Value added service – dare to be different

Dave Bell, head of Q&P development, found his drupa visit reinforced the direction of the company’s development program. The current industry focus on value-added services is one that validates Q&P’s strategic direction.

“During my discussions with a range of vendors and printers at DRUPA, it was an oft repeated phrase that while JDF-based workflows will have obvious cost benefits, the base line is that printers need to know their business and build a close relationship with their clients, in order to provide the services the clients need. It is no longer enough to have the best prepress department, CTP system, new 8 or 10 colour perfecting press. It is the printers who think outside the square that are growing, retaining their existing clients and attracting new clients because of their innovative approach.

“For me, it is interesting to observe how Q&P users looking to add value to their client relationship have developed initiatives. For some it is forms management, both for goods they have produced as well as goods from other sources; for others it is specialized print finishing, or kit assembly or web-based ordering of forms and business cards, or project managing whole promotions. It is important to remember the window of opportunity is small, it may only be a few months before other printers offer the same service, however the gains made in that time will have an ongoing effect.

“It is in order to meet the needs of users in these areas that Quote & Print software has steadily increased its range of functionality. The latest enhancement, the Bin Manager offers another tool for users to value add for their clients.”

Q&P Bin Manager – a new module for added value

In the past for most printers the handling of finished goods for clients involved a limited number of stock lines which they printed for one or two major clients. However over the past two years there has been an increased expectation from clients as well as an awareness on the side of the printer that this is a valuable service which can, if handled well, be both profitable and enhance the relationship with the client. This can mean, however, that the same stock line may be in different bins, produced on different jobs, may have been prepaid by the client or in some cases depending on the terms of the contract, be at different prices from different jobs.

Recognising this need with a specific user, the ‘Bin Manager’ developed by Q&P has been in the field for over a year and with the field testing completed it has now been incorporated into the main Q&P program. It is available as an additional module to those who require it.

It is especially useful where stock shelf life is an important consideration and where the older stock should be shipped first, for example for envelopes and items printed on carbonless paper. Audit trails can be provided to show what has been dispatched on a bin by bin basis

Stock items can easily be located, especially in situations when forklift operators will place pallets in the first available bin that they find.

The Bin Manger Module is fully integrated with the rest of Quote and Print and as such can be used with Q&P ONLINE, Quote & Print’s internet based customer ordering system and also with Quote and Print stock control system.

The benefits for the printer are decreased shipping times for finished goods, no more lost stock or time wasted looking for stock (with a corresponding reduction in staff costs or out of date stock). Another benefit is better accountability to customers, particularly in the case of a large stock inventory for which the customer has already paid.