Printingforless.com
Company: PrintingForLess.com Inc.
Company Description: PrintingForLess.com is the first and largest on-line source for full color commercial printing in the U.S. PFL makes it easy and affordable for businesses of any size to market themselves like a pro, with instant pricing and expert customer service. PFL has been written up in publications such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune Small Business.
Nomination Category: Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Customer Service Organization
Nomination Title: PrintingForLess.com's Technical and Customer Service
1. Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
PrintingForLess.com (PFL) is the first and largest e-commerce commercial printer with over 50,000 customers nationwide and steadily growing. Since its inception in 1999, PFL has consistently broken the mold by accomplishing what the industry said could never be done in serving print buyers. It all started with solving one customer’s frustration (by accepting the non-traditional file layout Microsoft Publisher) and creating a solution which caters to a niche that had been largely ignored in the industry: small and micro-businesses.
That solution includes a helpful website with the industry’s first instant pricing and ordering system, backed with expert live technical and customer service. Other service innovations along the way include online proofing; a unique job position and team system that provides customers with one point of contact for sales, customer service, technical questions and consultation; and digitized workflow systems and production capacity innovations that enable customers to control their print-project timeline.
As the Wall Street Journal noted about PrintingForLess.com in December, the company succeeded in striking the best balance between human and online interaction with customers by investing in technology and people to become “easy to do business with.”
In 2005, the company responded to customer requests to shorten its standard turnaround times and added full-service mailing solutions to become a one-stop online shop for direct mail marketing. PFL also demonstrated its unparalleled commitment to extreme customer service when it announced its 100% satisfaction guarantee on both its products and service, something rarely seen on custom-manufactured products.
PFL has always stuck to its guns on having a real person answer the phone during working hours without phone trees or queues. In 2005, PFL developed an innovative phone system that incorporates VoIP technology to be the first-of-its-kind to intelligently route customer phone calls. The new system enables employees to better provide personalized service by automatically routing customers’ calls to their dedicated technical service team or backup team member, and automatically popping up customer info for faster service
In an August 2005 column, On Demand Journal described PFL as a “tipping point” company that has changed the industry by escaping the commodity trap to focus on the customer’s experience. “They seem to understand the buyer’s experience. And have put in the time and money to make it as pleasant as possible.”
The company prides itself on getting close with its customers to help them be successful. PFL continuously receives rave reviews for providing red-carpet service with its unique Montana touch. As one customer recently remarked, “I have to say you have the most sincere, personalized, consistent, thoughtful, thought-provoking customer relationship management I've ever seen--better than Southwest Airlines, better than Washington Mutual, better than anyone.”
Team members are coached and measured on the quality and results of their customer interactions, as well as on 22 core competencies deemed critical for CRM success.
The results speak for themselves. PFL recently hit its first $2 million month and is expanding its operations to move to its new 46,500 sq. ft. facility in June 2006.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://www.startupjournal.com/columnists/casestudy/20051214-casestudy.html
http://www.ondemandjournal.com/specialfeatures/josefowicz3.cfm
http://www.printingforless.com/
http://www.printingforless.com/pressreleaseVOIP.html
http://www.printingforless.com/pressreleaseBestBossesWin.html
http://www.gammag.com/Current/index.php?art=gam0603.60seconds
http://www.printingforless.com/pressreleaseMailing.html
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:
With an entrepreneurial track record and a background in printing, CEO Andrew Field founded PrintingForLess.com to serve the color printing market in Montana. When the company's monthly revenues hit a plateau, he boldly went where no printer had gone before, tapping the power of the Internet to build one of the country's fastest-growing companies.
Andrew began his career as a press operator and became a serial entrepreneur, having started two successful businesses in the automotive industry before launching his printing company in 1996. He now employs 130 people and was named one of Fortune Small Business’ Best Bosses in 2005.