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#4.12: Taking Orders: The “PrintingForLess.com” Issue

Ordering small print jobs is usually nothing but trouble. Take a look at PrintingForLess.com; it shows how a low-tech web site and a good team can create miracles of convenience.

1> Make It Easy to Order
2> Put Help At the Customers’ Fingertips
3> Give Quick Feedback
4> Put Humans Where They Matter
5> Check It Out: The Finished Piece

1> Make It Easy to Order

PrintingForLess.com puts all the options for your print job on one page and illustrates them. You never need to click your browser’s Back button if you change your mind about any part of the order. The page’s illustrations and calculator update instantly whenever you make a change. The page is designed and executed in such a way that you have no unpleasant surprises anywhere in the process.

THE LESSON: A well-crafted order form eliminates problems before they happen.

2> Put Help At the Customers’ Fingertips

Next to anything that might possibly be confusing, PrintingForLess.com puts a picture or pop-up link that explains it. What’s “saddle-stitching?” What’s “luster-text?” What’s a “tri-fold?” The site never sends customers to a FAQ. If you drive customers away from the buying page, many of them won’t come back.

THE LESSON: Answer the questions where they happen. Don’t interrupt the selling process.

3> Give Quick Feedback

Confirm the order immediately, thanking the customer for their business. When you order from PrintingForLess.com, you get an email with an order number, a recap of the order, the name of the people handling your order, their reach number, and the hours they’re expected to be there. That’s followed shortly thereafter with an email that contains an order number, a tracking link, another recap of the order, and a recap of your billing and shipping information. When the proof of your print job is ready, there’s another email with including a link that let’s you approve the proof (or not). They even sent a confirmation of your approval.

THE LESSON: Be proactive about demonstrating your commitment to customer service. Don’t wait for them to call you.

4> Put Humans Where They Matter

Many order processes can be automated, but some can’t. By making sure that there are people in place to handle problems — and making their customers know who they are — PrintingForLess.com creates priceless confidence. If we had a problem, we knew that the Silver Team of Kevin Davis, James Schubring and Sheila Hammond would be on it. (There’s even a link with their pictures!) We knew because the company told us so, and in a manner that made us believe it.

THE LESSON: Technology is great, but never underestimate the human touch.

5> Check It Out: The Finished Piece

Want to see the piece that we had printed at PrintingForLess.com? Just send us your mailing address and we’ll send you a copy of our white paper, called “Double Your Email List For Free.”

You’ll get a printing sample — and you’ll learn something, too.

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