PACKAGING WORKS

Remote working and online management is here to stay, but do you have a system you can truly rely on?

Remote working has become second nature to us all, but it’s also highlighted just how ineffective some online management systems can be. In the post-Covid-19 landscape, perhaps it's time to rethink strategies and find new systems that work for you. 

When remote working became the ‘new normal’

2020 was the year when the rest of the world caught up with remote working. According to the Office of National Statistics, over half the population of London (57.2%) worked from home in April of this year. It’s been a learning curve for most businesses, with a gradient akin to the north face of Everest. Corners have been cut, snap decisions have been made and years of working practice have been dismantled in order to maintain production in the most trying of circumstances. For most of us, working remotely has gone from being a luxury to a necessity overnight.

...over half the population of London (57.2%) worked from home in April 2020.

Office of National Statistics

Is your management system working hard, or hard work?

For those involved in global packaging production, however, this level of remote working and the problems that come with it are nothing new. Online management systems are invaluable when you’re trying to run international projects from various locations and time zones, but the frequently identified failings, including communication lags, misinformation, missing assets, a lack of responsiveness from suppliers, to name but a few, are the sort of frustrations we can all relate to right now. Outdated, rigid and overdeveloped to the point of petrification, these slow-moving freight train systems feel like they’re working against you, not for you, as they struggle under the weight of requirement and try to maintain a workflow that can’t cope with daily upheavals, nevermind the chaos of a pandemic.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make the ride smoother

Packaging Works is different, designed to flex and bend with your requirements and move with the ever changing times around us. A complete end-to-end system that keeps your packaging requirements moving, come hell or high water, Packaging Works puts the client in complete control of the process from start to finish. Briefs can be raised by nominated individuals and need sign off before the artwork can be started, therefore reducing misinformation and correction cycles. Assets required for artwork are available instantly for download, and all completed artworks can be uploaded to the DAM too, making assets from previous runs available for future updates. From brief to print, the entire process lies in your hands, and is flexible enough to move to meet your changing demands. Users can nominate proxy advocates to manage work and authorise sign-off in cases of absence or illness, and with all relevant information, from briefs to assets to automated critical paths available in one place, no one is ever left feeling out of the loop or under informed. From start to finish, Packaging Works has been designed to work the way that best suits the client, not the developer, with one eye on high production values and a view to making the entire process smoother and more efficient.

We’ve been using Packaging Works for a fortnight, and already we’re seeing a massive difference.
It’s truly revolutionising how we work as a team.

Retail Packaging Manager

A system developed for change

Development on Packaging Works continued throughout the pandemic, a solution to better remote working practices that was actually achieved through remote working. Troubleshooting happened in real time as developers worked through their own WFH hiccups and restrictions. What has emerged is a system truly designed to facilitate the working rhythms of 2020, which can keep your business and projects on track regardless of who is working from where. Catch up colleagues who have been furloughed quickly and easily, and proxy workloads around team members with just a click to adapt to sick leave or changing responsibilities. Remove disconnects through communication, and avoid time- costly team catch-ups or unproductive videos calls by keeping your team in the loop with adaptive workflows and automated critical paths which update whenever changes are enacted on the project. Pool assets on the DAM for access by all nominated individuals, and allow the system to automatically update with any newly signed-off artwork, so that everything you need is in one place and available freely to your team. And enjoy the flexibility of enacting changes and revisions quickly and simply, without feeling like you’re trying to turn a tanker at sea, with flexible workflows that can adapt to changes and alterations with minimal fuss.

Looking ahead to a more flexible future

Even as coronavirus starts to loosen its grip on the economy, we have lessons to learn about flexible working, adaptive business practices and communication that takes advantage of the technology available. Adopting a better system for your team to work remotely shouldn’t be thought of as a knee-jerk reaction, but a solid investment and practical solution to a new way of working for 2020 and beyond.

Book a demo of 360 Works and see for yourself how it could be saving you time and money