Embrace technology to improve productivity and campaign effectiveness

4 December 2008

The print technology industry is constantly changing and new innovations in equipment and software are throwing up more effective and efficient ways of working all the time. It is important that marketing, procurement and operational departments embrace these changes and incorporate them into their planning and multi media campaigns to ensure they are maximising savings and marketing effectiveness.

It is, however, very difficult for those who are not directly involved in the industry to understand how these new technologies can help them and what is right for their business. Gartner have developed what they call the ‘Hype Cycle’ which is designed to help businesses identify whether or not these claims about these new technologies are overblown, which have the capability of making a real and substantive difference and which would add genuine value and are worth investing in.

Many business see print technology and software as a necessary cost rather than an opportunity to improve productivity or increase marketing effectiveness. This means that many have no real strategy or monitoring system in place to ensure they are getting maximum value for money and their processes are adding value to customer communications.

Print e-procurement or web2print applications are an example of using technology to drive down costs, increase productivity and enhance the customer experience. The availability and sophistication of these systems have increased dramatically over the last decade and the amount of printing sourced through these tools is growing all the time as more and more business have recognised and benefitted from their ability to streamline processes. Due to this increasing demand a number of smaller entrants have emerged and existing print suppliers have developed systems which promise the earth but do not necessarily deliver where it really matters.

When looking at print procurement technology it is therefore important to map out your process requirements and research the main players to really understand what the system absolutely has to be able to do for you and get all the key stakeholders together to ensure the needs of all areas of the business are being met. Ensure your shortlisted providers have a strong track record of successful implementations, have the necessary expertise and resource and can deliver on your specific requirements and timescales.