How do you guys handle customers who delay yet expect the same delivery date?

[AMBRO_MFG]

We all know that it's competitive out there and the meter on a scale of 1-10 for customer loyalty these days seems to be at about a .5 or at least that's what we experience.  We can do 100 good jobs for someone and on the 101's job there is a slight error or delay and they are out shopping for a new printer.   While we have long term clients that we work with year after year, we don't have any long standing contracts, with big companies, we just do project work.  For example, I know a lot of shops may have an angel client or two that keeps them busy all year, that's not us.  As a result, we get a lot of these conversations ... "Hey, I just got a 3,000 piece order that I need in 5 days, do you want it?" 

What I'm reading into a statement like that is that if I don't say yes, they'll bring it to someone else.  Now the reality may be that they have 10 days, but want to squeeze us so that they can feel good about having it done sooner, but who's to say.

Many times we reluctantly accept their deadline with stipulations.  The stipulations might be that we have all of the shirts in our hands the following day and art approved within 2 hours etc.

7 times out of 10 lately, these customers don't adhere to the stipulations but never adjust their expectations.  The shirts arrive late, or in a partial shipment, they don't approve the art for 2 days etc.  But they still want it done in the 5 days.  We've tried logic and explanations about what we agreed to with respect to what they had to do in order to meet the 5 day time, after all it's not 100% on us, we need their input.  Yet day after day, week after week, the same conversation keeps happening.

Are we alone in this?  If not, what do you do in this or similar situations?

[DannyGruninger]

We have a policy that we require blanks to be here at least 48 hrs before the job is due. If the blanks show up within 48 hrs of due date a rush fee is added to the PO. It’s amazing how much better “contract” clients do when they know if they don’t have all the stuff here they will get hit with a fee. Ever since we established this and held firm its made scheduling much easier. If the client doesn’t want to pay a rush their job gets re jiggered all together in our normal 5-7 day turn. When a client calls if we can fit it in our schedule without delays on their end we typically just do it at std price but if we are super busy we communicate rush fees added due to overtime labor. But have firm policies if they don’t get what you need it will either push the date and/or bump the cost.

[ABuffington]

How bad do you want the customer and 3000 prints? Some customers have steady business and know what you need and work with you, other's are a headache and want 5 print locations and individual bag with inserts and a name put on them and at the last second want royal instead of the already printed navy shirts. I've had out of the blue customers show up Thursday with an order for Saturday out of the blue like that and just made another pot of coffee if it was doable.  Last second orders and ignorance of deadlines seem like normal customers to me as long as it doesn't affect current clients.  Heck I'd even deliver for free within 200 miles.  I would explain that this order is breaking all the rules, that I'll do it the first time, but on the next one please follow the rules to avoid up charges, while I hand them a list of deadlines and revision upcharges and tear it up for their first order.  If my workers had to do it: 1.5x upcharge to cover OT, no exceptions.  If I did iaccept the order, what other work does he have?  Can't tell you how many nights at midnight I called the wife and told her I was staying for orders like this and crashed into a cot in the office when the crew arrived at 6. One time I did this and got all of his work for the effort, another was a one time deal for a fellow printer who returned the favor years later, and there is that one customer you wish had never heard of the screen printing process and has a million questions and revisions and can't be reached.  If you have that customer in front of you run out the back door now and watch from a distance til they leave.  They won't take no for an answer, millions of girl scouts will not have their camp shirt, and the league can't start without these, please do it for the kids, oh please.  Run I tell you.

[ZooCity]

"All goods for your order must arrive 3 days ahead of your delivery date in order to hold that date."

"When we receive all of the garments on your order we will, within 1 business day, unpack and check them against your order, notifying you of any discrepancies."

Expedite Order cutoff is 2pm Mountain Standard Time. Pre-approval required.
$50/day

Pretty close to what Danny's shop does.  We also do not charge for expediting if it incurs no cost to us, our thank you to whomever helped fill up our schedule.

Day are counted past the date of final approval, and that means everything.  People are people and they get it wrong all the time but they at least understand what they did wrong and why they are being charged or receiving their order later than they wanted.  Most of the leg work for this is on the front end with our sales rep micro managing them on submittal dates up to the requested in hands.

[GKitson]

Acceptance of the occasional 'Oh crap order' will build incredible customer loyalty.   

Continued abuse of our good will incurs 'preferred pricing'.

Customer education and excellent communication is the only thing that makes the world go round.

When we do not have timely approvals we are very proactive about getting them.  Babysitting, maybe.  Exceptional customer service, absolutely.

My 2 cents...

[blue moon]

Acceptance of the occasional 'Oh crap order' will build incredible customer loyalty.   

Continued abuse of our good will incurs 'preferred pricing'.

Customer education and excellent communication is the only thing that makes the world go round.

When we do not have timely approvals we are very proactive about getting them.  Babysitting, maybe.  Exceptional customer service, absolutely.

My 2 cents...

same boat here. We print all orders, including "we need them in three hours!" 'have not charged a rush fee in about five years now. . .
on the other hand, we are 100% contract and have a standing relationship with our customers. They know we will bail them out and I can't think of one that is abusing that. They all know what they are asking for and are grateful that we are there for them when needed.

pierre

p.s. I should add that we have NEVER missed a deadline (well, sort of, I forgot to drop the boxes off on my way home once) and have gone to extraordinary measures to achieve this more than once. It's considered normal for us. It does help to have an extra automatic just waiting for cases like this. . .