Surviving And Thriving in Pueblo

have fewer employees we actually have a faster turnaround. Without the online job ordering system and the electronic file submission, it would be a minimum of 24 hours for the original hard copies to come through the school mail system.”

Gradual Transition

Bocchietti recalls that the only hesitation regarding online ordering came from the older generation of teachers. So the shop transitioned it in, allowing customers to submit hard copies for a month.

“After that, it was online only, and it has worked beautifully,” Bocchietti lauds. “Teachers and staffers gladly accepted it. Now we have had it for more than five years, and the new generation of teachers prefers to do everything online. And the district as a whole has migrated to more Web-based processes.”

Print Shop Pro’s Document Converter presents a converted PDF file for the customer to proof. Customers can also check on the job status online, and will get an email when the job is shipped or is ready to be picked up.

Additionally, billing and accounting is all done within the online system. Billing time has been reduced from two to three weeks down to about four days.

Bocchietti stresses that online ordering has helped keep more work in-house, especially jobs coming from District 70, since it covers a rural area.

“They previously had their own in-plant, and orders were submitted via email,” Bocchietti explains. “The current system won them over, along with the efficiency of the production times, and has kept them as a strong customer.”

Having the additional district to produce work for is a major advantage, Bocchietti says, noting that administrators that move on to different school districts will often suggest sending print work to Pueblo City Schools’ Document Services Center.

“We have a collaboration, whereas some districts are competing for their own survival,” she contends. “The administration knows that there is a strong collaboration that serves both districts.”

‘The Best Department to Work With’

Bocchietti feels that the shop’s good reputation comes from its focus on customer service and its efficiency.

“We have had people from PCS and District 70 say we are the best department to work with in either school district, and that is the best compliment we could ever receive,” she says.

Bocchietti also manages a fleet of 75 on-site Canon multifunction devices for the school district.

“It is one less headache for the schools to deal with if something breaks or fails,” she says. “And since we manage the copiers, we have educated the teachers and principals that the on-site copiers are more expensive to use than coming to the print shop. So the principals now give very small monthly limits for their staff to use the on-site copiers and require them to use the shop.”

Offering additional services, including website design and photography, helps solidify the idea that the Document Services Center is the copy, print and communications expert for the district.

“Customers will now call us instead of calling the help desk if there is a problem, with the hope that we can quickly answer their question versus going through the help desk process,” Bocchietti says.

Looking ahead, Bocchietti would like to add more wide-format capabilities, since the shop is now limited to using non-durable materials.

“I really want to be able to produce long-lasting outdoor banners and posters that can stay outdoors year round,” she concludes. “Currently we can produce canvas banners but the usable life is only about a year.”