PSD Customer Service: Professional Guide for Design Teams and Clients

Contents

1 PSD Customer Service: Professional Guide for Design Teams and Clients

Executive overview

“PSD customer service” refers to the operational processes, technical standards, and client-facing support protocols surrounding delivery and aftercare of Adobe Photoshop (.psd) files. For agencies and freelance designers, excellent PSD customer service reduces revision cycles, prevents delivery mistakes, and protects intellectual property. Typical service-level expectations in 2024 include first response times under 1 hour for premium clients and delivery SLAs of 24–72 hours for non-rush revisions.

This document explains practical workflows, pricing signals, technical checklists, legal safeguards, and KPIs you can implement today. It assumes you deliver layered PSDs for web mockups, email templates, marketing creative, and image composites, and it recommends measurable standards that minimize friction between creatives and clients.

Service structure and client onboarding

Define three clear tiers: Basic (email support, 72-hour SLA), Standard (chat + email, 24-hour SLA), and Premium (phone + 24/7 chat, 1-hour first response). Typical hourly rates for PSD work in 2024 range from $60–$150/hour depending on region and seniority; fixed-price website mockups commonly sell for $400–$2,500 per page. Onboarding should capture project scope, brand assets, color profiles, and final output formats within the first 48 hours.

Use a standardized intake form (online or PDF) that lists required inputs: brand guidelines, fonts with licenses, target device dimensions, and exact copy. A robust onboarding check reduces revisions: teams that implement a mandatory intake form see revision reductions of ~30% in practice. Store intake responses in a CRM or project management tool and assign a single point-of-contact (SPOC) to each client.

Technical delivery standards

Deliver PSD files with consistent naming and packaging. A recommended convention is: client_projectname_date_version.psd (e.g., acme_homepage_20240901_v02.psd). Include an embedded README layer as the topmost layer explaining fonts, linked assets, color profiles (sRGB or Adobe RGB), and pixel dimensions. For print deliverables, supply CMYK at 300 DPI; for web and mobile, supply sRGB at 72–144 DPI depending on retina requirements.

Always flatten export copies (PNG, JPG) for previews but keep a fully layered, non-destructive PSD for client use. If you use smart objects, annotate their sources and intended edit paths. Typical file sizes range: simple web mockup 20–100 MB; complex composites 250–1,000+ MB—plan cloud storage accordingly (Dropbox Business, Google Drive Business, or AWS S3). Compress and checksum (SHA-256) large archives to prevent corruption during transfer.

Deliverable checklist

Layer organization: folders for header, footer, components; clear layer names (no “Layer 7”).

Fonts: include .ttf/.otf or provide licensing proof and web font alternatives (e.g., Google Fonts link).

Assets: include linked raster/vector files (SVGs or AI), and exported PNG/JPG previews at 1x and 2x.

Color & specs: hex/RGB values, grid/gutter specs, and a 1-page design spec PDF for developers.

Version control: changelog inside README with date, editor initials, and brief summary of changes.

Pricing, revisions, and SLA rules

Set transparent revision policies: include 2–3 rounds in fixed bids, then cap additional revisions at an hourly rate or pre-set micropack (e.g., $75 for one extra revision up to 30 minutes). For rush turnarounds (24-hour or less), apply a premium of 25–50% on top of standard pricing. Example: a single-page web PSD quoted at $800 standard becomes $1,040–$1,200 for a 24-hour rush.

Clearly document what constitutes a revision versus a new feature. Small copy/color tweaks are revisions; new page templates or large layout pivots are new work. Use a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with exact metrics: first response time, mean time to resolution (target 24–72 hours), allowable downtimes, and refund/credit policies. Keep SLA language simple and numeric to avoid disputes.

Support channels, response metrics, and escalation

Offer multiple channels: email for non-urgent items, chat for live collaboration, and scheduled phone/video calls for strategic sessions. Recommended staffing: for every 10 active clients, allocate 0.5–1.0 full-time support headcount during peak delivery cycles. Track metrics weekly: first response time, resolution time, revision count per deliverable, and Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT).

Escalation matrix: SPOC → Design Lead (24 hours) → Account Director (48 hours) → Executive (72 hours). Use ticketing software (Zendesk, Freshdesk) and automated SLA alerts. Typical KPIs to monitor include response SLAs (target 90% within SLA), revision frequency (target <2 per deliverable), and delivery accuracy (target 98% compliance with specs).

Key KPIs

First response time: target ≤1 hour (premium) / ≤24 hours (standard).

Resolution time: target ≤72 hours for design clarifications.

Revision rounds per deliverable: target ≤2 in fixed-scope projects.

Delivery accuracy: percent of PSDs passing QA checklist on first submission ≥98%.

Legal, licensing, and security considerations

Always attach a simple license summary: non-exclusive vs exclusive rights, permitted uses (web, print, resell), and whether source file transfer includes copyright assignment. Price differences are material: non-exclusive PSD templates commonly retail at $15–$150; exclusive transfers for complete ownership often start at $3,000 and scale with expected use and territory.

Protect client data with encrypted transfer (TLS 1.2+), password-protected archives, and retention policies (e.g., keep source PSDs for 2 years after project close unless the client requests deletion). Include contact details in every delivery note for post-delivery support—example contact: Example Design Lab, 123 Design St, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94105, Phone +1 (415) 555-0198, https://www.example-designlab.com.