Transfer your customers to the Internet

In the next episode of our history with the introduction of printing house to the Internet business, we would like to go back to the story about a family that was leading a printing house  for three generations and realized very late that taking their business online was crucial for general development of their company. Several other companies that were dynamicaly investing in new technologies, quickly took over the online printing platform. Those companies rapidly developed introducing Web to Print system and gained new customers on local domestic market. The main objective of their strategy was to standardize. A limited number of products and options allowed the consolidation of orders and to print on high performance machines. It can be expected that soon the international corporations will attempt to compete over this standardized market.

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After long discussions, family decided to implement Web to Print system. Immediately after installing Web-to-Print they faced the first challenge: Which customers introduce to the system first? The biggest or the smallest? Those that were lost or newly-acquired? How to carry out their process of adaptation to the new system of communication?

What’s next?

Fortunately, for the implementation of Web-to-print the family described in our case study selected a supplier, who did an analysis  of their company’s situation with them and helped with finding answers to critical questions. He helped them to understand that the phrase “you will get new customers,” promoted in most publications about Web-to-Print is not an easy promise to fulfill. And yet, whenever we talk about Web-to-Print, it is mainly about attracting new customers. It is possible, but not right away.

In this article we want to emphasize that Web-to-Print system in not only about getting new customers but also maintenaing current ones. Bonus is that thanks to it you get a unique opportunity to recover the lost ones.

The following instrucions will be helpful during the implementation of existing customers

1. Select a group of customers that you want to implement first.
2. Tell them that from now on you also work on-line.
3. Select and enter the products that those customers order.
4. Start to enter all their orders to the system. At the beginning you neet to enter those orders yourself. This will allow your customers to learn new operating procedures.
5. Set Web-to-Print system to transfer information about the progress in production directly to customers.
6. Ask the customre (in the meeting or via mail), what other things he could print at your printing house?
7. Repeat this process 4-6 times, until your customers begin to use the system.
8. Select another group of customers and return to Step 1.

At first your customers can feel confused. However, when they get used to the new system, then they will discover it has great potential. Web-to-Print system is an opportunity to improve communication with customers. Individual link with the possibility of self placing the order shortens the ordering process to a minimum. The customer can place the order on his smartphone during a dinner with you. Web-to-Print is: a faster and better communication with your customer, improvement of his loyalty to your company, opportunity of taking over his entire production portfolio.

Cooperation with customers

Transfering your existing customers and entering their first products yourself  is also a huge learning experience for the owner of the printing house. In line with the principle that it is best to learn from our own customers, you will be able to configure the system for specific needs.

Implementation of Web-to-Print system is often a big change in the business model of a printing house. Therefore it is important that the owner could quickly turn their assumptions and hypotheses associated with entry to the Internet business into facts. It is essential that we always listen to and watch our customers. This activities can protect us from expensive mistakes. But do not worry about initial failures or problems in the implementation process. Failure is an integral part of the search.

You should maintain a flexible approach, and react according to market expectations.

All the events described in the introduction were based on facts and experience of Key2Print experts.