Case Studies.
For some of our clients we are asked to develop custom applications that are specific to their needs. When we get a particularly enjoyable challenge we will do our best to post up a case study of the whole experience.
From the initial brief to delivery of the final product you can read up on our working process.
Introduction.
Resource Print Solutions is a Creative and Print Solutions provider based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Established in 1996 the business has grown and expanded to its current user base.
The range of services provided by Resource Print Solutions is geared towards helping their customers achieve their goals from their marketing communications and additional print requirements. They offer a comprehensive range of design and print services to a large range of customers throughout the UK.
To expand on the level of service that Resource Print currently provide they wanted to provide a web-to-print solution for both current B2B users and members of the general public (B2C Clients). The aim of the system would be to increase the amount of input that a user has on the creation process as well as improve the flow of the whole process, with part of it to automatically create a ready for print pdf from designs submitted by the users. For B2B clients Resource Print wanted the ability to assign account managers and enable their clients to be automatically updated at several key points in production.
Currently there is web-to-print functionality for any customers to use on the Resource Print website, both B2B and B2C clients currently have to place phone orders with the Resource Print staff. With the implementation of this system customers will be able to place orders at their convenience, submit designs and re-edit them if they wish to do so.
Objectives
- To produce an online B2B ordering system with several key functions.
- Secure Client Logon, both login and the client’s user level are to be assigned by Resource Print staff.
- User Interface to be editable by Resource Print Solutions to maintain a client’s branding. This should also display an assigned account manager on throughout the client’s UI.
- Template uploader with pdf to print functionality.
- Automatic e-mail notification generated at different stages of the printing process.
- To provide a similar system for B2C sales including a secure payment service and online picture editor.
Development.
By using our knowledge of the Microsoft .net framework we have been able to produce a web interface with the functionality that RPS has asked for. When building a program that has the web-to-print functionality asked for by the client then we needed to consider both RPS and their clients and which solution would be best for all parties.
One of the most essential parts of the web-to-print process is ensuring that the image quality is maintained throughout the whole process. If there is any loss at any stage it could lead to a misprint or an unsatisfied customer, both of which are detrimental to the company and its reputation.
By allowing B2C customers to upload images in the most common file formats the site is not excluding anyone from using the web-to-print interface. This makes the experience simple to use and prevents any frustrations that could occur if a user is not able to do the task they want to.
With the implementation of the ordering system and it needed to provide e-mail updates to both customer and account manager if they choose to do so. This means that all parties can be kept up to date with the status of their orders and also be given a timescale for delivery.
Ensuring that Resource Print where involved with the whole process could have led to rk6 not delivering the product that RPS wanted. By making a testable version of the product that they could use and test themselves meant that any bugs or potential problems further down the line where dealt with swiftly.
Conclusions.
When asked to provide RPS with a web-to-print solution it was extremely important for us to deliver a product that was flexible enough to give RPS the opportunity to impress both business clients and the general public with their products and high level of service. As stated before one of the major factors in building a web-to-print interface is that it must maintain quality and provide the user with a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) product at the end of the process. Ensuring that all images created will print out exactly as input by the user means that the customer gets the product they wanted and for RPS it limits the potential for unhappy customers and the need for print re-runs.
For B2B clients RPS needed to have an interface that could be specifically branded with their clients’ logos and designs, so that they could provide a more personal experience to each of their customers. For all of their B2B clients RPS will be given updates about how far along the printing process that any of a customer’s orders are. This limits the number of problems that can arise through confusion of printing and delivery timescales.
Maintaining communication with Resource Print Solutions helped the whole process as their input proved to be invaluable. Making sure that a testable version of the product was up and running as quickly as possible so that we could troubleshoot any potential problems as they arose rather than leaving them for a later date when it could have led to further problems.
Providing one of our clients with a product that improves their relationship with both B2B and B2C clients has been an extremely rewarding experience for everyone at rk6 and hopefully RPS will continue to use this product for a long time.