Two printer case studies on speeding receivables show another way that cloud business can save print shops money.
By WhatTheyThink Staff
Published: October 26, 2017
Areas of IT Infrastructure Migrated to the Cloud (by company size)
Small business | Medium-sized business | Enterprise | Total | |
Applications | 61% | 61% | 74% | 69% |
Storage | 49% | 53% | 47% | 49% |
Database | 25% | 45% | 31% | 33% |
Security (testing aaS) | 16% | 18% | 13% | 15% |
Other | 14% | 10% | 9% | 10% |
None | 8% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
Source: Survey of IT professionals in North America (eMarketer 12/2015)
Increasingly, we are entering a world in which everything is connected. All of our systems, both home and business, are feeding data into the cloud, where it is collected, stored, and analyzed. That data is used to improve the speed, efficiency, and productivity of everything we do.
But not all printers are flocking to the cloud. In part, it is because it may be hard for them to see the connection to a real live printing business. You may already have a high level of automation. What additional benefit does the cloud really bring? Let’s look at two case studies that bring the value home.
Printer #1 had a problem collecting funds on purchases made by its customers. Historically, this print shop, like many others, would run a client’s jobs, then wait 30 to 60 days to get paid. The shop would email, call, and then email some more. At one point, close to 30% of its revenues were tied up in receivables.
Amazing Print Tech, a provider of web-to-print solutions, suggested using the cloud instead. It proposed a solution in which graphic designers would no longer emailed proofs to their clients. Instead, the sign-off process would be moved to the cloud. Customers would view their proof online, and once approved, they could choose paper and quantity and be taken to checkout for payment.
At first, the shop was hesitant, saying this was not the way they did business. Nor did it believe that clients would accept a cloud-based system because they were used to the old payment terms. So Amazing Print tweaked the system to allow clients to choose their own payment terms. Clients were given four options:
- Checking out online by credit card
- Checking out using a procurement code or purchase order number
- Paying upon pick up
- Selecting ‘bill me later”
To the client’s surprise, when offered the option of paying immediately, more than 80% of its customers took it. This eliminated a huge backlog of receivables. Additionally, customers complimented the printer on offering the convenience of “getting it done” rather than making them wait for a bill and deal with the extra paperwork.
The cloud solution turned out to be a win-win for all involved. All of the printing company’s transactions were synchronized in QuickBooks; the printer got paid more quickly; and clients were happy with the ease of ordering, reordering, and eliminating paperwork.
As another example, Printer #2 was also having a problem with receivables. By switching to a cloud-based accounting system, it also gave its delivery people tablets its customer can use to sign for delivery. Now once the client signs for a job, cloud software automatically generates an invoice. With just this simple change, the printer picked up ten days on its receivables.
So before you assume that you can’t adapt cloud-based systems because your customers won’t accept that much change, think again. Customers are highly adaptable, especially when the change benefits them.
Source: Adapted from Cloud Production: A New Path to Profitability (How to Benefit from Cloud Automation), by Slava Apel and Joseph W. Webb, Ph.D., 2017.
WATCH A QUICK DEMO
The entire process from landing on your site to finished design and processed payment can take as little as 3 minutes. The customer can choose a topic or search for the background, pick a text layout, fill in their information, add a backside if needed, add a QR code and proceed to checkout. Once the payment is processed you receive the full payment as well as a perfect print-ready PDF with bleeds.
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Amazing Print Tech has successfully facilitated millions of postcard, business card and stationery orders with its online printing technology since 1997. With a complete suite of web-to-print software applications, Amazing Print web2print software empowers printers with template based postcard, signage and business card printing software tools to effectively market, drive and close sales, rewarding its partners and customers with superior web to print technology and on-demand printing software support services. Behind more and more successful web storefronts, there is web-to-print software created by AmazingPrint development team.
Features
20,000+ Templates
50,000,0000+ Backgrounds
100+ PreBuilt products
Tracking orders
Has own shopping cart
Customizable website
Web Statistics Reporting
Ability to change Retail Prices
Choose the products you want to sell
View sales reports
New Features Automatically Upgrade
Unique website URL
WYSIWYG design engine
Control own Coupon codes
Ability to use your own merchant account
SSL Certificate Provided
Multiple Payment Gateways
Guest/Anonymous Checkout
Multiple Shipping Carrier Support
Dynamically Scalable Architecture
Optimized for Faster Page Loads
Responsive Web Design
Multi Language Support
Rename Products
Own shipping UPS/FedEx account
Customizable shipping rates
Collect own money
Integration into popular 3rd Party shopping carts
Create your own promotions/specials
Sign up Resellers through a Sign Up wizard
Give Away Reseller Websites
Control Wholesale Prices for Resellers
See reseller profit reports
Create templates for Resellers
Co-Manage Resellers Sebsites
3rd Party MIS integrations
Web to Print Storefront
Integrations
![]() Avanti |
![]() Docket Manager |
![]() MyOrderDesk |
![]() XMPIE |
![]() CRC Information Systems |
![]() PressWise |
![]() Estimator Corp |
![]() PrintSites2Go |
![]() PrintLogic |
![]() QuickBooks |
![]() RacadTech |
![]() Printing In A Box |
![]() UPS |
![]() FedEx |
![]() Canada Post |
![]() USPS |
![]() DHL |
![]() Australian Post |
![]() Moneris |
![]() PaypalPro |
![]() Elavon |
![]() PayFast |
![]() PayPal Standard |
![]() Authorise.net |
![]() Shopify |
![]() Open Cart |
![]() Magento Commerce |
![]() WOO Commerce |
![]() OS Commerce |
![]() Paypal |
![]() Infusionsoft |
![]() Constant Contact |
![]() Mailers Haven |
![]() Web CEO |
![]() Adobe Stock |
![]() Depositphotos |
![]() Dreamstime |
![]() Fotolia |