Yesterday we started on our filing cabinet purging. Everything that is not business-related should now be gone from your files.
Since we deal extensively with clients over a period of time before their order is complete, I like to have a folder for each client. I also have a pretty OCD filing system in place that I will share with you. It may be overkill for some, but it keeps me organized perfectly.
You will need a file folder for each client, with LAST NAME, FIRST NAME on the tab. This folder will hold any notes, model releases, etc pertinent to the session. On the outside of the folder I write the address, email address and phone number for my contact as well as the session appointment date. That way I can find the really important information without pulling the whole file from the drawer.
You will need a number of hanging file folders with the tabs marked as follows:
TO SHOOT
TO PROCESS
NEED ORDERING APPOINTMENT/UPLOAD TO GALLERY (depending on how you run things)
WAITING ON CLIENT ORDER
TO PROCESS & ORDER
ORDER OUT
TO PACKAGE/INVOICE
WAITING FOR CLIENT PICKUP
DONE
I think these folders are pretty self-explanatory, so I won’t go through my process step by step – basically I just move the client folder from category to category as the order progresses through my system. I can tell at a glance how many orders are out at any given time or how big my retouching load is just by opening up the file drawer and seeing how many file folders are in each category.
As I move the folders from category to category, I generally place them in time order, so that, for example, when I schedule some retouching time, I get the first file, which is the oldest file. This way I am processing clients in the order that they were photographed or when got their orders in. However, when the folders move to the DONE category, they are placed in alphabetical order for easy retrieval.
In the beginning of the calendar year, I put the DONE folders in this same drawer, but as the year goes on, those get to be too numerous, so I move them to their own drawer after I get the previous year’s folders archived away after the taxes are done.
I hope this helps you out – if you have a good filing organizing tip, please share it here. Happy filing!