TRUST AND MUTUAL UNDERSTAND IS CRITICAL

Adopting a print catalog software system can be a pretty scary step. Working with an external print catalog software vendor is not a one-time purchase. It is a relationship that requires both parties to work together to load the data onto the system, maintain its safety, integrity, and effectiveness, and ensure that it is continually adapting and serving your current business needs.

Thus, trust and understanding are critical to all relationships, whether it is with your friend, your lover, your broker, or your print catalog software provider. In fact, without trust and understanding, relationships designed as mutually beneficial agreements turn from something that can unlock your potential and happiness to something that drains you with anxiety, distress, and will probably end up costing you a lot of money.

Due diligence is a worthy investment in all relationships and it is especially true for developing an effective product information management (PIM) system, which captures your data and works with your print catalog software to provide a elegant and dynamic end product. When choosing a print catalog software provider most companies know how to go through some variation of the Request For Proposal (RFP) process. They research the company, see a demo or two, read a few testimonials and place their bets.

Allen was a print catalog software customer. He was a good businessman and knew the general RFP. He followed the standard methodology to select a print catalog software provider. However, he failed to ask the potential print catalog software provider one critical question that could have saved him thousands of dollars and a few dozen stressful hours.

CAN YOU DO A DISCOVERY ANALYSIS?

When Allen came to our first demo, we saw the look that we often saw from merchandisers who had been considering the switch from other print catalog software providers to our services. Although a handsome and well-kept businessman, his face was a mix between weathered look of Clint Eastwood and the alert countenance of a frightened meerkat. Throughout the session, he drilled us like a man on a mission. His previous vendor had burned him and, disillusioned, he wanted to make sure that he would not end up in a similar situation as his current one.

It was really worrisome to see that this customer was so mistrustful. We needed to know what happened and assure him that we can correct his issues, and thus inquired about his previous experience. Understanding this and winning his trust would not only help us with this sell, it would help us ensure figure out what level of service his company would need and whether our print catalog software is able to address his concerns.

Allen took a sip from his coffee and recalled his experience. He discussed how he had spent well over $10,000 for another third party print catalog software service. It was the first time he was setting up a Product Information Management (PIM) system, so he was not sure what he needed but did his research and understood the basics of what he wanted. The company demos were very straightforward and the system seemed to work just fine when demonstrated with dummy data. It even worked just fine when the company uploaded a very small sampling of his own company data. However, after getting set up and running his system, the issues began to arise. The servers constantly faced lag and downtime, service was terrible, and this novice manager of PIM-integrated print catalogs had to spend countless hours addressing bugs and quirks that were preventing him from adding data. In short, before he would commit to a new print catalog software vendor, Allen needed to be sure that all his data would flow smoothly into the system, and that updates and publishing were as easy as print catalog software vendors claimed them to be.

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

A discovery consultation is something which some print catalog software companies offer which saves customers money and stress and is perfectly suited for Allen’s situation. The initial step in the discovery consultation is to offer intensive training that walks through the workflows for creating, modifying, and publishing products and catalogs in print and on the web. Full support is provided to all our vendors but this intensive training allows our clients to get comfortable with the software before they have to commit.

The real value in the discovery consultation however, comes from the migration services. Migrating has three main ways that it provides value: 1) A discovery consultation sets up the framework to guarantees that the data will work flawlessly with the system and that any bugs can quickly be addressed before adopting the new system. 2) It saves money and time. 3) It encourages quick and immediate use of the new system.

1.       Guaranteeing that the data will load

Allen was so wary of future print catalog software vendors because his previous Product Information Management system would not easily and fluidly load his data. As part of our discovery consultation, we mapped out his entire data structure, developed a migration workflow, and loaded some of his data into our system. This showed him how he would migrate his data and manipulate it on our system. The consultation offers a clear and concise perspective that shows how we are able to fulfill his needs. This was the assurance that he needed to roll out with the new print catalog software confidently. It also helped Allen figure out what were the next steps he needed to take and helped him negotiate a detailed and sustainable SLA (Service Level Agreement). Furthermore, the discovery consultation not only loads the data, but also works with the client to form a classification system that breaks down the catalog and maps out the data.

2.       Saving Time and Money

The eventual goal of a PIM system is to improve accuracy and consistency while saving time and money. However, migrating your product information into the print catalog software requires a significant amount of time and effort. Even planning out the migration itself takes a considerable amount of time, effort. This is especially true for first time print catalog software users who will probably need to learn by trial and error which setups are feasible and which are not.

A discovery consultation includes working with the client to produce a migration workflow, an implementation plan, a full break down and categorization of their data, and a detailed SLA. Leveraging the expertise of the print catalog software providers, the client can implement the best setup to fit his or her needs while saving literally thousands of dollars in work-hours. Some print catalog software companies currently offer the discovery consultation for a very modest fee and offer to return the entire amount in the form of credit on the first invoice once the client enrolls in their services. Thus, using the discovery consultation can save you thousands of dollars from the moment you sign up.

3.       Encouraging a quick and immediate transition

Often when adopting new software, there is a “critical mass” that must be reached before the new system can be used as the main system. For example, think of the xlsx format introduced by Microsoft in Office 2007. If you are like most people, it probably too you a while before you consistently decided to use the xlsx format for your excel files. Although the new format is far superior to the xls format in its functionality and space utilization, because of the limitations on sharing with other people and applications, it took a while to consistently use the new extension and take advantage of its features. Likewise with print catalog software, unless all the relevant stakeholders can use the system to get what they need out of it, people will continue to rely on the old practices. The discovery consultation tackles this problem through two approaches. First, the print catalog software professionals map out and categorize the catalog data and develop an tailored migration and implementation plan so that data can be smoothly loaded and the product can be used immediately. Second, extensive individualized training which each of the relevant stakeholders ensures that the system can be used to complete their desired tasks and that the stakeholders can play around with the software to become confident with using it.

THE TAKEAWAY

If there is one thing to take away from this article, remember to consider the advantages of a discovery consultation when implementing a new system, although there is an apparent cost upfront, it will save you time, hassle, and money that will immediately pay for itself many times over whether you decide to adopt the system or find that it does not fit your current needs.