While you, of course, hope that everything in your product run goes smoothly, you need to be prepared for mistakes. Things do happen, and whether it is an issue with the actual run or your design, you need to be prepared and know what to do to resolve the situation. To a significant degree, your best course of action will depend on the issue in question, which is why you should be aware of the most likely things to go wrong.
Poorly Planned Design
If you don’t have experience with designing packaging and haven’t consulted an expert, then you may end up with a mistake in the form of a design that simply doesn’t work on the type of packaging you choose. Luckily, this will rarely be an issue, since the best manufacturers will go through your design with you before production to make sure you are certain about it or may even provide you with a sample, either physically or virtually so you can see how it looks. If, however, you do realize after the fact that your design wasn’t what you hoped it would be but the product run has already occurred, you will have limited options. You can talk to the manufacturer and see if they would be willing to give you a discount on a second run. Of course, you can also avoid this issue by always working with a designer and doing a short run to make sure your product looks like you want.
Not What You Thought You Ordered
Sometimes the mistakes in the product run will be the result of miscommunication. You may have thought you ordered one thing while the company produced something else. In this case, contact them immediately and have your information on hand. Show them what you agreed upon and how the delivered product is different from that. They should redo it correctly at no or minimal charge. You can also avoid this mistake from ever happening by working with a company with strong positive feedback and excellent customer service. These top manufacturers will be clear about what you are ordering and ensure that all parties are in agreement before beginning the run.
Damage To The Product
No reputable company will give you a product that has been damaged during the run or didn’t come out correctly, but if you try to cut corners, you may work with a less scrupulous one. If this happens, contact them to make sure they redo your product run correctly, as you can’t put your product in damaged packaging. Once again, this mistake can be avoided by hiring a company with great ratings.
Always Talk To The Manufacturer
Regardless of the mistake in your product run, you should always talk to the manufacturer as soon as possible. The sooner they are aware of the issue, the quicker they can work to resolve it. Of course, if the issue was on their end, they will likely already be taking steps to resolve the problem. In this case, they can give you an update. If the mistake was something on your end, contact them right away to see if you can pause the production or make a last minute change if it hasn’t begun.
