Tips and Bits

Pageflex Customers Honored by PODi

Pageflex is proud to report that two of our customers have been honored by PODi with their annual Best Practices Awards!  The awards will be presented tomorrow morning at the PODi AppForum.  

MSP Digital and eIntegrity were honored with a Best Practices Award in the category of "Marketing Resource Center."  These customers were recognized for a project they created for the DoubleTree by Hilton^TM hotel chain. DoubleTree wanted to improve the process by which 250 properties around the world procure marketing materials. MSP Digital built a comprehensive, single-source, web-to-print toolkit for DoubleTree's international brand. With programming assistance from eIntegrity, the robust solution was completed in less than four months. Portal users can order over 250 items including door hangers, menus, key cards, conservation cards, stationery, and vehicle signage. By implementing this one-stop shop for the properties, DoubleTree was able to successfully manage their brand while leveraging the capabilities of Pageflex customization.

Honorable Mention in this category went to Pageflex customer The Standard Group. They were recognized for a project they developed for the retail chain Ten Thousand Villages. This project empowered 80 individual stores to be able to create and personalize their own materials via a centralized web portal. Each store also has the ability to personalize and order their own letterhead, postcards, business cards, and marketing materials while Ten Thousand Villages still retains control over the design and integrity of the brand.

On behalf of all of us at Pageflex, congratulations to everyone at MSP Digital, eIntegrity, and The Standard Group!

 

Pageflex at the PODi AppForum

Leslie Wengenroth, Director of Marketing for Pageflex, will participate in a Pre-Conference Intensive panel discussion titled Best Practices for Web to Print.  In addition, Pageflex will be featured at scheduled vendor demonstrations on Tuesday, January 24 at 2:40 p.m. and Wednesday, January 25 at 11:00 a.m.

Pageflex is a Bronze sponsor of the PODi AppForum.

 

 

A Self-Promotion Campaign Goes All Out

This is the next post in our series on customers who won our Pageflex Customer Innovation Awards. The Standard Group was the winner for Best Self-Promotion Campaign. This cross-media self-promotion campaign fully demonstrated the company's range of capabilities, including cross media, customization and online ordering. This successful campaign was a fun and successful way for prospects and customers to gain firsthand experience of what those capabilities could mean for them and for their business.

Overview

The objective of the Variable Calendar Self-Promotion campaign was to use the Standard Group's full range of cross media capabilities to create an integrated self-promotion that shows by example how customers can use variable and personalization to effectively target, communicate and create a call to action.

In addition, the campaign gave customers the opportunity to experience the powerful capabilities of the Standard Group's Marketing Portal run by Pageflex Storefront. Once there, they could create and place an order for a free personalized wall calendar using their own photographs.

The target audience for the campaign included customers/prospects who might have a need for a marketing management portal or integrated direct mail with personalization and variable data. The list included marketing directors and managers as well as advertising agency professionals.

The project was done in two phases. In phase one, a direct mail postcard with email reminder was sent.  Two weeks later, in phase two, a direct mail postcard with a personalized email reminder was sent to non-responders.

Each of the postcards were personalized with the recipient’s name, with the name of their Standard Group sales person, the sales person’s phone number, a pURL and a Personalized QR Code.

 The campaign used three calls to action: call the sales person phone number, follow a link to a PURL and a Personalized QR Code. With the both the PURL and Personalized QR, tracking and notification were set up so that when a prospect visits the PURL or Personalized QR, a detailed notification is sent to the corresponding sales person and the VP of Sales.

Once on the Calendar promotional site, the prospect has an opportunity to view various case studies on the creation of marketing portals and storefronts. But ultimately, they are able to create their own personal three month format photo calendar for free. They have the option of selecting the photo layouts, background, and various hi-res photos or upload their own.

When a calendar order is placed, the sales person is again notified for follow up. The calendar is either hand delivered by the sales team or shipped to the prospect as selected by the prospect.

Results:

• The campaign was sent to a total 922 customers and prospects. The Standard Group received a 37% response rate of those who accessed the calendar website via the PURL and QR Code
• 26% conversion or those visited site and ordered calendar
• 23 "hot" leads
• 6 immediate leads
• Educated our sales team on using the marketing portal/storefront
• An additional 70 additional calendars were ordered by employees of the Standard Group

I asked Calvin Grucelski, Digital Solutions Manager at The Standard Group, about the project, and what he thought was the most challenging part? Also, what does he see as the most rewarding part of the campaign?

 "The most challenging part of the project, without a question, was dealing with the data that powered the campaign. Producing the final product was the easy part, as it leveraged and highlighted our core competencies as a 100 year old print service provider and long-time Pageflex user. After defining our target audience, we began to filter and mine our own internal customer records and other data sources to create a mailing list comprised of current customers and key prospects. We quickly realized that there were numerous challenges dealing with the data itself: accuracy, consistency, freshness, and formatting were all key issues. This was complicated by slow adoption and integration of a new Customer Relationship Management software platform that was implemented to help our sales staff manage their customers and key prospects."

"The most rewarding part of the campaign was the fact that we were able to utilize almost all of the major components and core competencies within our company to execute the campaign. Our sales staff identified their prospects and customers; our mailing and database specialists to worked their magic with the raw data; our pre-press staff designed the creative elements; our pre-media staff created the variable templates and Storefront; our press and bindery staff executed what was essentially a “hybrid” solution that utilized both digital and offset print; and finally our fulfillment and shipping specialists completed packaging and delivery of the final product. It truly was a team effort that served to highlight our capabilities and expertise in a broad range of services within one project"

 

Happy Holidays!

From all of us at Pageflex, best wishes for a wonderful holiday!

See you in the new year!  

How to Successfully Implement a Web-to-Print System

"In my experience, there is about 30% adoption of web-to-print in the companies I visit and only about 50% have it working well and are successful in making it a profitable part of their business.”

        Howie Fenton, Senior Technology Consultant at NAPL

Is your business one of them?

How do you look beneath the hype and find the web-to-print solution that's right for your business? This informative webinar will help printers determine what they want to achieve with web-to-print and learn how the right technology can help deliver on those goals.  The webinar will include helpful tips from Pageflex and real world examples from customers who have been successful with web-to-print.

Join us!

Pageflex will be offering this webinar on Wednesday, January 18 at 10:00 a.m. (GMT-05:00) and at 2:00 p.m.  (GMT-05:00) 

To register, simply follow the links below:

Wednesday, January 18 at 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m.

 

Innovation Award Case Study - eIntegrity

Over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring detailed case studies on the winners of our Customer Innovation Awards, presented last month at the Pageflex User Conference.

These awards were given to customers who successfully combined innovation and technology to meet the business goal.

This case study features a project which earned Pageflex customer e-Integrity an award for Developing an Innovative Solution that Met Client's Needs.

Overview

Owens Corning works with a network of dealers and contractors across North America. Owens Corning provides these dealers and contractors with co-op dollars, marketing materials, and access to the product samples they need.  

In an effort to better support those dealers and contractors, Owens Corning tasked TPA, a leader in administration for co-op programs, and e-Integrity, to build a dealer portal. 

The goal was to create a site that would be a complete resource for their dealers and contractors. The site would need to include marketing materials and product samples that could be customized and ordered by the dealers. In addition, the site needed to serve as a place where as dealers could access information on their co-op accounts.

Specific goals of the project were:

• Allow contractors to customize/personalize marketing collateral online, and pay with available co-op dollars.

• Replace the phone-based ordering system for samples with a trackable, web-based system

• Replace the mail-in warranty forms with an online warranty registration

• Allow contractors to view details of their co-op program, including available balance and claims submitted.

• Allow the call center employees access to the portal so that they could use it to place orders or retrieve information on behalf of the contractor

Meeting Client's  Needs Through Collaboration

The project was a joint venture between TPA and e-Integrity, bringing together TPA’s expertise in co-op management with e-Integrity’s experience developing dealer portals. 

The dealer experience begins by logging into Owens Corning’s dealer intranet. Once they are logged in, a SSO is utilized to grant them access to their co-op information and/or the web store. Call center employees must log in to the system separately and can access information for any contractor after passing a security gateway.

Once at the portal, the dealer or call center employee has access to their co-op balance, and can drill down to see co-op activity, claims, and access forms and supporting documentation.  

(click on image to view larger)

In addition to co-op balances, dealers can customize marketing collateral by entering the “Ad-Builder” part of the site. Once here, they can customize and order marketing collateral, including ads, door hangers, and spec sheets.

This section of the portal also gives users the ability to register warranties. Here, the user enters in all information related to product warranties. If any exceptions are made to the way in which the product is used, then the system automatically sends that warranty information for approval. If no exceptions are made the warranty gets generated immediately.

The biggest time saver for Owens Corning has been giving users the ability to order samples at the portal. To order samples, users are presented with samples of products that are available to them in their geographic area. They can track the shipping status of their order, and the online sample ordering process has had an immediate positive impact on dealer satisfaction while reducing waste from duplicate shipments.

(click on image to view larger)

At check out, they can elect to use their available co-op balance or pay via credit card.

Results

• Owens Corning is registering 10% more warranties than previously
• Owens Corning has reduced co-op inquiry calls by 15%

  Bill Nicholson, Director of Professional Services at e-Integrity, talked about project and noted:

"There is great satisfaction in seeing the dealers embrace the solution. Our client really listened to their dealers and designed a toolkit that makes co-op management and marketing a much simpler process than it had been. The transaction volumes continue to increase, and gaining acceptance and trust from the intended user base is always rewarding!"

 

 

 

 

Pageflex To Sponsor 2012 PODI AppForum

Pageflex is proud to once again be sponsoring  the PODi AppForum, the industry’s leading international digital printing conference.  The 2012 AppForum wi being held January 23 – 25, 2012 at Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For those who are not familiar with the AppForum, it is a wonderful event, packed with informative sessions, great speakers, and excellent networking opportunities. Session topics range from collateral/brand management solutions and e-commerce to innovative business strategies, solution sales training, tips for transitioning to a more profitable marketing services model, and new developments in digital printing technology.

At the AppForum, Pageflex will be showcasing  a range of products designed to enable printers to expand their business, increase profits, and automate production workflows.  Pageflex will be offering demonstrations of  the latest version of the award-winning Pageflex Storefront and Pageflex Campaign Manager, showing attendees the tools for customization, web-to-print, and cross-media marketing. In addition, Pageflex will also be showing their latest developments in Mobile-to-Print solutions.

Pageflex customers can receive a special discount of $100 off their registration to the AppForum. To get your discount code, just send us an email and we'll provide  you with the information you need.

We look forward to seeing you at the AppForum!

 

Best Practices for Becoming a Marketing Service Provider

Though the marketplace may be changing, there is still one question that comes up again and again:

What products and services do I need to offer to become a successful marketing service provider?

To help you answer this question and better navigate this transition, Pageflex is sponsoring a webinar called "Best Practices for Becoming a Marketing Service Provider."

During this hour-long webinar, we'll share the results of a survey InfoTrends did on printers who have successfully made the transition and are now thriving as marketing service providers. You'll hear case studies, statistics, and best practices that you can use to help make your own business successful.

The webinar is being held:

• Thursday, December 8, 2011
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:00p.m  EST (GMT-05:00)

 For more information, visit the Pageflex website, or click here to register for the webinar.

 

Thanks!

It’s Thanksgiving this week in the US. Many companies will post messages this week to customers thanking them for their loyalty. We are no exception. The Pageflex User Conference earlier this month was a vivid reminder of the creativity, intelligence, and passion that our customers bring to the variety of cool projects that they produce using Pageflex software. We do appreciate your work and your loyalty. And wish you a happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Over the past week I’ve been thinking about how I am grateful for the Bitstream type and MyFonts teams that have co-existed with the Pageflex team during the decade I’ve been with the company. In our US office we sit intermingled. The folks on the type and MyFonts teams add to the flavor of the office. The energy, individual quirks and characters, the Monday morning weekend stories, and the kitchen chatter. Not to mention the silly type-inspired Yankee swap gifts that bring laughter at our holiday party each year.

At nearly every tradeshow I’ve attended at least one person stops by the Pageflex booth and reminisces about visiting the Bitstream offices years ago or the fonts that they buy from Bitstream. It has been a continual reminder that strong typography has always been at the heart of our Pageflex composition tools.

I’ve met graphic designers at cocktail parties, reunions, and on the playground who don’t know Pageflex, but whose face lights up when I mention that our sister product line is My Fonts. They excitedly tell me how much they love the site and how awesome the WhatTheFont type identification tool is. I always feel a bit more hip after these conversations.

And then there are the regular internal “Tip of the Day” emails from our type colleagues in India that have taught us what a Glyph Origin, CamelCase, hinting, and countless other industry terms mean. And, of course, the stories of the early days of Bitstream.

As we now embark on creating separate businesses, it seems like a fitting time to remember our shared history. So this holiday I send a “Thank You” and “All the Best” to our font and MyFonts colleagues!

A Message from Pageflex

For over 10 years, Pageflex has been part of the Bitstream organization. We joined Bitstream as an independent entity in 1998 and in 2006 we became an official subsidiary.

Last week, Pageflex marked a new chapter and will now become an independent company. Subject to regulatory approval expected early next year, Bitstream's font business will be sold to Monotype Imaging. Once the Bitstream/Monotype transaction is approved, Pageflex will be traded on NASDAQ under the provisional name Marlborough Software Development Holding Inc. (MSDH).  

As an independent company, Pageflex will be better able to focus on the needs of our customers and the marketplace. The dedication we demonstrated at the Pageflex User Conference, held earlier this month, is an example of this level of commitment to customer satisfaction and delivering on our promises. Our plans for development, our committed staff, and the open lines of communication we highlighted at the user conference are the foundation on which this new organization is built.  

We will continue to keep you posted on the exciting changes that lie ahead for Pageflex!

 

The 2011 Pageflex User Conference

Last week marked the return of the Pageflex User Conference!

It was so great to see so many members of the Pageflex community come out for this event.  By all accounts, users were pleased that user conference was back, and especially happy with the location and content of this year's event.

Pinhas Romik, Pagflex General Manager is joined by Deb Cantabene of Xerox, Simon Lewis of HP, and Ray Cassino of Heidelberg.

This year, we held the meeting at the Seaport Conference Center in Boston, Massachusetts. In all, over 170 attendees from around the world took part in the three-day event.

The Seaport Hotel

The conference gave users the chance to dig deeper into Pageflex technology and to better understand the market as a whole. There were presentations by industry leaders like Jennifer Matt that provided a high level view of opportunities and innovation, and smaller group sessions that focused on technical and business development topics.  

Jon Tolley of the Prime Group talks about a project he developed for DHL Freight

We also announced the winners of the 2011 Pageflex Innovation Awards. Details on the award winning projects will be posted here next week.

Most importantly, there was also plenty of time for networking and social events so that users could learn from each other - a critical part of the success of the event.

A highlight of the user conference was the New England Clambake! How do you crack a lobster?

 

We are grateful to all customes who attended! We'll be sending out a survey soon and welcome your input. 

 

Thank you again for joining us! We look forward to seeing you at the next user conference!