Web-to-print: Avoiding Typical Missteps
The goal of your online launch should be to deliver the most basic solution that is still compelling enough to provide value to the group of customers you are starting with. Learn, adjust, prioritize and repeat as you enable more online services and functionality. Make sure you have a very clear idea of what you do and don't want to offer online. Think of your online storefront as an ATM—a self-service portal that allows the customer to accomplish things on their own when it is easiest. At the same time, you would never apply for a mortgage through an ATM. Likewise, trying to use an online storefront to handle complex tasks that are best done by people is a bad idea that generally results in people working around the system.
Heath Cajandig is VP of Product at Mimeo (Mimeo.com), an innovator of online managed content distribution and printing. Prior to joining Mimeo, he served as the global Web-to-print Product Manager at NowDocs and Electronics for Imaging (EFI). Before focusing on Web technologies, he gained operational experience as a workflow consultant for Xerox and was the digital production manager for University of Missouri Printing Services. Connect with Heath at hcajandig@mimeo.com.
