It was that time of the year again. No, not the holiday season. It was deskpad calendar ordering
time at the title insurance company where Jake worked. As the company marketing rep, he was saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the entire process, and he was not looking forward to it.
Every year, for about two months out of his life, Jake's days were dominated not by marketing calls, but with the task of ordering, proofing and delivering deskpad calendars for the company's agents to use as marketing tools with local real estate agents and other key customers.
The deskpad calendar program was good for business and allowed agents to order the calendars for their customers at a reduced rate subsidized by the company. As a marketing tool, the calendars were tough to beat since they put the company's name—and the agent's contact information—in front of key accounts a full 365 days a year.
The only problem, as Jake knew all too well, was that taking and placing the orders—and everything that went along with it—became almost a full-time job for nearly two months out of the year.
Jake began the process by collecting all the orders from individual agents, then getting them to the printer. Later, he would get the proofs back to the agents and then document revisions, which he would then relay to the printer. Next came the burden of getting final signoff from every agent and collecting funds. Even then, the job wasn't over. He still had to follow up with deliveries and answer any questions the agents had along the way.
The printer simply didn't want to deal with all the individual orders or the problems that went with them. So, Jake became the unofficial manager of the custom deskpad calendar program. That meant time away from the real work he should be doing.
Jake fidgeted with the ballpoint pen on his desk, clicking it repetitively, and spinning it on his desktop.
If only he could come up with a better process. Eliminating the calendar program was not the answer. He could think of few items that were as likely to stay in front of customers as a deskpad calendar, and his agents love them as a marketing tool.
Jake clicked the pen once more, then glanced at the printing on the barrel. That was it!
He keyed in the web address from the side of the ballpoint pen. The site quickly loaded and Jake found just the product he was after. He then dialed the contact number and explained his dilemma. Was there anything they could do, he asked, to streamline the process without raising costs?
Jake was pleasantly surprised to learn about the new printer's system that would take print management out of his hands. The process would allow individual agents to log in, place orders and proof their deskpad calendars. Even payment could be done via credit card online. The new print company would even handle questions. The process would become completely automated.
By the time Jake hung up the phone, a smile spread across his lips. The agents were going to love having the ability to place and monitor their orders 24/7. He was certainly not going to miss his role as calendar manager.
Yes, he was going to be quite a fan of point-and-click print management. Quite a fan, indeed.
