Impressions - October/November 2015 - 54
talking SHOP
Embroidery Production
Quality Control Starts Upfront
There are things you can do before taking an order
to ensure a satisfactory result for your customers.
By Connie R. Smith, Contributing Writer
When writing the order, detail is
important. You should list men's, ladies or youth
sizes, the item's style number and its name, if
available. Give the prices for the garment and
the embroidery (each location).
w
e all have bought something
and - upon opening it -
wondered how it ever left the
manufacturer that way. How can one thing
be promised on the box and turn out to be
something completely different or have
major problems when the box is opened?
Regardless of whether you are a momand-pop embroiderer working out of a
spare bedroom or a high-volume shop
with 100 multiheads, your customer has
picked you for a reason. If you want the
54
Impressions | October/November 2015
orders to keep coming, you must learn
good quality-control procedures.
Ensure your customers are getting
what they paid for. This involves doing
your part before starting the order, as well
as inspecting it properly after production
is completed.
GETTING ORGANIZED
Quality control starts when the order is
placed, not as you're reviewing it when it's
done. When I was a consultant, I noticed
people writing orders on scrap paper and
later trying to decipher and transfer the information to an order form. Take the time
to gather information upfront and write
the order with complete details from the
start. You may have to look up prices or
find the item your customer wants. If you
have to call the person back at some point,
you will need everything you talked about
to be about written down so you can refer
to it later. Keep order forms nearby so you
don't spend time trying to find them.
Things like thread colors, sizes and design can be forgotten as soon as the phone
rings and you start taking another order.
Also, a word like "blue" for thread color
is insufficient. Even royal blue can be incorrect if you use more than one brand
of thread.
Take the time to write the thread number that's indicated on the cone along with
the color given to that number by the
manufacturer. Here's an example: "XYZ
#1045 Bluebird." Notice that it's not just
"blue." If you are adding to an order placed
earlier, you can bet your customer will notice if the colors are different.
Also, color is different to everyone, so
giving as much detail as possible can save
replacing items later. For an experiment, I
asked two friends to pick out color threads
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Impressions - October/November 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - October/November 2015
Impressions - October/November 2015
Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conferences
On Design
Mega Multimedia
Performance Perfection
The Digital Directive
On the Front Lines
Mark Your Calendar
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Production
Digital Decorating
Classifieds
Online Directory
Ad Index
Impressions - October/November 2015 - CT1
Impressions - October/November 2015 - CT2
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Impressions - October/November 2015
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Cover2
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 1
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Contents
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 3
Impressions - October/November 2015 - First Impressions
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 5
Impressions - October/November 2015 - From the Show Director
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 7
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FYI
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 9
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 10
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 11
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 12
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 13
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 14
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 15
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Product Gallery
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 17
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 18
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 19
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 19a
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 19b
Impressions - October/November 2015 - ISS Conferences
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 21
Impressions - October/November 2015 - On Design
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 23
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Mega Multimedia
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 25
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 26
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 27
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 28
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 29
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Performance Perfection
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 31
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 32
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 33
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 34
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 35
Impressions - October/November 2015 - The Digital Directive
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 37
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 38
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 39
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 40
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 41
Impressions - October/November 2015 - On the Front Lines
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 43
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 44
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 45
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 46
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 47
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Mark Your Calendar
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 49
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 50
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 51
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Shop Spotlight
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 53
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Embroidery Production
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 55
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 56
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Screen Printing Production
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 58
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 59
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Digital Decorating
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 61
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 62
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 63
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Classifieds
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Ad Index
Impressions - October/November 2015 - 66
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Cover3
Impressions - October/November 2015 - Cover4
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FW1
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FW2
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FW3
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FW4
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FW5
Impressions - October/November 2015 - FW6
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