never end.

We're overloaded with email

The constant influx of emails, including ads and social media notifications, can distract and disrupt work flow in a print shop. Typically, the need to check and respond to emails leads to task switching and decreased focus on important tasks, ultimately resulting in decreased productivity.

According to recent studies, the average professional receives over 120 emails per day and spends nearly 28% of their workday on email. That's like trying to eat a sandwich while doing a handstand, it's a lot to handle. And for print shop sales reps and graphic designers, who are constantly communicating with customers and vendors, the number of emails can be even higher.

Constant email checking and response can cause task switching and decreased focus on important tasks, leading to missed deadlines and decreased productivity, which can negatively impact the print shop's bottom line. To improve productivity and efficiency, print shops should find a solution to manage the constant influx of emails.

Context switching costs time

As a print shop sales rep or graphic designer, you know how important it is to communicate effectively with your customers. But when you're composing an email, you may find yourself constantly switching between your email software and your order management software. This can be a real productivity killer.

When you're constantly switching back and forth between different software, it can be easy to lose track of what you were working on and the context of the conversation. This can lead to confusion and errors, which can ultimately result in delays and unhappy customers. Not only that, but it also takes up valuable time that could be spent on other important tasks. It's like trying to write a letter while playing a game of whack-a-mole, your attention is divided and it's hard to get anything done.

Additionally, having to switch between different software can also make it harder to track the progress of a project, manage orders, and communicate with team members. This can lead to delays, missed deadlines, and a lack of transparency. It also just makes your team work more slowly, which costs you more money.

Make Email Faster

This may sound like a joke, but it's not. There ARE actually ways to make email faster.

Learn keyboard shortcuts...

Learning keyboard shortcuts for your email client can greatly improve the speed and efficiency of your team's email communication. Navigating through emails with a mouse can be time-consuming and tedious, but using keyboard shortcuts can make the process much faster. This is especially true for frequently used actions such as archiving, deleting, and moving emails. By using shortcuts, your team can quickly and easily manage their inboxes, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Most email clients, including popular ones like Gmail and Outlook, have a wide range of keyboard shortcuts available. These shortcuts can be found in the client's settings or by doing a quick online search. Encourage your team to take the time to learn the shortcuts that they will use most frequently. This may take a bit of effort initially, but the time saved in the long run will be well worth it. Additionally, if you use a specific email client across your entire organization, you can share the shortcuts with all your team members, and make sure everyone is on the same page.

Filter out distractions...

Setting up social media filters in your team's inboxes can be an effective way to reduce distractions and keep your team focused on the task at hand. Many email clients allow you to create filters that automatically route certain types of messages to specific folders or labels. For example, you can create a filter that sends all emails from social media accounts to a separate folder, so that your team can check them at a later time when they are not as busy. This will help your team stay focused on the most important tasks and not get bogged down by notifications.

If you host your own mail server, you can also blacklist distracting senders. This can be particularly useful for blocking spam or unwanted messages from reaching your team's inboxes. By blacklisting certain email addresses or domains, you can ensure that your team's inboxes stay clean and free of unnecessary messages. This can be done through the server's settings, so it is important to have an administrator that can help with this. Additionally, many email clients also have built-in spam-blockers and filters that can help keep your inbox clean.

Get a better email client...

Having a great email client can make a huge difference in how quickly and efficiently you can navigate and respond to emails. One such email client is Superhuman, which is known for its speed and productivity-focused features. Superhuman is designed to help you work through your inbox faster and more efficiently. It includes a range of keyboard shortcuts, advanced search options, and a streamlined interface that makes it easy to manage your emails.

Superhuman's unique selling point is the speed, it's built to reduce the time you spend in your inbox. It's also designed with productivity in mind, and it's packed with features to make your email experience more efficient, such as the ability to schedule emails to send later, snooze messages, and even an AI-assistant. It's also built for teams, making it easy for your team to collaborate and share information. Superhuman is not the only email client that can make a huge difference in how quickly you can navigate and respond to emails, but it's definitely one of the best. It's worth giving it a try and see the difference it can make in your team's productivity.

Stop using email for internal (and most external) communication

Email has been the de-facto digital medium for B2B communication, but that doesn't mean is has to be...

Email is inefficient for team communication

Email is one of the slowest and most error-prone ways to communicate internally. It's often used as a catch-all for communication, but it's not the most efficient option for many tasks. Tools like Slack are much more efficient for internal communication. Slack allows for real-time conversations, file sharing, and integration with other tools, making it a more versatile and efficient option for team communication. Additionally, Slack is designed for team collaboration, so it's much easier to keep track of who said what and when compared to email.

Email is bad for client communication

A lot of client communication can, and should, be removed from email. While email is a convenient way to send and receive information, it's not always the best option for client communication. Email creates a knowledge vacuum where information is not transparent and only owned by a single person. This can lead to confusion and miscommunication, which can ultimately harm the client relationship.

Automating transactional emails

Many emails are transactional in nature, such as order updates, shipping confirmations, and invoices. While these types of emails are necessary, they can also be time-consuming and repetitive. Automating these emails with the right software can help to reduce the amount of time spent on them and improve the overall efficiency of communication. The key is to find a solution that works best for your business and integrate it into your workflow. Automating transactional emails can save a lot of time and reduce the number of emails you need to send, allowing you to focus on more important tasks.

How InkWorks can help eliminate email in your shop...

InkWorks is an order management solution designed specifically for print and sign shops. It helps eliminate the problems caused by constantly switching between email software and order management software. By allowing you to communicate with your customers and team members directly from your order screen, without ever having to open email, InkWorks streamlines the process and saves you valuable time.

With InkWorks, you can easily manage orders, track production, and communicate with customers all in one place. This eliminates the need to constantly switch between different software, reducing the risk of confusion and errors. Additionally, it allows you to have all the information and communication related to an order in one place. This not only saves time but also provides a clear and transparent overview of the project status, and helps avoid creating vacuums of tribal knowledge. It's like having a personal assistant that keeps everything organized and on track for your whole team.

InkWorks also includes features such as real-time order tracking, automated order confirmations, and customer account management. These features allow you to keep your customers informed and up-to-date, while also making it easier to manage and fulfill orders. It's a solution that simplifies the process and improves the overall customer experience.

Give InkWorks a shot at eliminating your productivity killer: email.

Some added benefits?

• Basic accounts are free forever.
• You get a 30-day FREE trial to kick the tires...
• Instant imports mean you can start being productive in a day! 😎⚡️✨💪🚀

... and at only $4.99 / mo see our Fair Pricing Policy, it's the most affordable shop efficiency software on the market.

Thanks for reading!