Rushes

Standard Procedure

• Rushes should take priority as they come about. If the project is a known rush, or it has been communicated to you that the project will become a rush, it should be placed at the top of your priority list. Rushes should be a “drop everything” scenario unless you are told otherwise by your manager or director.
  • When rushes occur at the start or middle of a project, it should be a top priority for PCs and writers/designers, so communication between everyone is important to make sure everyone is on the same page.
• When working on rushes, the process should be done as quickly as possible. When uploading projects into proofing, making edits, and sharing proofs with client and different levels in QC, rushes should take the priority over uploads for other projects. A few minutes wasted when working on rushes can add up over the course of the project, so it is important to focus on getting your tasks for the rush done as quickly as possible.
• Over-communication is the key to success when working on rush projects. If you are waiting on something, have changes from client or requested edits from QC, or have questions about the project, please make sure to over-communicate. Rush projects can be difficult when trying to keep things on track because there are so many people involved, so communicating with your teammates, manager/director, client, ADS, and the print shop can help reduce errors and confusion. This also helps save time so the project can get done as quickly as possible.
  • When communicating with other teams such as ADS and the print shop, make sure to provide them with a reasonable amount of time to reply to an email. They have many other tasks just like we do, and they may also be working on other rushes. If it seems like they are taking a long time to reply, it is okay to reach out to your manager to try and speed up the process.
• Communication with QC should also occur when rushes are in proofing. Your manager will send everyone in QC an email notifying them of the rush so they know to check it in proofing as soon as possible. As the proof is uploaded to different levels in proofing, please notify QC on the email chain so they are aware of the status.

ADS Rushes

When you are notified of a rush that will require ADS assistance (emails, voice blasts, text blasts, and/or selects), use the following steps as a guideline:

• Once a select has been confirmed with the client, a ticket should be created in CRM for the ADS Communications team. Make sure to mark the rush reason in the ticket as you are creating it. You can also include the envelope information (From Name, to/from emails, subject line) as it is available.
• Immediately after the ticket for ADS has been created, start an email chain:
  • The subject line includes the campaign number, making it easier to track on the marketing end, as well as the ticket number as this is what ADS uses.
  • If multiple tickets need to be created, please keep them all under the same email chain if they are for the same project.
  • When sending a rush email, always remember to mark it as high importance. This creates more urgency and will help ADS find it in their inbox faster.
• Communication is key when rushes arise. Update the email chain with ADS as frequently as possible. This includes changes to the select, drop dates/times, and merge fields.

This email template should be used as guidance for how a rush email to ADS should look:

To: ADS Communications; [ADS data team]; [Marketing PC or team]; [customer POC or team]

Subject: [ticket number] – [campaign number and short description]

• Is this a new campaign or a change to an existing campaign?
• What is the reason for the rush/change?
• If a change to an existing campaign:
  • What is being changed about the campaign (select details, merge fields, etc.)?
  • Will this campaign change be rushed or pushed?
  • If pushed, when will the new drop date be?

Important notes for using the template:

• [ADS data team] Some teams always send to the same audience, so the appropriate data groups can be added to the email chain. If you are unsure which data team should be added based on a population, ADS Comms will assign it to the appropriate team when triaging the ticket.
• [Customer POC or team] This will vary based on team. If your team does not typically include clients/client groups in rush emails, you do not need to add them to the chain.
• [Marketing PC or team] This may also vary by team, but your manager should always be included as part of this group when creating rush email chains.

Print Shop Rushes

When you are notified of a rush that will need to be sent to the print shop, use the following steps:

• Once you are aware of the project, you should immediately communicate with the print shop that a project will be headed their way. Please be sure to CC your manager on this email chain. Make sure to include RUSH 555555 in the subject line so they know this will need to be at the top of their priority list. Also be sure to mark the email high importance so the chain can be found easily, and update the subject line with the project number and ticket number from the project you are working on.
• If you do not have the size, stock, quantity, or any other important information to be able to bid the project, please let the print shop know this in the initial email so they do not ask for it. Let them know you will insert the bid into CRM once you have all of the necessary information.
  • It is always helpful when letting the print shop know a bid has been entered into CRM to include the same information in the email chain as well. They may be able to create the quote more quickly. They will attach the quote to both your email chain and the bid you put into CRM.
• Once you have the quote, this should be sent to client immediately. They will need to get the PO to the print shop as quickly as possible. The print shop cannot print the project without the PO, so it is important to communicate this with your client.
  • When sending the quote over, it is important to include BID: 55555 as part of the subject line so client is aware of what the email is about. Please make sure to mark it high importance so the email chain is not lost, and update the project number in the subject line to the project you are working on.
• There are times when ADS will be included in print shop rushes such as letters, postcards, and other mailers. Once you have the select from client to be able to create an ADS ticket, the ticket should immediately be created. You will need to start an email chain with the ADS teams to let them know a ticket has been submitted with the select information.
  • Make sure include the rush reason in your ticket. You will also need to include RUSH 555555 | TKT5555555 in the subject line so both you and the ADS team can easily track the email chain. Please make sure to also mark the email high importance, and be sure to update the subject line with the project number and ticket number from the project you are working on.
• Once the data is ready, let the print shop know they should be expecting to see it in Argos. Sometimes it is faster to have ADS send you a CSV file over email to send to the print shop. Keep this in mind when looking at the overall project timeline. It is important we make the process as smooth and quick as possible for everyone involved.
• Once artwork has been sent to the print shop they can prepare proofs. Often times these are sent as soft proofs to speed up the process, so you will need to communicate with them if a hard proof is needed. Hard proofs can delay the process by a day or two if they are needed, so please keep this in mind.
• Once you receive a proof from the print shop it should be sent to and reviewed by your manager, writer, and designer as quickly as possible. If changes are needed, this will need to be communicated with the print shop immediately so they can be prepared to provide another proof. Once the proof is approved, email the print shop to let them know so they can send it to print.