Whenever it comes to implementation of any technology (especially on the web) we become too cautious and feel it’s too technical to implement without considering the fact that there is no major change. We do the same business from order entry to invoice and technology helps improve efficiency and focus on generating more print runs.
Yes, the development of web-to-print system is in fact too complex and technical involving thousands of lines of code and multi-people teams working for years to build up a whole infrastructure to run it smoothly.
But, as an end user, it never remains technical for you. If a web-to-print system you are finalising is user-friendly, it should not take more than a day’s training to learn how to use it. Understand the fact that you are going to use something which is already developed (technically). As an analogy, if you need to learn driving, you do not really need to know how the combustion engine works.
The whole purpose of the vendor offering you web-to-print solutions is to present you with something which is easy to use and which co-relates to the same process you are following in your current environment without burdening you with its technical aspects. With a web-to-print system in place, the same process becomes rather more efficient, cost effective, and automatic while making you available to your client 24×7.
To make it clearer, please understand how it works. Normally, for a standard printing product you keep a pricelist. In the same way, web-to-print system gives you facility wherein you can add your standard printing rates based on paper quality, quantity, packing and courier charges based on location of delivery selected by client. All this is menu driven, DIY (Do It Yourself) for the client with instant quotes available 24×7. Any client can visit any time, see the dynamic calculator, insert their printing requirement parameters and that’s it, they see the instant pricing.
After cost/ quote what comes is sending file to you, normally you exchange it on email with versions. Here web-to-print system offers upload and order facility where client upload files (final version), and the system automatically runs for basic parameters defined in the checklist like resolution, file size (basic pre-flight) and so on. It saves you the trouble to check things manually, which is what you are doing now without web-to-print system.
Once the job is printed, it can update the client and prepare an invoice. It archives the job you printed for this client in case it is needed for re-print in the future. The system preserves every detail of the transaction, be it collection of online payment, the generated invoice and archives of all previous orders of particular account under the client’s personalized login protected area on server.
By now you can understand the difference between creating the system and implementing or using it. You might also notice the fact that by implementation of W2P system, what you are doing is automating a lot of tasks which will save time doing administrative tasks and also provide a 24×7 access to your client.
Finally what information you are feeding to the system is not really technical. It’s what you offer your customer on phone/ manually on store or by sending email. Here it’s all automatic without you falling into nitty-gritties of how technical it was to create the whole system.
Conclusion is, yes developing the system is technical but using it is certainly not. To see this for yourself, write to us and we will be more than happy to take you through real life cases and demonstrate how web-to-print systems work.