Online Sign Design, Tools and Technology to Simplify Your Complex Custom Sign Decisions
What can our technology do for YOU?
Here at TheSignChef, we've spent years developing all sorts of tools and technology to make your custom sign decisions smooth, simple and flawless. And we're not just a sign company, but we're a software company as well! Other sign companies actually lease software and e-commerce technology from us!
What does this technology mean for you:
-You can get answers to your questions quicker
-Complex sign decisions are suddenly simple
-You can get professional looking sign designs for free, and in a way that is convenient for you!
What does this technology mean for us? (Which ultimately affects you as well!)
-Our whole staff can communicate better because we're always in the loop!
-We can operate efficiently, allowing fast turnaround for your custom signage
-We can instantly track your current orders as well as orders from years past!
This is just a taste of what our sign technology can do for you. Below find a complete list and description of all the nifty tricks and tools we've got hiding in our kitchen!
- SignMagic Online Design Center
This is our self-service design option, where you can create your own sign design anytime, and for free. With SignMagic, you can literally create your own design in minutes!- Free access 24 hours a day
- No time limit (so you're not rushed)
- Easy to use, even if you don't have design experience
- Over 100 sign quality letter styles built-in
- Text effects available
- Upload your logo, artwork or photos
- Drawing tool for all kinds of shapes
- Standard and custom colors available
- Add borders - simple or fancy
- SAVE feature enabled so you won't lose all your hard work!
- Designs are manually reviewed by TheSignChef to make sure your sign recipes are flawless!
- Live Design Software
This is our full-service design option, where we'll design your sign for you (for free), even if you're 2,000 miles away!- Live Design sessions are free, compliments of TheSignChef!
- Watch the action live from your monitor as TheSignChef whips up your design
- Offer personal imput by phone as your design is being created
- Live Design sessions are time efficient because most designs are completed in 33 minutes or less
- Get the personal attention and assistance your project requires
- There's absolutely no obligation to buy, ever!
- DataLoop
DataLoop is our very own software which has been developed and updated since 2003. It is a real time order tracking system that allows us to provide customers with up-to-the-minute updates per their request. In short, DataLoop is an integrated internal and external communication tool for anyone in the custom sign making industry — it keeps everyone in the loop!
We use DataLoop to document every aspect of every order from the moment the order is put into the system until after the customer receives it. Throughout the progress of each order, our client's file is constantly updated and time-stamped with the person's name who worked on it. Why is this important? Because now, anytime any customer inquires about their order in any way, anyone you talk to here can give you an exact answer, without having to ask around before getting back to you!
And that's not all! With DataLoop we can recall design information and order specifications years after your signage from TheSignChef was ordered. We can then remake your exact signs without you having to keep any of your own files!
(DataLoop is just one type of technology that we lease out to other sign companies!)
- Sign Material Selection Wizard
This one-of-a-kind tool will help you pinpoint the best type of sign material to use for your particular project. - G-mail
How does a small business manage hundreds of incoming and outgoing emails a day without going bananas?! Simple—Google-Powered Email! G-mail is perhaps the best email management system on the planet! With dynamic sorting, labeling and Google-powered search built right in, our in-house Customer Service Specialists can retrieve your correspondence with our company - on demand - within seconds.
In short, G-mail's efficiency helps us maintain fast customer response times without chaos.
Comparable enterprise class email management systems can cost thousands of dollars and still not have all of the functionality and robust features G-mail offers for FREE, just for the asking! Google also offers a commercial version to small businesses for just $75 a year. The commercial version allows you to brand your email messages. For example, instead of having a free G-mail address like , our commercial G-mail account is branded specifically for our company — .
While G-mail technically isn't "Our Technology", we view Google as a strategic partner in helping us serve our clients' needs faster and better than ever before.
- Pricing Calculator
Sometimes, all you want is the bottom line!
"How much?"
And "What does that price include?"
This online pricing calculator will instantly show you prices, sizes, any quantity discounts, options and more! - Letter Sizing Calculator
When designing your sign, it is important to know what size the letters on your custom signage should be so that it's readable from a distance. This handy Letter Sizing Calculator removes all the guesswork. - Video
Our videos are instructional, educational and entertaining, and are created so you can get to know us (and what we can do for you) a little better. Video delivers more information faster than we can explain in writing, and are great for those that prefer to absorb information visually and by listening rather than by reading.
Our videos deliver new information and demonstrate sign making tools that you won't find anywhere else! And if you live 2,000 miles away, they are the next best thing to coming to our shop in person.
- Online Shopping Cart
Custom products cannot always be purchased on the spot through the internet. But at TheSignChef, that's not the case!
We've designed all sorts of tools that allow you to conveniently place your custom signage directly into your shopping cart and purchase on the spot. You can actually buy a custom product at all hours of the day without talking to a single sign specialist!
Our Online Shopping Cart is set up so that each purchase goes directly into DataLoop, our order tracking software. Therefore, since don't have to re-type any order information, any chance for human error is eliminated!
And our shopping cart is protected with security encryption, making custom signage shopping not only convenient but safe!
- File Transfer Protocal (FTP)
We piggy-back YouSendIt.com's FTP which allows our customers to send large image files that are too large for most email.
- Dedicated Server with Backup
We have two dedicated servers as well as system redundancy with off-site backup of all customer data and design files. This keeps all of your order history and file information intact so future re-orders are seamless and hassle free.
- Development Server
This server allows for ongoing site and software enhancements and upgrades without interruption of service. With the use of this server, we have been able to constantly make site improvements, de-bug, and develop our core technologies.
- Vinyl Application
We've created a proprietary vinyl application kit called Vinyl Magic. This kit includes an environmentally friendly deep cleaner that is instrumental in removing invisible contaminants prior to vinyl application.
Additionally, our application fluid is an in-house recipe that we've been developing since 1988. It allows for a bubble free application and doesn't leave residue which can cause premature vinyl failure.
Vinyl Magic also includes a special drying agent so that moisture can evaporate from behind the letter quicker.
But beyond Vinyl Magic, our real secret ingredient is our specific vinyl application method that is explained in our fully illustrated directions included in each kit.
Live Support
Our website is a live communication channel with our clients. If you've got questions but aren't quite ready to speak with one of our sign specialists on the phone, then take advantage of our Live Chat tool! With Live Chat you can get live support by text typing with one of our real live customer service specialists, even after normal business hours.
And on the weekends!