1
Customer Request stage
Request received
You provide the goal, product, quantity, options, personalization, artwork state, need-by date, budget, and fulfillment preference.
Exit: A complete request or a specific list of missing information.
How ordering works
Follow one visible path from request and capability review through fulfillment.
One controlled lifecycle
Know the current state and the next decision.
A request becomes a production order only after capability, price, proof, approval, deposit, schedule, quality, and fulfillment evidence are complete.
2
Hays Custom Works Requires prior gate
Capability review
We verify source, material, method, equipment or partner, cost, capacity, safety, test needs, quality plan, and fulfillment risk.
Exit: Proceed, clarify, propose an alternative, place on hold, or decline.
3
Hays Custom Works Requires prior gate
Estimate
You receive the current products/options, setup/design, revisions, assumptions, tax and fulfillment basis, deposit, balance trigger, expiry, and change policy.
Exit: Accept the exact estimate version or request a revision.
4
Shared review Requires prior gate
Proofing
The exact design, placement, dimensions, color intent, product, quantities, sizes, and personalization are shown with physical-variation caveats.
Exit: Approve the exact proof version or submit consolidated changes.
5
Shared gate Requires prior gate
Deposit and schedule
Production waits for the required cleared deposit, approved proof, available materials, capacity, and a recorded committed date.
Exit: Release the approved order to production.
6
Hays Custom Works Requires prior gate
Production
The operator follows the approved traveler, recipe, material/lot, equipment settings, test result, and in-process checks.
Exit: Good units proceed; defects, holds, rework, or substitutions are recorded.
7
Hays Custom Works Requires prior gate
Quality and packing
Product/options, personalization, quantity, placement, finish, care, labels, packaging, and fulfillment are reconciled.
Exit: Authorized release or documented correction.
8
Shared handoff Requires prior gate
Fulfillment
Pickup, local delivery, or shipping follows the accepted cost, recipient, custody, tracking, exception, and recovery record.
Exit: Customer acceptance and order closeout.
Financial commitment
Accept an exact estimate before paying or producing.
A qualified request becomes a financial commitment only through a current, understandable estimate version—not an instant website price or an informal message.
Customer estimate template—not a price quote
Acceptance required
What every estimate must show
| Section | Required detail |
|---|---|
| Identity and validity | Estimate ID/version, request/customer, ISO currency, issue date, expiry, cost-source effective date, preparer, reviewer, and immutable rendered-copy checksum. |
| Products and quantities | Exact product/SKU/source, material, colors, sizes/options, placements, personalization version, quantity, good/spare/test allowance, and approved substitutions. |
| Work lines | Design preparation, original design, setup, testing/sample, production, partner work, finishing, quality, packaging, sorting/labeling, and fulfillment. |
| Price adjustments | Current quantity-tier basis, approved discount or credit, rush/capacity charge, partner cost, shipping or local delivery, and any excluded future work. |
| Tax basis | Taxable categories and basis, jurisdiction, rate, dated source or professional review, exemption/resale record when accepted, rounding rule, and explicit no-tax-advice boundary. |
| Assumptions and risk | Source availability, rights, proof/revisions, supplied-item boundary, spoilage/variation, capacity, committed-date dependencies, fulfillment, exclusions, and reprice triggers. |
| Totals and payment | Subtotal, discounts, taxable basis, tax, fulfillment, total, required deposit amount/due date, remaining balance, balance trigger/due date, and payment status. |
| Acceptance and change | Exact accepted estimate version, customer identity/authority/time/channel, accepted terms, change-order rule, cancellation/refund boundary, and production-release consequences. |
Exact money
Store every amount as an integer number of minor units with one ISO 4217 currency. Calculate line extensions, discounts, taxable basis, tax, deposit, payments, refunds, credits, and balance without binary floating-point money.
Tax review
The system records the dated tax source and calculation; it does not guess eligibility or provide tax advice. Missing, expired, contradictory, or unreviewed exemption/resale evidence keeps the applicable tax decision unresolved.
Deposit and balance
The estimate states whether a deposit is required, the exact amount and due date, what clearance releases, the remaining balance, its trigger, and which fulfillment or production states remain blocked while payment is pending or failed.
Controlled changes
A product, quantity, artwork, proof, personalization, material, method, date, tax, price, or fulfillment change creates a versioned change order with cost and schedule impact. Production remains held until required acceptance and payment gates are current.
Payment boundary: The application records approved provider references, signed event IDs, idempotency, expected amount/currency, accepted estimate/change version, status, and reconciliation. It must never store full card numbers, CVV, magnetic-stripe data, provider secrets, or unsafe raw payment payloads.
Exact approval boundary
Approve one immutable proof version.
The proof must make the product, design, placement, options, personalization, quantity, limitations, and approving authority unmistakable before production release.
Customer proof template—not an active order
Approval required
What every approval view must contain
Customer approval checklist
- Products, quantities, sizes, colors, materials, and fulfillment groups are correct.
- Spelling, names, numbers, dates, punctuation, capitalization, and row-to-item mappings are exact.
- Artwork version, orientation, placement, dimensions, alignment intent, and approved views are correct.
- Color intent, material/lot variation, texture, grain, coating, handmade/production tolerance, and care limitations are understood.
- On-screen color is not a physical color guarantee, and drawings or mockups are not exact physical scale unless explicitly dimensioned.
- The approver has authority for the customer or organization and understands that a material change creates a new proof and may change price or timing.
Approval action: The live workflow must show “Request changes” and “Approve proof [exact version]” as separate actions. Approval records authenticated identity, authority, timestamp/timezone, channel, displayed proof checksum, checklist/variation acknowledgment, IP/network evidence where proportionate, and the resulting production hold or release state. Silence, payment, an email attachment, or approval of an older version is not approval.
Request changes
Feedback is consolidated against the current version, categorized by affected product/view/data, and recorded with requester, authority, time, scope, cost or schedule impact, and owner.
Create the next version
The prior proof is never overwritten. Changed artwork, product, placement, dimension, quantity, personalization, material, method, or approved caveat creates a new immutable version and comparison.
Expire and supersede
Expired, replaced, held, declined, or takedown-affected proofs cannot be approved. Links and actions fail closed while the audit history remains readable to authorized users.
Release production
Proof approval alone is insufficient. Release also requires the current accepted estimate, cleared required deposit, rights/capability gates, allocated materials, approved personalization, schedule, and operator authorization.
Order communication
Know the current state, owner, and next action.
A future authenticated order view will show only customer-safe operational detail while preserving the exact evidence and accountability behind every transition.
Every displayed update includes: order reference, current state, status explanation, server timestamp and timezone, responsible role, completed evidence summary, next action, action owner, due or next-review time when applicable, and notification result. Sensitive supplier, security, payment, personal, or internal production data remains restricted.
| Status | Customer-safe meaning | Owner and next action |
|---|---|---|
| Request received | We received the request and are checking whether the details are complete. No price, product, method, or date is confirmed. | Hays Custom Works reviews the request or asks for specific missing information. |
| Needs information | A named product, artwork, quantity, personalization, date, budget, rights, supplied-item, or fulfillment decision is missing. | The named customer contact provides the listed information by the review date. |
| Capability review | Source, material, method, equipment or partner, cost, capacity, safety, test, quality, and fulfillment feasibility are being checked. | The assigned reviewer records proceed, clarify, alternative, hold, or decline. |
| Awaiting artwork | Usable authorized artwork or an accepted design-preparation scope is still required. | The customer supplies approved assets/evidence or accepts a quoted preparation service. |
| Quoted / estimate ready | A current versioned estimate is ready; it is not accepted merely because it was viewed or emailed. | The authorized customer accepts the exact version or requests a controlled change. |
| Proofing | An immutable proof is being prepared or revised from the accepted scope, approved assets, and controlled personalization data. | The proof owner completes internal review and releases the exact version for customer review. |
| Awaiting approval | The current proof, estimate, spelling, personalization, placements, quantities, and variation notices require authorized approval. | The authorized customer approves exact versions or submits consolidated changes. |
| Awaiting deposit | A required deposit has not yet produced cleared, reconciled evidence for the accepted estimate/change version. | The customer completes the approved payment path; billing verifies amount, currency, purpose, and status. |
| Scheduled | Required source/material, approvals, deposit, capacity, operator, and committed-date evidence are recorded. | The production owner protects the scheduled slot and reports any risk before it becomes a silent delay. |
| In production | Authorized work is following the released traveler, recipe, materials, equipment, operator, and in-process checks. | The operator records good, test, rework, scrap, hold, and completion evidence. |
| Quality check | Product/options, placement, personalization, quantity, finish, care, packaging, and release evidence are being reconciled. | The quality owner releases conforming work or opens a documented correction or hold. |
| Ready | Quality, finishing, packaging, applicable balance, and the confirmed pickup, delivery, or shipping path are ready. | The fulfillment owner provides the accepted handoff instructions and authorized-recipient requirements. |
| Fulfilled | Pickup, delivery, or carrier custody evidence has been recorded; this does not erase a later loss, damage, or support exception. | The fulfillment owner closes custody or opens the appropriate exception/support record. |
| On hold | Work is stopped for a stated customer-safe reason, with known impact, containment, owner, and next review. | The named owner resolves the blocking evidence or presents options; no silent production occurs. |
| Canceled | The authorized cancellation, production stage, materials, money, data, and notifications are being or have been reconciled. | The cancellation owner records disposition, remaining balance or approved financial outcome, and closure. |
| Refunded | An approved refund event has been reconciled to the payment provider, estimate/change version, amount, currency, tax/accounting, and customer notice. | Billing records final status; a refund does not silently reopen or erase the order history. |
Truthful notifications
Email or another approved channel uses the same versioned customer-safe status message. Attempt, authorized recipient, delivery, bounce/failure, retry, and support fallback are recorded; a failed notification does not fake a completed update.
No skipped gates
Production cannot start before current estimate, proof, required deposit, materials, capacity, traveler, and authorization. Ready and Fulfilled require quality, packaging, balance, and custody evidence as applicable.
Exceptions stay visible
Delay, material failure, quality hold, payment conflict, access loss, shipment loss/damage, or other exception records containment, impact, options, owner, next update time, customer decision, and recovery.
History is never rewritten
Corrections and authorized overrides append new events that reference the earlier event, reason, evidence, authority, notice, and follow-up. Backward movement cannot erase what occurred.
Capacity and timing
A requested date becomes a commitment only after the work is schedulable.
The website collects the customer’s real need-by date, but it does not publish a universal turnaround or convert that request into a promise.
| Scheduling input | Required evidence | Commitment effect |
|---|---|---|
| Customer need | Requested need-by date and timezone, actual event/use date, consequence of a miss, destination, transit needs, flexibility, and approved contingency. | Distinguishes the customer request from the internal target and externally committed date. |
| Exact scope | Products/SKUs/options, quantity, personalization complexity, artwork/proof versions, method, test requirement, quality plan, packaging, and fulfillment. | Prevents scheduling a vague inquiry or theoretical product idea. |
| Source and material | Verified supplier/partner, stock allocation, lead time/cutoff, lot/substitution rule, inbound freight, receiving inspection, and backup source. | Sets the earliest date materials can safely enter production. |
| Approval and money gates | Rights, estimate, proof, personalization, supplied-item risk, required deposit, tax decision, and change orders are current and accepted. | Incomplete or expired gates keep the date tentative and production unreleased. |
| Real production capacity | Setup, test, run, cure/cool/finish, QC, rework buffer, packaging, handoff hours, equipment/partner rate, authorized operator hours, maintenance, and existing queue. | Produces a realistic internal target rather than using theoretical machine speed. |
| Family and continuity | Assigned operator and backup, availability, training/authorization, holidays, other commitments, outage/illness contingency, and stop-taking-orders threshold. | Protects the family from promises that depend on one unavailable person. |
| Fulfillment and buffer | Pickup window or delivery/carrier cutoff, packaging, address/destination splits, weather, transit, event buffer, loss/damage recovery time, and customer handoff. | Separates production completion from the date the customer can reliably use the order. |
| Commitment decision | Earliest safe completion, internal target, customer commitment, confidence/risk, assumptions, rush decision, owner approval, acceptance, and next review. | Creates one dated, timezone-aware commitment or a documented decline/alternative. |
No universal turnaround
Two orders with the same quantity can require different sourcing, artwork, personalization, setup, testing, finishing, quality, packaging, and transit. Timing is stated only for the accepted order version.
Rush is a capacity decision
A rush request records the reason, cutoff, displaced capacity, overtime or partner dependency, added risk, shortened buffer, charge, affected orders, approval authority, and safe accept/decline decision. Paying more cannot waive safety or quality gates.
Changes trigger rescheduling
Product, quantity, artwork, proof, personalization, material, method, payment, equipment, staffing, safety, quality, destination, or carrier changes require impact review and a newly accepted commitment when the date changes.
Delays are communicated early
An at-risk or delayed event records cause, containment, affected scope, old/new forecast, customer-safe options, cost, owner, next update time, customer decision, and downstream fulfillment impact. Dates never move silently.
Timing boundary: “Requested,” “estimated,” “internal target,” and “committed” are different states. Only the current accepted commitment record authorizes customer-facing deadline language. Safety, rights, material, payment, proof, quality, weather, carrier, or other exceptions may still require a documented hold and recovery decision under the accepted terms.
Fulfillment and custody
Finish the order with one accepted handoff path.
Pickup, local delivery, and shipping are options only when the accepted estimate identifies the real location or service area, cost, timing, recipient, packaging, evidence, and recovery process.
Authorized handoff at an approved location.
The order records a non-public or public approved location as appropriate, ready notice, appointment/window/timezone, support contact, authorized recipient, proportionate identity check, package/item count, condition, handoff signature/time, and care information.
Exceptions: no-show, reschedule, unsafe interaction, unclaimed-order retention, storage cost, abandonment/escalation, wrong recipient, count, or condition.
Defined area, fee, access, and recipient evidence.
The estimate records the verified delivery area, rate/fee, validated address, safe access and parking, date/window/timezone, do-not-leave rule, recipient/contact permission, driver or accountable courier, route custody, and accepted photo/signature evidence.
Exceptions: unsafe site, failed attempt, unavailable or wrong recipient, address/access error, delay, damage, redelivery cost, return, or refusal.
Validated address, protective packaging, and tracking.
The order records customer-confirmed address/version, carrier/service and rate source, package IDs, dimensions/weight, packaging standard, declared value or insurance decision, tracking, handoff scan, delivery/signature requirement, split destinations, and expected transit—not a guaranteed carrier date.
Exceptions: address correction, delay, loss, damage, porch risk, refusal, return-to-sender, carrier claim evidence/deadline, replacement, credit, or refund review.
One custody record and complete reconciliation.
Released good quantity, QC, care, labels, packaging, seal/package IDs, custody owner, recipient authorization, promised/actual time, costs, balance gate, notification, handoffs, and final acceptance reconcile to the approved order.
Privacy: addresses, signatures, contact details, delivery photographs, identity evidence, and tracking access remain restricted and never enter public analytics or portfolio content.
Fulfillment changes affect price, schedule, and risk.
A changed method, location, address, recipient, destination split, package, carrier, service, declared value, timing, or pickup window creates a versioned review with cost, tax, capacity, privacy, and committed-date impact.
Release: no handoff occurs from an informal text, stale address, unpaid applicable balance, unresolved quality hold, or unauthorized recipient.
Current public boundary: Hays Custom Works has not published a customer pickup address, staffed pickup hours, fixed local-delivery area or fee, carrier rate, free-shipping claim, or universal delivery time. Those details appear only when verified and accepted for the specific order.
| Exception | Required response |
|---|---|
| Missing, damaged, or wrong item | Contain remaining packages, preserve condition/packaging photos and counts, notify the customer, identify custody point, assess repair/remake/replacement/credit/refund options, owner, cost, and deadline. |
| Delayed or lost handoff | Record last verified custody event, carrier/courier contact, claim ID and deadline, customer-safe update, event/use impact, replacement decision, new forecast, next update, and final disposition. |
| Address or recipient failure | Restrict personal data, stop unsafe release, record validation evidence and failed attempt, obtain authorized correction, price/redelivery impact, customer acceptance, and new custody instructions. |
| Return or refusal | Record authority, reason, received condition/count, custody, private-data handling, restock/rework/scrap/return disposition, shipping/fee/tax impact, financial review, and closure. |
Approval and deposit protect the customer and the family.
Production cannot begin from an inquiry, verbal description, stale proof, unpaid estimate, or unverified product. Any material scope change creates a new estimate or proof version and may change price or timing.