As a result of a lot of hard work and dedication by the Syncoms team, I take quite a bit of personal satisfaction in sharing this article, outlining the transformation of the Impact Digital eCommerce site – powered by EFI’s MarketDirect StoreFront (MDSF). First published in the July/August 2019 edition of Australian Printer, this describes how Impact Digital was able to more easily engage with their clients with the deployment of Syncoms’ cutting-edge Web2Print customisation techniques, empowering them to maximize their investment into eCommerce Web2Print technology.
The EFI stand at PrintEx will demonstrate the possibilities for customers when they combine its multiple levels of software and hardware options.
EFI offers a web of connected options to deliver growth. Whether collecting orders online and processing them, quoting, uploading, ripping to the printer, or tracking, EFI has eliminated the need for touchpoints.
On the hardware front, EFI will have its Vutek h3, 3.2m hybrid LED inkjet printer on stand. Offering a print resolution up to 1200dpi, it features four/eight colour modes plus white, and up to nine-layer print in a single pass.
The option of field upgrades to the h5 model brings the productivity from 74 boards an hour to a maximum of 109.
Market direct, a key product on its stand, brings together EFI’s e-commerce, order procurement, marketing communications, and inventory management solutions.
Customers can specify, order, and transact any product across conventional printing, packaging, folding carton applications, wide format, direct mail, and fulfilment.
It allows users to quickly deploy online portals, with an all-in-one solution across multiple segments. For attracting big, national customers, it opens up value with streamlining inventory management, and 3D design tools.
One Australian company that has invested in EFI software solutions over time is Impact Digital, which has managed to simplify its whole workflow.
Heath Nankervis, joint managing director, Impact Digital, says, “With EFI’s MIS System, Pace, working together with EFI Market Direct Digital Storefront and Smart Canvas, customers do not have to deal with account managers or estimators for pricing or placing orders. B2C customers are able to get pricing, order and pay for print products from our Print Shop and our B2B customers are able to create their artwork via smart canvas templating. These orders are automatically created in Pace and pushed through to production for printing and delivery, whilst reducing all the manual touch points required in the front end.”
As an EFI customer for 15 years, Impact Digital initially used EFI PrintSmith Vision to manage key operational processes.
Nankervis adds, “As Impact Digital grew in the early years, Pace was the next step moving forward. Pace is used daily for estimating, invoicing, purchasing, paper inventory management, payables and accounting, dispatch, and now DSF and Smart Canvas. The detailed reporting we get out of Pace gives us more accurate data to make decisions moving forward.”
Impact Digital has run Pace for seven years, and now links the solution to EFI’s MarketDirect Digital Storefront, offering a complete business and production workflow.
Nankervis says, “Before purchasing Digital Storefront, we didn’t have an online presence. It was all managed through verbal discussion, but we wanted to get into B2B work with customers for regular, repeat projects. Combining it with EFI SmartCanvas allows users to edit their artwork and templates directly online, ready for print.
“With the print shop, they can order 24 hrs a day, upload the artwork, and it can go straight into our MIS, and go straight into production. They get real time pricing, pay it upfront, and the job is delivered within three working days.”
The implementation was completed alongside UK based company, Syncoms, which offers complete design and implementation, back end structure, and bespoke development to build W2P solutions. Once created, Syncoms offers onsite training to ensure the company is successfully up and running.
In its role, Syncoms has evaluated many W2P platforms in the market, with vice president Ali Jaffar, noting, “We have been working with MarketDirect Digital Storefront for many years and we’ve found it to be the most robust platform in the market.
“Backed by the strength of a large global company, EFI, it continues to fit ours and our customers’ requirements the best.
“Syncoms is proud of the Impact Digital site. We have changed the interaction from a B2B site to a site catering for consumers. It is the first time we have created a B2C storefront catering to all the needs consumers have, creating specific code, graphics and points of data entry.
“The B2B interface will impact every user, with having an immediate quote of their job in the second interaction, with the Impact Digital site.
“This gives the user a different experience in setting up an order. The user experience is important at every level and this has been kept at the forefront of every decision. We hope the user base will be very pleased with Impact Digital’s W2P site.”
Link to original article: https://issuu.com/theintermediagroup/docs/australian_printer_july_august_2019/56
