The 10 steps to finding the best vehicle graphics provider start with finding the best fit for your needs. This is true for any vendor, not only vehicle graphics. You want a provider with a good reputation that comes highly recommended. One you can trust, whether it’s vehicle graphics or an internet provider. Here are 10 steps to finding the best vehicle graphics provider.
10 Steps to Finding the Best Vehicle Graphics Provider
1. Full Service
Finding the best vehicle graphics provider begins with you. It’s critical to find a provider that fits your business’s needs. A customer shared with me why they came to TKO Graphix. It was because we are a full service provider. On a previous fleet graphics rebrand, they hired an ad agency to design the graphics, then contracted a printer, another company to remove the old graphics from their vehicles, and yet another to install the new graphics. It was a logistics nightmare filled with miscommunications, mistakes, and delays.
It was not a happy experience for them and didn’t meet their needs. If you’d like to learn more about what a full-service vehicle graphic provider does, read What a Full-Service Fleet Graphics Provider Does and Why You Need to Know This.
2. Certification
Unfortunately, some people claim to be vehicle graphic installers that don’t meet customer expectations or industry standards. For example, there are different levels of vehicle graphic application certification. Basic certification is only for applying decals on flat surfaces. More complex installations, such as a full wrap on a vehicle with contours, curves, and seams, is another level of training and certification. Here’s how to tell the difference. How to Find the Best Vehicle Graphics Installers.
3. Guarantee
A guarantee is more than a warranty. Does the provider stand behind their work, or is it all up to the manufacturer? I learned this the hard way many years ago. I had a new roof installed with a 30-year warranty. After only a few months, I had a problem with the roof. They told me yes; the manufacturer warranted the product, but there was a service charge to do the installation and the provider didn’t guarantee the contractors work. Here’s an example of an outstanding vehicle graphics warranty, 3M™ MCS™ Warranty.
4. Pricing
Here’s the thing: you should be wary of pricing that is too high and pricing that is too low. Most of us have made the low-price mistake, whether it was a personal item or something for the business. A price that sounds too good to be true probably is. Some providers will cut quality to reduce the cost. For example, there are several grades of quality for adhesive vinyl graphics. One category of adhesive vinyl is only recommended for flat decals. Yet some providers attempt to use this material on complex curves. It doesn’t work. Here’s an example, The Lowest Bid Mistake
5. Reviews and Testimonials
In some ways finding the best vehicle graphics provider is easier today. The world is more transparent than it has ever been. Bad actors have nowhere to hide. You can vet providers on Google, Facebook, Yelp, Reddit, and more. A company may look good on paper. Their marketing might paint a pretty picture. Their advertising might be enticing, but what do their customers say about them? For example, Read What 10 Customers Say About TKO Graphix Quality of Work
6. Quality Control
Too many smaller businesses rely on a cult of personality rather than systems to maintain quality control. QC starts with training. Designers, printers, and installers all need basic training. After that, there needs to be a follow-up system to maintain consistently high levels of quality. For example, in our production area, we have a quality control department that checks all prints for quality and counts. Yet, it goes further than that; every department needs QC systems. Here’s an example, Digital Print Color Calibration.
7. Examples
Whether the provider has an online portfolio, or has applied graphics to fleets you’re familiar with, you want to see their work. Not only do you want to see their work, but you want to see work similar to yours. If you’re rebranding twenty, 53-foot trailers, you don’t need to see a small car wrap. You want to see a rebrand of a 53-foot trailer. You might recognize a few of these businesses, TKO Graphix Portfolio.
8. Customer Service
It seems like, in this modern world, the needs of businesses come before customer service. Last week I spent 22 minutes on hold listening to recordings before speaking with a customer service person. Has that happened to you? I don’t know about you, but I want to know I can talk to a human being for my service needs. I want a person assigned to me, and I want to talk to someone who knows who I am and understand my needs. I want a business that keeps me informed. I don’t want to be surprised. I want to stay informed, don’t you? Here are some examples, 10 Clients Rate TKO Graphix Customer Service.
9. Time in Business
Time in business says a lot. When a provider has been in business for 10, 20, or 30 years, it says something. It says they must be doing something right. It says they must know what they’re doing, and customers must appreciate their work. Okay, I’m going to brag. TKO has been in business since 1985, and we’ve applied graphics to more than one million vehicles! Read this if you’d like to learn more about TKO Graphix.
10. Tenure of Employees
Wait, didn’t I just talk about this in number 9? Nope, time in business and tenure of employees are two different things. Although an operation must be in business for an extended number of years to develop tenured employees. A company can be around for years without creating a tenured team. It’s a good idea to ask how long the employees working on your project have been with the organization. Finding the best vehicle graphics provider also means finding the best and most experienced team.
10 Steps to Finding the Best Vehicle Graphics Provider
There are more than these 10 steps to finding the best vehicle graphics provider, such as delivery, professionalism, and creativity, but these 10 should help you find the best vehicle graphic provider for you.
If you’d like to learn more we’d be happy to help you in finding the best vehicle graphics provider that fits your needs.
Contact TKO Graphix at 888-544-8051 or Contact Us online.
TKO Graphix is a national fleet and vehicle graphics company helping customers since 1985. We provide full-service graphics solutions such as design, digital printing, screen printing, installation and removal of fleet graphics, vehicle graphics, and commercial graphics.
