In this guide 6 sections
Ask whether the software prices per square foot from your own rate card, takes site measurements on a phone and holds artwork versions on the job. Then ask about offcuts, outside fabricators, branch rollouts and the installation photo. GullySystem’s Signage Business Management Software covers these. Have every vendor show them on your own job.
Questions about measurement and pricing
Most remakes start with a misread size. So begin by asking how a surveyor records measurements at the wall. Look for a phone form tied to the job, with photos, mounting surface and power point.
Pricing comes next. Can rates sit separately for flex, ACP, acrylic letters and LED modules? Can installation, transport and scaffolding go on as their own lines? Have the vendor price one of your recent jobs live.
- Where are site sizes and photos saved?
- Can rates differ by material and finish?
- Are quote revisions kept together?
- Can installation and transport be separate lines?
Questions about artwork and the workshop
Artwork goes back and forth before a client approves it. Check that each mock-up version is kept, with who approved it and when. The workshop should cut only from the approved file.
Ask what the workshop job card shows. Sizes, material issued, finish and steps belong on it. Outside work such as laser cutting or powder coating should sit on the job with its cost.
Questions about stock and offcuts
ACP sheets, vinyl rolls and LED modules get issued to one job and used on another. Find out how material is issued against a job. Find out too how offcuts are booked back as reusable stock.
A rush order that stops for one missing module costs a day. Can reorder levels be set per item? Request a sample report of material used per job.
Questions about rollouts and installation
Rollouts across many stores need their own view. Each location in an order should carry its own survey, permission letter, installation photo and sign-off. Ask how the client’s question “which stores are live?” gets answered.
Then look at what the crew sees on site. An address, a job sheet and a photo upload are enough. Crews on ladders will not fill long forms.
- Is each store tracked as its own line?
- Is the permission letter held per location?
- What does the crew enter from site?
Questions about billing, data and fit
Can an invoice wait until the completion photo is in? How do advances and variations appear on the bill? What reaches your accountant, and in which file?
Finally, ask who owns the data and how you leave with it. Get the price in writing. A fair vendor will also tell you if your shop is too small for software yet.
Signage software vendor question sheet
A two-column sheet with every question from this guide on the left and room for each vendor’s answer on the right. Mark whether each answer was shown on screen or only described. Answers shown on your own job count for more.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Will the software make our artwork?
No. Your designer or studio still makes it. The software holds each mock-up version and records which one the client approved.
Should the demo use one of our own jobs?
Yes. A demo on a recent job of yours shows whether the rate card, measurements and stages match how you work. Generic demos hide the gaps.
Is software worth it for a small board shop?
Maybe not yet. A shop doing a handful of local boards a month can manage with a register and UPI. Software starts to matter with crews, rollouts and stock spread across many jobs.
Can invoices go to Tally?
An export of invoices and receipts for Tally can be arranged. What the file holds is agreed with your accountant during scoping.