Why Outsource?
Outsourcing is a time-honored business strategy with proven benefits. Many successful companies are increasingly outsourcing necessary, but non-core, tasks in order to focus more closely on their core business responsibilities. Functions that are commonly outsourced include human resources (recruiting, hiring, payroll and benefits administration), information systems/ technology, and customer service.
But companies have been somewhat slower to outsource print procurement, even though the National Association of Purchasing Managers considers it the second biggest opportunity for reducing business costs. Within the marketing function, this may be because some materials are procured by internal staff, while others are handled by advertising, design and other agencies. This more decentralized buying is, the more difficult it becomes to get a consolidated view of what’s being spent and whether the company is getting good value for its money.
Whatever the reason, most companies are over printing, over stocking and over ordering print items, and a lot of their print spend is wasted. Outsourcing offers them a more cost-effective way to address production and sourcing of print materials across channels and geographic borders.
How You Can Benefit From Print Management Services
The advantages of outsourcing print procurement are maximized when you work with an external provider that offers end-to-end management, including creative support, customization, reproduction, post production inventory management and logistics. A number of leading fulfillment services companies fall into this category.
In addition to taking over the time intensive, peripheral tasks of sourcing, procuring and delivering printed materials, a print management partner will deliver benefits such as:
Cost savings
An expert can save you money by analyzing your collateral usage patterns, material shelf life and related costs to identify ideal quantities and the best equipment for each job. This helps you print only what you truly need, using the most efficient production processes.
Faster time to market
If you outsource your print management to a fulfillment services company, your partner's fulfillment management system will track your inventory and maintain historical data on usage. This business intelligence will allow you to proactively project ideal reorder points and quantities for each piece of inventory, so your literature will always in stock when needed.
Increased sales opportunities
Research proves that prompt fulfillment increases response rates. By consolidating your print management and fulfillment programs, you ensure that materials are on hand when needed, so prospects get the information they requested quickly, while your product or service is still fresh in their minds
Increased staff productivity
Outsourcing can free your staff to focus more closely on revenue producing activities or, in some cases, to reduce your headcount. Outsource partners are also positioned to quickly scale up or down in response to changing business volume and service requirements.
Access to expertise, best practices and advanced technology
A good outsourcing partner has extensive expertise and will make regular investments in technology to maintain leadership in their field. You get the benefit of those resources without having to develop and maintain them in-house.
Accountability and control
Consolidating print and fulfillment with one company gives you a single point of contact through which to control messaging and brand compliance, as well as procurement and distribution of your materials. Your vendor will be contractually required to meet service and support benchmarks on every project, at every step along the way – something that can be harder to achieve in-house with salaried staff.
Turn to SCH
From procurement and pre-press to warehousing and distribution, SCH provides comprehensive fulfillment services. We offer on demand digital printing for short runs and to print customized communications. We also maintain strategic partnerships with some of the best offset printers in the country, delivering the highest quality services at the best cost, wherever and whenever you need them.
By consolidating your print management with our fulfillment capabilities, you get a turnkey solution that delivers the quality materials you need, on time and at a competitive price, while freeing your staff to focus on their core responsibilities.
