Is it Time to Jump on the Print MIS Train?

As a print and marketing services provider, you have a lot going on. Chances are, you’re managing a variety of print types including offset, large- or wide-format, digital inkjet, and toner, as well as coordinating mailing. Upstream, you’re offering creative services to feed print, which requires managing data, and providing customer relationship management (CRM) tools and expertise. You may also be offering fulfillment services and solutions. All of this impacts your business processes, from estimation through to reporting.

You’re also likely integrating print with other highly-customized and personalized programs. The combination of all of these factors can create a lot of pain in your operations, as you’re continually faced with the challenge of maintaining numerous spreadsheets, applications, and databases to run your business, without having one source to access and control them.

So what is an MSP to do? More and more, print shops are turning to a Print Management Information System (MIS) as the industry shifts to automation as a way to drive profits. But does a Print MIS really deliver an ROI? And how long is the wait?

Print MIS is technology that spans your operations, and helps you connect all your critical - but currently disconnected - programs, systems, process, and tools. By connecting, integrating, and providing information for job tracking, job estimation, reports, and CRM capabilities, a Print MIS helps businesses centralize activities so they can more effortlessly navigate the volume of information needed to drive success.

Why are so many MSPs taking the Print MIS leap? With the right Print MIS you gain the ability to connect your islands of automation, and eliminate the errors inherent to the re-entry of manual data. It enables you to work more efficiently, control costs, and move more jobs through the shop with ease, while having access to the real-time data you need to make informed business decisions.

For Bob Rottner, CFO, Sull Graphics, the ROI was all about time savings. His “one-stop-shop” near Atlanta, offers a wide variety of services including digital and offset printing, finishing, and digital services including email marketing and pURL programs.

For Rottner, the time savings from his Print MIS implementation were felt across the board. Each of his customer service reps were able to cut 15 hours out of their week by having immediate access to all their jobs and information, instead of having to chase it down. By having all of the information that comes in with an order automatically appear in each invoice, as opposed to needing someone to re-input all this information, he was able to drop his time spent invoicing from 13 hours/week down to one hour. Importantly, Rottner himself saved 15 hours/ week of his own time since implementing a Print MIS.

By removing the challenge of tracking down status and job information from your daily operations, you can save as much as 30% of your time. This helps drive costs down, improve efficiency, complete more business in a day, and deliver superior customer service.

Investing in a Print MIS is a big decision. And while it will likely create some pain as you switch, it’s your sure path out of the painful trap you are in today with your current, non-connected systems.

Is there an ROI for YOUR shop with a Print MIS? Visit Avanti (Booth 635) and try our simple ROI tool to find out.