Key Considerations for Software Integration

By Gabby Houck

In an industry that has historically been equipment-oriented and machinery-heavy, there has been a shift in the importance of software and technology. In today’s fast-paced printing landscape, efficiency isn’t optional — it’s the engine of growth. And as print service providers (PSPs) strive for more efficiency, workflow software technology is quickly making its way to the front of the line.

By integrating MIS, CRM, and ERP systems, PSPs can eliminate silos, streamline workflows, and unlock the real-time insights that can keep things moving forward and into the future. But to reap the rewards, PSPs need to know the roadblocks, opportunities, and key considerations before they hit “go.”

Don Kirkland, president of ArborOakland, based in Royal Oak, Michigan, believes software and technology should be front and center.

“I do believe that software and technology must be at the at the front of this manufacturing process that we call printing,” Kirkland says. “That’s why we’ve continued to invest not only in the equipment, but in the software necessary to help us evolve.”

Eight years ago, ArborOakland installed its very first ERP system, Eclipse from Epicor. Since it’s installation, Kirkland says his team has successfully integrated Eclipse with its storefront from Propago and CRM from PlanProphet.

“At this point, we couldn’t run our business without all of them,” Kirkland says.

Simon Beltran, president and CEO of O’Neil Printing, a PRINTING United Alliance member company, in Phoenix, Arizona, has similar feelings. He explains that the company has been using Print EPS’ Monarch for the past couple of decades.

“All the businesses that I've led, not only here at O'Neil, but prior, have all had an ERP system,” Beltran says.

Help Develop Your Online Storefront

Let’s say a print shop hasn’t made the jump to an online storefront and they’re still taking orders via email — Kirkland urges reconsidering.

For Kirkland, what enticed ArborOakland to consider Eclipse was that it came with adaptors that would allow it to connect to a storefront. Today, Kirkland says someone can place an order and his team immediately sees it in the system.

“It’s great, the templates are built, no one has to touch it, and to us that was a key,” he says. “So today as we sit here, about 54% of our order volume comes through [online] storefronts. Now, that's not necessarily the revenue, but over 50% of our individual orders are coming through storefronts, and obviously we wouldn't be getting those if it was still via email and phone calls. So, the ability for somebody to order at any time of the day or night and have a drop into our system is great.”

Today, ArborOakland has more than 85 storefronts, and thanks to the fact that Eclipse, Propago, and PlanProphet are all integrated, each system works together in harmony. The CRM blasts out an acknowledgment that it has received the order and from there, Kirkland says his team is turning around that order in two to three days.

“Also, because it's fully integrated, all of our accounting inventory purchasing activity stays in the common Eclipse system,” he says. “We are not having to transact out of two different systems.”

And because those 85 storefronts bring in orders every single day, Kirkland says it’s going to remain a key part of what ArborOakland does and it also gives a glimpse into the company’s future strategy.

“You know, more than we'd like to admit the roles of salespeople and account managers are changing. And with that, so is our ability to engage our clients wherever they may be. Whether that happens to be here in Michigan or across the country, the storefront allows us that flexibility,” Kirkland says.

Mine for Valuable Data

Beltran explains that over the course of his career his biggest reason for using ERP systems is shop floor data collection and understanding the accuracy of measurements.

“The biggest thing is understanding the accuracy of our estimates and how they actually perform in the production environment,” Beltran says. “So, we get a lot of data and analytics, and we call it EVA estimate versus actual. That's one of the most important things that I look at to make sure that our estimating system is correct. And the performance in production meets those expectations.”

Monarch also has a module called the IQuote system, and Beltran says that it also helps his team with the estimating side of the business.

“Once the estimate [has] been received, awarded, and the team is ready to go into production, we move that into a job ticket inside of Monarch and then that’s where we’re able to capture all of the shop floor data collection,” Beltran says. “So, the ERP kind of sits like the heart, if you will. And then we have all of these other organs wrapped around it to help us with the data itself.”

Automate Your Workflows

Ultimately, what helped Kirkland eventually decide on PlanProphet was its business automation capabilities. He says that despite it being branded as a CRM tool, he couldn’t help but gravitate toward it thanks to its automation features.

“It has automated our daily processes and whether that is on the front end with an order acknowledgment, whether it manages our proofing activity, outbound proofs to customers, inbound acceptance or changes,” Kirkland says. “We utilize it for our invoicing; we utilize it for our statements and we’re getting ready to deploy a payment portal as well as the shipping module. So, each of those tools allows us to scale our business in ways that we would otherwise would not be able to do.”

And keep in mind, these technologies are not meant to replace people. Better yet, it’ll help your employees better utilize their time — that’s what Beltran believes.

“So, the orders come in, they get ingested, they get routed, they get imposed, they get pushed out to production, they actually get produced, they get finished, and they get shipped with as little human touch as possible,” Beltran says. “But inevitably, like with anything, there’s going to be a breakdown somewhere and that’s where we want them spending their time, managing the exceptions, rather than managing all of the volume.”

In a perfect world, Beltran believes it’s automation, the software, the systems PSPs have invested in, and the hardware all working in tandem like it is supposed to. And from there, your best people should be monitoring, measuring, and stepping in if something is not performing optimally.

Essentially, Beltran believes that integrating ERPs, MIS, or CRMs can eliminate thankless tasks and give people time back.

“We don't want to manage the mundane. We want the machines to do that. We want the software to do that,” he says. “But if something shows complexity or isn’t working to the expectation, that’s where our bright people should step in and manage that. Until that happens, let the AI, the automation, and the software do what it’s designed to do.”