| Solving Challenges for Clients with Customized Solutions |
| Perfect Image is more than a printer. While we’re committed to meeting diverse commercial printing needs, we’re also quite good at helping our clients solve unique challenges with customized printing and marketing support solutions. |
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| Case Study #1 |
| The Situation |
| A Fortune 50 company in the beverage industry was a proactive and enthusiastic sponsor of an internal diversity training and development program. The program was implemented by the company’s own personnel and supported with a portfolio of documentation for training employees and management within the organization. |
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| The Challenge |
| A supplier to the company was not meeting support requirements in producing and distributing training documentation. Printing needs were easily met, with the core component consisting of a manual with a two-color cover and single-color text pages; however, a disorganized production process and hit-and-miss inventory management system created systemic problems. The challenge reached its tipping point when materials failed to arrive at training locations around the country. |
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| The Solution: Perfect Image’s eService Online Print Management System |
An invitation was made to Perfect Image to offer a solution. A fit was found in an innovative suite of Web-based project management tools provided by Perfect Image that allowed decentralized trainers to order materials 24/7, monitor inventory levels and track shipments with ease. The price point of the new system even allowed the client to upgrade its manual design to a four-color cover with two-color text pages. More, the training director was finally able to focus on developing great training programs.
Perfect Image developed its eService Online Print Management System by creating an online interface to its own internal print management software. The refitted solution served proficiently for the first time as an online print management system for the client. Perfect Image then leveraged the technology to provide any client the ability to check the status of their jobs via the Web, approve printing proofs and place orders for materials that are approved in final. |
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| Case Study #2 |
| The Situation |
| One of the hair care industry’s leading providers of multicultural hair care products administers a professional training program for salon technicians and stylists. The company engages its network of product distributors to plan and deliver the classes throughout the United States on a year-round basis. While distributors order their own printed class materials, the company’s program administrator manages fulfillment. |
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| The Challenge |
The company earned a valuable distinction for its commitment to professional education and training; however, behind the scenes this market differentiator was suffering from logistical problems in getting accurately printed materials to the various cities on time:
- Classes are date- and location-specific, requiring custom printing services.
- Three pieces are needed for classes—and different vendors produced all.
- About 60 distributors have the freedom to schedule classes and order materials—but there was no standard ordering method. Some distributors ordered via fax, some via phone and others used standard mail.
The lack of a standardized ordering system, the use of different vendors and unreliable shipping methods created a breeding ground for ordering errors, printing inaccuracies, and items getting lost or arriving too late at designated locations. |
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| The Solution: Perfect Image’s Web-to-Print Marketing Support Solution |
The streamlined, centralized Web-to-Print marketing support solution from Perfect Image was the answer. The client integrated its nationwide ordering process into Perfect Image’s online-hosted Web-to-Print system. The client also centralized the production and shipping of all printed materials under the Perfect Image umbrella. As a result, each distributor can quickly log-in, choose the desired class materials, complete simple fields with the appropriate date, time, place, cost and location, and simply submit the printing request for the company administrator’s review, quality control check and approval. All components are printed, packaged and shipped at one time and place.
The transition freed up an enormous amount of time for the company’s program administrator, eliminated ordering errors and inaccuracies, and solved shipping issues. The company and its distributors enjoy significant convenience and time savings, with the added benefits of being able to hold more classes and sell more products. |
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| Case Study #3 |
| The Situation |
| A statewide chapter of an international charity and social services organization has partnered with Perfect Image for the past three years in conducting its annual Christmas fundraising drive. Like most charitable organizations that rely on donor loyalty to maintain operations, this one is continually challenged to communicate with its base in new and compelling ways. The organization has approximately nine headquarters offices, with regional directors managing fundraising efforts in counties across the state. |
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| The Challenge |
Challenges for the Christmas drive had been increasing in recent years due to a slowing economy and because the fundraiser took place at a time of year when many other charities were asking for contributions. The organization was also competing with other holiday drives sponsored by its own parent. It reached a point where regional officials knew the usual approach—printing tens of thousands of generic cards, labeling envelopes and mailing them in November for a December return—was not the answer.
Quality of printed pieces started to matter more, and so did including messages that were relevant to specific areas of the state, creating a more localized approach. The organization began producing regionally targeted pieces through the lithographic printing method, including details and metrics targeted to the state’s largest metro areas. But it was not enough to grow returns across all urban and rural areas. |
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| The Solution—Perfect Image’s Variable Digital Printing Capabilities |
| By the time the organization joined the fold at Perfect Image, the company had become an early adopter of Variable Digital Printing (VDP) technologies and capabilities—an advanced printing process allowing different components of a piece to be switched out during a single press run. Different sections of text, graphics and other elements could be easily inserted, all enabled by a database containing the variable data. Perfect Image saw VDP as the solution that could transform the organization’s Christmas drive into a more compelling, personalized appeal to the existing donor base. For the past three years, Perfect Image has helped the organization deliver compelling, streamlined fundraising drives, through which it has experienced year-over-year increases in contributions. The organization was one of the first Perfect Image clients to experience these customization capabilities. VDP not only allowed them to distribute personalized, locally flavored mailings, but also made upscaled mailers affordable for targeting to sparsely populated and large metro areas alike. |
