Starting Off On the Right Foot – Picking Your Internal Web to Print Team
Our team at Propago has worked with hundreds of producers to implement our web to print solution. This experience has uncovered some unique insights into what makes a successful implementation. We’ve seen first-hand how two similar printers can have radically different experiences adopting web to print into their business. Without question, one of the most significant factors is to identify the person (or team) who will own this process within the printer organization.
The Point of Contact
The single most important step in setting yourself up for success is determining who will be the primary point of contact.
This ‘point person’ will be responsible for delegating tasks related to setting up the back end and creating the portals. This will also be the person who gets everyone in the training sessions that needs to be trained and facilitates the lines of communication between your organization and the web to print solution team (i.e. our team at Propago).
It is vital to have at least one person in your organization who knows the software well enough to be able to teach its basic functions to other team members and to your own customers.
We sat down with Propago’s Customer Success Manager, Joy Surratt, to talk about the valued characteristics of this Point of Contact:
“Propago trains the trainer. This trainee can then be a confidant, ‘go-to’ person in their organization with a good understanding of the overall system. This person will be the driver and doer. They can be an advocate for the capabilities of the platform and assist their clients with all the latest and greatest features that Propago has to offer. They will be involved with all the set up and workflows to accommodate the end client’s needs. This will make them a valued resource when the printer adds more clients to make sure they have a smooth, quick launch, and exceptional support. ”
The Team
The rest of the team is comprised of everyone else who will be interacting with the software on a regular basis. The makeup of this team will vary depending on what your organization looks like. You could have someone in the warehouse in charge of fulfilling orders. Someone else might be in charge of setting up new parts for customers.
Consider having a salesperson in on these training sessions too. Similar to a new press, it’s important that your salespeople know how to properly pitch this new asset of yours. Remember this is a tool to win new business!
The only real guideline is: Everyone that will be utilizing the web to print platform should be involved in the training sessions and kept in the loop about the implementation process from DAY ONE.
4 Reasons Why It’s Important to Prepare for Web to Print
- Save Time: It’s simple. Putting in a little prep time at the start gets you to the finish line much faster. You’ve probably heard the saying, “if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.”
- Training the Trainer: The goal of training is not just to teach your team how to use the software, but also to teach them thoroughly enough that they can teach new hires and new customers as your business grows.
- Selling the Solution: Your web to print solution can be a powerful tool for winning new business. But this sales tool is only effective if your salespeople truly understand what it can do.
- The Biggest Bang for Your Buck: Modern web to print solutions do a lot more than take orders and pass them on to your warehouse. Signing up for Propago without taking full advantage of how it can improve your business is like buying a gaming computer just for solitaire.
Final Thoughts
Joy on picking the person in your organization who’s going to take the lead:
“Look at your team and find that person who is willing to learn and willing to share their knowledge with others. This should be someone who can find enthusiasm in getting the most out of their web to print solution and be the go-to person for end-client solutions when setting up each portal.”
These are some of the characteristics of a team that will knock the ball out of the park when it comes time to implement your web to print solution:
- Positive and direct communication skills make the whole process easier.
- A willingness to learn new things goes a long way. That means practicing between training sessions.
- Being a “Doer”: someone who wants to dive in and get started.
- Experience with software implementations is not necessary but is a big plus.
What NOT To Do
These are the fastest ways to have a frustrating experience launching your web to print platform
- Sign up for the platform and then ‘figure out’ who will lead this initiative. If this person isn’t identified early on, it could make sense to wait on signing up until this decision is made.
- Have different people in the training sessions each time. Sure, we record the sessions for future review, but this creates a lot of redundancy.
A little prep goes a long way. Whether you’re migrating from a legacy solution to a modern web to print platform, or you’re exploring web to print for the first time, use these tips to hit the ground running!
