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www.MyPRINTResource.com GROUP PUBLISHER Kelley Holmes kelley.Holmes@cygnus.com | 800-616-2252 x6104 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Denise M. Gustavson Denise.Gustavson@cygnus.com | 800-616-2252 x6218 EDITOR Mark Vruno Mark.Vruno@cygnus.com | 800-616-2252 x6225 CORPORATE OFFICE 1233 Janesville Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 Phone: 800-616-2252 Account Executives Kimberly Jorgensen x6103 | kimberly@quickprinting.com Paul Zimmerman x6214 | paul@quickprinting.com Media Production Representative Connie Wolf x1679 | Connie.Wolf@cygnus.com Art Director Yuly Osorio x1732 | Yuly.Osorio@cygnus.com CIRCULATION Jackie Dandoy Jackie.Dandoy@cygnus.com 800-547-7377 x1711 For change of address or subscription information, call 877/382-9187, fax 920/563-1704, or circ.quickprinting@omeda.com REPRINT SERVICE To purchase article reprints please contact Brett Petillo at Wright’s Media at 877/652-5295 ext.118 or e-mail bpetillo@wrightsmedia.com LIST RENTALS Elizabeth Jackson ejackson@meritdirect.com | 847-492-1350 x18 CEO Paul Bonaiuto President Chris Ferrell CFO Ed Tearman SVP, Strategy & Business Development Blair Johnson VP, Marketing Gerry Whitty VP, Technology Eric Kammerzelt VP, Production Operations Curt Pordes Excecutive Vice President Gloria Cosby VP, Human Resources Ed Wood Editor’s Note Touch Points While reducing touch points in production means less errors, increased touch points with customers can reap huge rewards. By Denise M. Gustavson Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Canon CREATE spring meeting at Canon’s R&D, digital press manufacturing, and customer experience center facilities in Venlo, The Netherlands, and Poing, Germany. The CREATE customer council was established to create an open environment where Canon thought leaders and customers can share their experience and knowledge of the marketplace. This customer council also provides members with the opportunity to network with contemporaries who have similar responsibilities and challenges. For the spring meeting, several media representatives were also invited to participate, getting a “look inside” this special customer council. Over the course of the week, we had the opportunity to talk about industry trends, new product and software developments, and also network with peers. The event included a full day of meetings in Venlo, which is home to Canon R&D for its PRISMA workflow software and both Canon and Océ branded lines of cutsheet products including the new VarioPrint i300—formerly known as Niagara. Another day of meetings in Poing focused on Canon’s high-volume, continuous-feed color inkjet presses and high-speed folding carton press. Throughout all of the meetings, both in Venlo and Poing, the panel was encouraged to provide feedback along every step. It was truly interesting— and enlightening—to see the interaction between the R&D teams and the real-world experiences of the customers. At the end of the day, there really is no substitute for direct customer feedback. Getting a handle of how customers view you and your products is invaluable. That is why, successfully utilizing customer feedback is a must for any company looking to navigate the waters of today’s business world. While, the benefits of bringing the voice of the consumer into the business are numerous, gathering the responses could be a lengthy process. Why is it worth putting in the time and effort into collecting customer feedback? It helps you to build the products and services your customers actually want. It enables owners to find out the problems— that might be obvious to everyone else outside the company. By getting customers involved in your long-term goals, it helps to increase their loyalty and keep them coming back to you time and time again. Through your customers’ responses, you may be able to see patterns develop—and what might be the next “big thing”—and it might even help stop you from launching something that might not get any market response at all. Just remember, the best incentive for a customer to give feedback is that you act on what they’ve told you. Don’t ask for feedback unless you are committed to change. You need to prove that your customers’ opinions really matter to you. MyPRINTResource.com Inkjet’s Age | June 2015 5


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