New article from Marshall Atkinson at atkinsontshirt.com. I’ve been thinking a lot about customer service lately.   Mostly with our supply chain. Maybe my article title is a bit dramatic, but I want to make a point.  There are superstars in this business, there are folks that are ok most of the time, and then there are those that just leave you shaking your head and mumbling to yourself.
I wrote another article about this topic, but I’m not going to publish it.  That article was about a few suppliers who have in the past two weeks udderly amazed me with their lack of customer service.  So luckily for you, I’m not using that one.  It is the written equivalent of a Yosemite Sam tirade.  “%#@*&@!%” at it’s cartoon best.
Nope, instead let’s explore the beating heart of customer service and what makes up the basic core expectations of that idea in the modern world.  Think about these below and use them for some basis to grade your suppliers.  How would they rate?  If you are a decorated apparel supplier, use this as a self-assessment.  Not trying to bitch and moan, but improvement on the supplier horizon would be a good thing.

New post from Marshall Atkinson at Atkinsontshirt.com. Lately around our shop we have been incredibly focused.  So focused in fact, that I think we’ve missed some obvious things we could have handled better.  Nothing major, but we all want to be tweaking whatever isn’t working quite right so it can be improved.  Right?
However that doesn’t happen when you are just focused on one thing.  Getting that order out.  Setting up that big ten color job because you have a client coming in for a press check in thirty minutes.  Sewing that expensive Patagonia jacket.  Perfecting that color match for a digital print.  Shipping those three skids of backpacks to the other side of the planet.  Even starting that new employee on their first day.
We do these things and they go off without a hitch.  Because we are putting the time and energy into them to make sure that the results are what we expect.
The issue though that I’m writing about today, is not catching the small problems that are occurring as we are walking by on our way to make these “important” challenges work out correctly.

A tip recently published in “Printwear” by John Levocz.

Some jackets can have a water-repellent coating that will potentially become an issue when screen printed on. The coating is designed to help water from saturating the garment, but if it is so good that it is blocking the water from penetrating the garment, it will also inhibit the ink from bonding correctly to the jacket. If the ink is not bonding correctly, the abrasion resistance and adhesion will be compromised.

Nazdar SourceOne Account Executive, Rick Davis takes a look at the past and an update on trends with white textile screen-printing inks.