Web-to-Print Makes 24/7 Productivity Accessible

Not long ago, one of the blogs posted on QuickPrinting.com extolled the virtues of occasionally unplugging from the constant onslaught of electronic communication. A reader responded by saying, “I need to be connected to the office...Getting emails or file transfers late at night or on the weekends is indeed helpful, but the 24/7 connectivity gets old.”

Any printer who can relate to that statement is a perfect candidate for Web-to-print. The downstream migration of Web-to-print technology has brought this capability within reach for the majority of quick and small commercial printing companies. And not a moment too soon!

Most print buyers are aware of Internet printing companies. The VistaPrints and PrintingforLess.coms of the world try to lure them away from their local printers with all kinds of promises. Obviously, you don’t want to put your company out of business by trying to match their loss leader prices, but there is one other enticement they offer that you can certainly match—convenience. Web-to-print allows you to put into place the same kind of customer convenience, ease of use, and streamlined productivity that the industry’s 600-pound gorillas have, but on a scale that works for our industry segment.

The real beauty of Web-to-print is that it helps build customer loyalty in ways the Internet printers can never hope to achieve. To understand why, we need to look at how Web-to-print works.

Nuts & Bolts

While anyone with a website can accept files over the Internet, Web-to-print is a far more sophisticated and efficient method of doing so. It also allows you to offer related services that can result in a huge perception of value added.

There are a number of choices for printers who want to move into Web-to-print. You can opt to install and manage a dedicated software package, use adjunct features available with your MIS/estimating software package or website services provider, or you may choose software as a service (SaaS). There are numerous providers to choose from in each category.

Whichever method you choose for implementation, the features will likely be very similar. As with any new technology, it is generally best to start out simple and move into the more sophisticated applications as you and your employees become familiar with the various aspects of the services. It is also advisable to set up your first few portals with established customers who are willing to help you test drive the system and work through the learning process together.

At its most basic, Web-to-print allows you to set up a digital storefront for your customers. You may set up a public access portal for occasional customers, but the heart of the process is to design dedicated portals for individual clients. That portal then resides on their desktops. Personalized storefronts can store a catalog of existing documents and a history of previous orders for each client. Those clients can use the library to reorder, edit documents, check invoices, get instant price quotes, and even allow their employees varying degrees of access to the site. This aspect is particularly valuable for companies that have multiple locations and want to maintain control over the uniformity of their printed collateral without having to micromanage each site.

Of course, they can place new orders through the system as well. When customers have a print job, they only have to click on the portal’s icon, upload the file, and fill out the information necessary to complete the order. Most software makes this part of the process quite easy for the customer. The system will ask for standard information such as quantity and the deadline for delivery. It can also be configured to help customers make decisions about subjects such as paper weight, ink colors, and finishing options. For example, if the customer doesn’t know whether he wants a booklet to be stapled, perfect bound, or coil bound, you could set up the system to offer illustrations, guidelines about when each application is practical, and variations in pricing.