The Challenge:
A large financial services and investment firm had in-plant printing operations in four different cities. xpedx was asked to analyze the competitiveness of these operations compared to commercial printing shops, determine if continuing all four operations was advisable, and suggest what improvements should be considered.
Objectives
- Control costs
- Build volume
- Improve customer communications
Analysis:
Working closely with the client, xpedx determined that the current operations were 65.5% more competitive than the print-for-profit industry. Customer service was considered excellent as indicated by the fact that internal customers sought out the in-plants for innovative solutions. It was determined that while there was some overlap, each of the four operations was providing rapid turn-around times and cost-effective services overall.
Key Improvement:
xpedx suggested the company install commercial software to make it easier for internal customers to order printing from their desktops, providing a "virtual storefront" with online convenience.
The software also allowed the in-plants to balance their workload, sending jobs to the individual operation with the most appropriate skills, equipment and/or available capacity.
This system not only improved customer communication, it also provided the opportunity to utilize in-plant resources more effectively.
Lesson Learned:
Make sure you are aware of new tools to improve your connection with the customer.
Continuously calculating your savings to the parent organization creates a willingness by management to help you grow your customer base.
Make it easy for your customers to do business with you.