Customers in multiple industries are benefiting from technological advances to get a better user experience – faster, easier, more intuitive. As print buyers (customers) become more tech-savvy, printers and producers need to match their pace.

In today’s world, shoppers expect to find what they are looking for and make a purchase quickly. Whether the experience is buying with ‘one-click’ on Amazon or grabbing a ride with Uber, the simplest solutions tend to prevail. But what shoppers do not typically realize is the amount of development that goes into creating those clean user experiences. Or better said by Leonardo da Vinci, ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’ This same paradigm is bleeding over to the web to print space, where users are pushing back on their providers and demanding a better platform.

The goal of a better user experience is just one of the factors prompting printers to begin researching more modern web to print solutions. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the reasons why printers are switching platforms and offer some best practices for a smooth transition.

Getting With The Times

When print service providers find themselves considering migrating to a new web to print solution, it’s usually due to one of five (5) reasons:

1. Consolidating multiple systems
2. Outdated on-premise legacy systems
3. Inability to keep up with home grown system
4. Current software platform is sunsetting
5. Inability to support multiple product types (print, promo, apparel, digital).

In the case of the first scenario, the print business is juggling multiple software solutions for various aspects of their operations and it’s causing glaring inefficiencies and constant frustration. No one gets into this kind of situation on purpose. Yet, it’s understandable how software systems accumulate. Sometimes it’s as simple as two (2) companies merging.

We’re in a period of unprecedented technological advancement in the print industry and a lot of that advancement is software-based. The problem comes when you add new software each time a new solution is needed despite the overlap between what these systems can do. Some software does one thing very well, like warehouse management or product personalization. Other solutions take a more holistic approach to workflow enhancement.

In the second scenario, you’ve got the opposite problem: instead of keeping up with the changes in what technology can offer, some printers stay attached to their legacy system longer than they should. This isn’t a knock against printers who opt to stick with what they know. Migrating to a new web to print system is a big decision. But, as time goes by, sticking to your legacy system will only grow into a bigger burden for your business. To name just a few of the potential problems: issues with compatibility as new tools and applications start to become standard in the industry, slow and unreliable performance of the software itself, outdated features that no longer appeal to your changing customer base.

Situation #3 is straightforward. At one point it made sense to develop your own system instead of investing in an expensive solution elsewhere. But now? It’s far more efficient (technology-wise and cost-wise) to leverage a company that specializes in web to print. It’s all they do. Technology is moving too fast and it costs a lot of money to keep a software developer on the payroll to write and manage the code. Besides, you are in the printing business NOT the software business.  

The fourth scenario is even more straightforward: the sunsetting software problem. If you’re not working with a home-grown web to print system, then you’re at the mercy of your web to print vendor (to a certain degree). If the vendor decides to no longer support the solution, you’ve got to start looking for a replacement.

The fifth and final situation occurs when printers decide to shift from being a print seller to a complete marketing solution provider. If/when a company adds apparel and promotional items (whether they produce the items or not), you want a system that can scale and support more than print. This expansion of product types can make printers better equipped to win new business and become more ‘sticky’ with current customers. (More about this topic here).

Tips for Web to Print Migration Success

Full disclosure – migrating systems is rarely fast or easy. But, with proper planning, a web to print system migration can be a smooth process.

Let’s get into some tips that can help you navigate your web to print system migration experience.

#1: Take Stock of What You’ve Got

You’ve got a system in place for how operations flow. A vital early-stage step is to carefully review your current system. Take stock of your workflows and decide what works and what doesn’t. How do orders get placed in your current system? How do the production, procurement and fulfillment workflows operate? How is information about products, orders, and customers stored and communicated? How does invoicing work?

Really do a deep dive into your current business processes and examine the way information flows through the system. This will give you a better idea of what features you need, what features you want, what features you don’t need, and what specific problem areas you’re looking to solve.

#2: Do Your Research

For many printers, software is simply not interesting compared to most other aspects of printing operations. It’s easy to sink time and energy into strategically planning for your next press purchase. It’s not as easy to investigate the current state of web to print software and decide what solution will be best for your business.

But it’s important to treat software research seriously and make it a priority. Think about what you want to be able to accomplish with a web to print solution and how it could affect your entire workflow. How much of your business is VDP-based? Are you looking for advanced direct mail capabilities? Would your clients benefit from white-labeled storefronts? How much of your business is B2C versus B2B? Are your clients requesting Single Sign-On (SSO)?

The implications of switching to a new web to print system are potentially bigger than any other technology upgrade for your business. So, take your time. Get a thorough understanding of what kind of software is out there and what it can do.

#3: Get Your Team In Order

Once you’ve done your research and you have a handle on what you want out of a web to print solution, you’ll want to get your team in order. You want to have a group of people who are dedicated to working this project, given clear roles within its scope, and are actively working and collaborating to make it happen.

You’d be surprised at how much more smoothly this system migration process will go if you decide from the get-go who oversees what. And, you’d be amazed at how frequently this ‘point person’ switches midway through the migration process.  

Regardless of your team’s structure, you’ll find that if everyone involved understands exactly what roles they will be performing in this project, friction will be minimal on the road to a successful migration. Consistent communication throughout the team is also essential.

#4: Set a Timeline but Manage Expectations

Biggest question – when do you want to launch on the new platform? If you have a general idea of this time frame, you can work backwards. Then you will be able to understand what the process will look like and how long each stage will take, breaking down the project into digestible chunks.

To create a timeline, you’ll need to collaborate with all the departments that will have a hand in the migration process. Financial, technical, customer support, and even sales might all play a role in making it happen.

Break down the steps that will need to take place:

• Find a suitable solution
• Organize your data
• Train on the new platform
• Move current clients on to the system
• Plan how to position this new solution as a client acquisition tool
• Confer with your team members to come up with a roadmap for this project

Remember to be conservative with your estimates. Even if every member of your team knows exactly what they will need to get done and how to do it, there are going to be factors outside of your control that could impact the launch date. So, whenever possible, set timeline goals but be wary of hard deadlines.

Make the Move

Once you’ve done the necessary prep-work, you should find the actual process of system migration a straightforward affair. Do your research. Create a team and a roadmap. Develop a thorough understanding of your current workflows and how they could improve.  Get the data organized and imported, get the team trained and onboarded, and hit the ground running.