How Online Proofing Leads to Easy Approvals

Think about your current proofing process. It needs some work, doesn’t it? It’s okay. Though proofing is one of the most important aspects of an agency’s workflow, it’s really hard to do efficiently. Few parts of the marketing agency proofing process are within your control, often you’re waiting for the client to review files before signing off. As we’re all aware, this can slow down the project’s process.

But what if that could change? In this blog, we’ll explain the benefits of online proofing and how an integrated system improves communication and makes approval a piece of cake.

One Screen to Rule Them All

A critical problem with many agencies’ proofing processes is that there are too many dang screens. There’s the email tab, then you have to download the file, then you have to find the folder the file got downloaded to, and then finally you’ve arrived at the tab with the document. That’s too many steps. It’s simply not efficient.

Online proofing software sorts that chaos for your marketing agency. Everything you and your clients need is in one place. The document, the tools to make comments, and the feedback itself all sit on one screen. Messages can be exchanged through the proofing software, too. The only time a user has to look at another screen is when notifications are sent to their email, informing them that their input is needed.

This affects the efficiency of your agency’s approval process. Big time. Where time was once lost in the search for the right email with the most recent file, teams now have easy, consistent access to everything they need. This can be especially beneficial with retainer clients or large projects that require approval at several stages of the process, as once clients become familiar with the online proofing process, they’ll be able to sign off of work faster.

Agency online proofing software allows for faster, easier communication

Communication is ultimately the root cause of approval log jams. When you send a file to a client, the project grinds to a halt. And it’s not always obvious what’s causing the delay. Did the email disappear from their inbox? Did they forget to send the file back? Are they having issues making comments? There are plenty of reasonable explanations for why a client has not responded as promptly as you’d hoped.

However, most of these problems can be solved with a streamlined process. The centralization of communication means both you and your clients know what is expected and when it’s expected by. When the time comes to review documents, they know where to go. Comments can be made and questions can be answered quickly, within the agency proofing software, allowing for faster response times and quicker changes.

Most agencies’ proofing process involves a lot of back and forth. Which means a lot of emails. Even the best clients can be guilty of not fully reading an email, or skipping over important information. This could mean spending days waiting for feedback that you aren’t looking for. And that can cause tensions to rise as a project drags on. Furthermore, we’ve all made comments on a PDF and had them mysteriously disappear. Just as we’re about to send the feedback off, we find ourselves going through and leaving comments for a second time. Not fun.

Online proofing software removes the bugs, glitches, and plain old human error involved in a traditional agency proofing cycle. No more missing comments or ignored instructions. And even if mistakes are made, they are easy to identify and fix, without requiring three emails and a week’s worth of time.

Final Thoughts

Many agencies struggle with optimizing their approval process. The truth is, without specific tools, it’s difficult to make it more efficient. So much of the process is out of your control. With online proofing software, your agency takes back some control of the procedure.

The centralization of documents and communication means less time is spent wondering when your clients are going to provide feedback. It also removes many of the major obstacles that cause proofing to get pushed down your clients’ priority list.