Spike Stories: Magnify Signs Streamlines Business With Spike

As a full-service sign shop in Englewood, Colorado, Magnify Signs offers all types of signage. From digital printing to interior signage and channel letters, Magnify Signs can handle a wide variety of services, says owner Tim Root. Of course, with such a large portfolio, Magnify Signs stays busy, and a productive workflow is key to the sign shop’s success, particularly when it comes to site surveys.

Typically, conducting a site survey is a long, involved process that requires a ladder or expensive bucket truck. And that time and money investment comes before the sign shop has even won the job. However, Root found a quicker and more economical method for recording measurements when he attended the Signworld Convention in 2015 and discovered Spike, a laser measurement solution for conducting signage site surveys and estimations.

To capture an area’s measurement, Root simply takes a photo of a signage space with Spike and draws the measurements on the photo that he needs for his estimates. All of the measurements are saved with the photo inside of the Spike mobile app. If Root ever needs additional dimensions, he can open the Spike photo at any time and take those measurements. Root can also upload the photos to the Spike Cloud for his designer to access. When Root has a full day of sales meetings and site surveys, his designer doesn’t have to wait for Root to return to the office. His designer can simply log in to the Spike Cloud from a browser, view the photos and measurements, and download a JPG to import into his design software.

“As a sales guy, I want to be able to turn over my measurements and worry about the next prospect,” Root says. “I like that Spike allows me to keep working on winning new business without slowing down my designers, and I don’t have to worry about my tape measurements being off.”
Root uses Spike for a variety of applications, including interior signage, he says. While many interior signs are small and don’t require a ladder to capture measurements, Root still likes to use his Spike. Measuring small interior graphics on foot with a tape measure may be a quick process, but it doesn’t give designers a sense of the space. Instead, Root can use Spike to capture both the measurements and environment, which gives his designer a better idea of what type of graphics would complement the area.
“Spike makes the design process much more streamlined because my designer doesn’t have to keep asking me questions about what the wall looked like, what’s next to the wall or if there’s furniture in front of the wall,” Root says. “Everything about the space is in the Spike photo for my designer.”

For instance, in a tight lobby space, multiple visual obstacles could be in the way of a sign. Perhaps a sign shop plans to install a lobby sign on a 10-foot wall, but a reception desk blocks part of the wall’s view. In actuality, the visual area is only 6 feet. With the Spike photo, the designer knows exactly what environmental elements to consider and can create a more accurate mock-up for the client.

Now that Root has included Spike in his business process for the past year, he’s seen a noticeable improvement in how quickly and efficiently Magnify Signs operates, he says. Not only can Root pursue more prospects but he can also better serve his customers. And that makes a big impression on clients.
“We operate on the basis of speed, and the faster we can create a proof, the faster we can get the business,” Root says. “Spike allows us to be much more efficient, and that means taking care of our customers’ needs quicker.”

Want to learn more about Spike for the sign and graphics industry?

Visit our Spike signage page to see how Spike can help your shop work more efficiently and save on its bottom line.