The role of a document services manager is ever-changing. From the early days of small print shops to the rapidly growing need for digital documents and marketing collateral, document services managers must be able to pivot frequently, moving with the trends of the print and digital industries. As a document services manager, it may feel as if you are stuck in the short-term, unable to plan as you struggle to maintain your daily routine. With the help of SCLogic’s print and digital management software, Intra, you will be able to measure KPIs accurately and efficiently to guide your business to success. Here, our document management software experts discuss the top KPIs for document service managers, and how our innovative platform provides the best-individualized solution for you.  

Misprint, Defect, Blank Tracking & Downtime

When running any business, the last thing that you need is an error in your daily routine. These small hiccups can lead to large-scale issues, costing you what is most valuable: time, money, and customers. While these instances are hopefully few and far between, having a software platform that can accurately track these errors will help you identify gaps in your team’s daily workflow, and expedite a strategy to combat these issues. For example, if you can identify that two machines have a noticeably higher rate of misprints than the rest of your equipment, you are able to schedule preventative maintenance before they break down. This is also important when determining SLAs with your equipment providers so that you can ensure these providers are meeting their minimum SLA requirements.

Furthermore, tracking downtime for equipment is a key metric to aid in forecasting employment hours. If you have insight into how long each equipment piece will be down, you are able to plan by adjusting scheduled employees to compensate. This helps to avoid a delay for any print or digital orders coming through your shop and helps you confidently provide timelines for completion to customers.

Tracking Sales Volume & Monitoring Costs

A primary goal of any business is to obtain a steady profit, and the faster you can get there, the better. Utilizing tools such as Intra’s in-building logistics platform provides you with a comprehensive solution to streamline your strategy and work toward your business goals. As a document services manager, you can plan for the year ahead by tracking sales volumes throughout the previous year. Reviewing data on sales for the previous day, week, month, quarter, and year provides a compendious overview of your business’ pulse so that you can prepare for future spikes and dips in the future. In a similar respect, another KPI that should be continuously monitored as a document services manager is cost.

While cost can be viewed as a very general term, in this respect we’re referring to both cost per unit, as well as overall costs associated with your business for the year. As we continue in the coronavirus pandemic, many document service managers have had to adjust to changing internal and external costs, altering their business model for the year. With many industries decreasing their products to account for the lack of spending during the pandemic, you may find yourself in a beneficial position to make those needed updates for your shop during this time. Furthermore, changes surrounding remote or hybrid work schedules may alter your service providers’ SLA requirements, as well as yours, so you should be updating your terms of agreement frequently to prevent future issues.

Order Tracking & Equipment Utilization

On the customer-facing side of your KPIs as a document services manager, order tracking should be at the forefront. While this may seem simple, having insight into every step of your order process can create an efficient daily workflow and help you identify gaps in your order intake and customer satisfaction. For example, if you are able to pinpoint that you have a much faster turnaround time for print orders compared to digital orders, even though the workload is almost identical, you can identify gaps in your employees’ workflows, and add additional training or meetings as needed to get your shop up to speed.

Additionally, this ties into the relevant KPI of equipment utilization, helping your print or digital shop utilize space, storage, and equipment to their highest abilities. Using Intra’s Document Services Workgroup, your shop will have access to extensive data, as well as insight into the utilization of each equipment piece you have, including ones provided by our team and various integrations. This KPI is fantastic in helping your team identify what equipment may not be cost-effective, what equipment is being frequently used, where your team may need additional training, and what equipment may need to be updated. With over a quarter-century of experience, our team makes it a priority to continuously find modern, innovative solutions for your unique pain points. That means, when you begin a relationship with SCLogic, it’s meant to last a lifetime. Our customers are the backbone of our business, and it’s our job to make sure you have access to the absolute best solutions.

Customer Satisfaction & Industry Trends

Last, but certainly not least, the KPIs of customer satisfaction and industry trends should always be reported on. If you have been settling for outdated reporting software or are just trying to manage reporting on your own, it’s time to make a change. Repeat customers and word-of-mouth advertising are vital, so meeting deadlines and delivering orders correctly is key to success. Whether you are a small shop within a university working on building a strong customer base or a tried-and-true staple in a Fortune 500 enterprise, your customers are what keeps your business going. As we navigate this continuously fluctuating time, one thing that remains strong is the loyalty that you’ve built with your customers. Furthermore, these KPIs can then be used to highlight your abilities in internal marketing collateral, leading to a larger customer base and ultimately more revenue.

When monitoring customer satisfaction, it is also important to monitor the KPI of consumer trends. Trends are continuously fluctuating, adjusted by the economy, preferences, and now digital marketing. Being able to identify these consumer trends early on allows your company to choose wise investments into additional equipment, new offerings, and new employees to skyrocket revenue and set your shop ahead of the curve. For example, in the past few years, digital advertising has saturated the internet and social media. However, this does not mean that print advertising is obsolete.  In fact, print advertising is making a comeback in the form of branded collateral and traditional mail, breaking through the constant noise and influx of digital ads and capturing the attention of consumers. By viewing customer purchase history and identifying trends, your shop is then able to adjust your marketing strategy to focus on relevant print campaigns for your customers, increasing revenue and improving your customer success.

See How SCLogic’s Intra Software Platform Can Help You Today

As a document services manager, you are constantly trying to adjust to consumer trends, improve your shop’s daily workflow, and remain up to date with modern equipment. So often, it can feel as if you are working toward these goals blindly, with little to no concrete data to review your strategy. Making it a priority to monitor these KPIs stated above and invest in a full-service solution may seem excessive at the beginning but will surely lead to growth for your business long-term. With a variety of integrations, a team of knowledgeable and experienced professionals, and some of the most innovative software on the market, our team is ready to bring your shop to the next level. If you are a document services manager searching for a software solution to streamline workflows, email [email protected] or schedule a demo with one of our team members today.

We look forward to working with you!