Becoming a Strategic Partner Instead of a Service Provider
Proximity, expedience, and familiarity are no longer enough to make your in-plant the default printer for everyone in your parent organization. It’s a new world with new challenges.
Digital platforms, for example, are altering the way people communicate and connect. That means the unique printing needs, objectives, and expectations of your internal customers are changing as well. On the operational side, you’re likely facing staffing shortages and cost-saving mandates like the rest of the printing industry—with added pressure to face down competition from external sources and keep jobs in-house.
So, finding ways to prove the value, viability, and relevance of your in-house print center is more essential than ever. Your relationship with the people and departments you serve can’t simply be a relationship of convenience. You need to be more than just a print service provider delivering a commodity; you need to be a strong, strategic partner.
Demonstrate Alignment
The opportunity to increase strategic relevance lies where your in-plant’s capabilities intersect with your customers’ unmet needs. Make every effort to identify and understand the specific challenges and goals of each group or department within the enterprise. Then use this knowledge to align your in-plant’s services accordingly, react quickly and dynamically to requests, and deliver results that meet objectives.
Maximize Efficiency
Accelerating productivity is key to gaining the efficiency needed to compete against outside printers. Transform your in-house print center into a productivity powerhouse. Streamline workflows with cutting-edge automation that helps simplify job submission, accelerate document preparation, facilitate order and production management, and support performance monitoring. With faster setup times, reduced manual intervention, and greater control, you can efficiently and reliably deliver on demand without delays.
Display Scalability
As your organization’s business ebbs and flows, so do its printing needs. Position your in-plant to offer scalable solutions that enable flexibility. Develop print management strategies for keeping pace with increased volume demands, adapting to more complex applications, and capitalizing on predictable slow periods by actively marketing your services internally and with outside prospects.
Deliver Custom Solutions
Your in-plant already offers unmatched access and home-field advantage to internal customers. Add even more value by tailoring what you do to exactly what they want. Develop custom applications that meet unmet communication needs. Offer ink, paper, and specialty media that multiply their creative possibilities. Expand pre- or post-press services, like graphic design or finishing, to attract more jobs as well as match or outpace the competition.
Promote Sustainability
Environmental impact continues to be an important concern for the printing industry, including pressure from customers to be more accountable. In-plant operations are no exception. Enhance your reputation as a partner in sustainability by using energy-efficient printers and recycled papers. Develop recycling programs for consumables and waste reduction strategies. Identify environmentally responsible sourcing partners.
Ensure Data Security
Data security is essential if your in-plant handles client files, mailing lists, databases, or company information. It’s especially critical if you produce regulated communications—medical billing, financial statements, invoices, collection letters, etc.—or variable data-driven printing. Invest in presses and automation software that provide data encryption or other industry-standard protections. Have clearly articulated data handling policies in place and regularly audit compliance. Build trust by sharing the safeguards you’ve put in place to protect the confidentiality, accuracy, and security of your customers’ print communications.
Conclusion
Leveraging the convenience and proximity of an in-plant printing solution already provides your parent organization with potential advantages, from saving time and money to improving quality control. But in a constantly changing business environment, merely having production capabilities and expertise close at hand isn’t enough.
Proactively taking these steps, however, can help put your in-plant operation in a better position to add value, increase strategic relevance, and become indispensable to every group, department, and potential customer in your enterprise. That’s the difference between being a print service provider and being a significant and strategic partner.
