Serving Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming
December 9, 2015
Holiday Cheer At 2015 Mingle Bells

Arizona print leaders celebrated the holiday season at the 2nd Annual Mingle Bells celebration last night in Phoenix at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort.

The event, sponsored by Federated Insurance and Konica Minolta attracted more than 40 members.

The Denver version of Mingle Bells will be held on Monday at Tony P's from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Five Myths That Undermine Customer Satisfaction

It is more important than ever to provide excellent service.  Competition is fierce, and in this economy, you can't afford to lose customers.  And because money is so tight, you can't spoil every customer either.  Relax.  Often, changing just a few little things can have a huge impact on customer perception.  You're probably doing a lot of things right already - you just need to highlight them to your customers.  In other words, focus on your customers' perception.  Here are five common myths that might be keeping your organization from receiving the stellar customer satisfaction scores it deserves.

1.  Only crabby customers fill out surveys.  You may think surveys are ineffective because customers only fill them out when they have a bone to pick, right?  Wrong.  Look at your data, and you'll probably find that the majority of respondents were satisfied.  Usually, less than 10 percent rank organizations poorly.  But don't focus your attention on that bottom 5 or 10 percent who rated your organization poorly.  This 10 percent of "crabby" customers may have some legitimate concerns, but they're determined to be dissatisfied.  You're better off increasing the satisfaction of customers who rated your organization "fair" and "good."

2. The data supports your current strategy, so don't change.  Let's take the story about a hospital that was struggling to improve its ratings on how often it was quiet at night.  After numerous decibel readings supported relative low noise levels at night, the hospital decided not to make any changes.  It was doing everything "right."   The hospital was advised to lower its lights earlier in the evening - around 8 pm instead of midnight.  Three months later, the perception was that the unit was quieter.  Did it make scientific sense?  No.  Did it work?  Yes.  Data can sometimes lead you astray.  The focus on being right can keep you from considering what your customers really need.

3. Telling people how long things will take is a bad idea. Customers don't always receive instant gratification.  And when it comes to service, sometimes your customers have to wait.  The fear is giving them that "estimated wait time."  Organizations that excel in customer satisfaction have learned how to set expectations they know they can exceed.  It's not that they have reduced wait times; it's not that they're perfect; and they definitely haven't eradicated annoyances.  They've simply learned to manage people's expectations.

4. You should never call attention to inconvenience.  When something is broken, inconvenient or unpleasant, the natural inclination is to resist calling your customers' attention to it.  But let's face it - your customers are going to notice.  If you ignore the bad stuff, they may even think you don't care about their experience.  But when you're open about the inconvenience and tell them you're working on it, people become more understanding.  Their perception of how much your organization cares goes up.

5. Service happens only once in a blue moon.  I's not that you believe wowing your customers is impossible, you just assume it will take an exceptional, out-of-the-ordinary effort on your part to elicit that kind of response.  So most days, you aim for "adequate" instead of "amazing."  But service isn't thrilling or sensational - it's personal.  And personal doesn't have to be made of big, showy stuff.  It's easy to incorporate into everyday processes.  Before you buy into a common assumption about what it takes to achieve customer satisfaction, take a few moments to consider how you'd feel if you were in your customers' shoes.  In most cases, you'll probably find that improving perceptions won't require you to move heaven and earth, though it might require some out-of-the-box thinking and a willingness to engage with your customers on a personal level.

Source: Liz Jazwiec, Author of "Service Excellence is as Easy as Pie." 
Time Your Tweets

Wait before you send that tweet, check the clock.  That's right, according to Buffer's "Twitter Timing" Report, the highest volume of tweets occurs on average between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time.  Translation: The highest volume hour for tweeting varies significantly by location; for example, 9 a.m. is the most popular tweet time in San Francisco, whereas noon is the most popular tweet time in New York.  The report was based on an analysis of more than 4.8 million tweets sent by 10,000 Twitter accounts from around the world.  Other survey nuggets include: 
  • The highest number of clicks per tweet on average occurs late at night, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time.
  • The fewest clicks per tweet on average occur in the mornings when tweet volume is particularly high, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., local time.
  • The best time for clicks tends to be evening and late night across time zones, with variations - for example p.m. is the peak time in Denver for clicks, whereas it is 2 a.m. in Paris.
Group Buying Program Saves Printers Thousands of Dollars

Printers with sales of less than $5 million a year are saving thousands of dollars a year with a group buying program with Printing Industries of America. 

The companies are receiving cash incentives and price improvements in the following areas: small parcel shipment (through UPS), ink, coatings, prepress including plates, wide-format, pressroom and limited paper products.

The program is offered through Independent Printers Alliance (IPA), a division of Independent Printers Worldwide, Inc. (IPW), a national procurement group specializing in superior vendor programs for independent printers.  It is ONLY available to members of Printing Industries of America or one of its affiliates, like WSPA.

To see how your company might save thousands of dollars a year,  CLICK HERE or call 1-855-747-7468.

PROGRAM TESTIMONIALS

"Since joining the IPA program, I have seen significant savings through these programs with very little effort on our part.  We are saving in excess of $6,000 dollars annually using just two programs.  The opportunity for more savings is great.  I would highly recommend IPA to any small printing business."  Erik Johnson- General Manager, Johnson Printing

 "By simply joining the IPA program our company has realized savings of nearly $5,000 dollars annually.  We plan to make this one of our top priorities this year to maximize the potential savings by working closer with the folks at IPA.  I highly recommend this program to any printer with sales under $5 million." Mari Reid, President Dakota Press
Does FMLA Cover Depression?
    
It can. The U.S. Department of Labor's Compliance Guide summarizes the definition of a serious health condition for FMLA purposes as follows:

"Serious health condition" means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves:
  • any period of incapacity or treatment connected with inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility; or
  • a period of incapacity requiring an absence of more than three calendar days from work, school, or other regular daily activities that also involves continuing treatment by (or under the supervision of) a health care provider; or
  • any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, or for prenatal care; or
  • any period of incapacity (or treatment therefore) due to a chronic serious health condition (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.); or
  • a period of incapacity that is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective (e.g., Alzheimer's, stroke, terminal diseases, etc.); or,
  • any absences to receive multiple treatments (including any period of recovery therefrom) by, or on referral by, a health care provider for a condition that likely would result in an incapacity of more than three consecutive days if left untreated (e.g., chemotherapy, physical therapy, dialysis, etc.)." For more information  CLICK HERE
Thus, depression may be a serious health condition under the FMLA if it meets one or more of the criteria listed above. We also wish to point out that whether or not depression qualifies as a serious health condition under the FMLA, it may qualify as a disability under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which may entitle the employee to time off as a reasonable accommodation.

This is addressed specifically by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in its guidance on psychiatric conditions and the ADA which can be found HERE and which we encourage you to review.

Source: Federated Insurance
WSPA Book Of The Month

Everyone Is In Sales by Ryan T. Sauers

Everyone Is in Sales provides fresh, innovative and tangible content that you can immediately apply to every aspect of your life. The book bridges the world of traditional communications with new communications mediums such as social media. In our rapidly changing world, Everyone Is in Sales is not simply a book, but a mindset, which reminds us that while some things change-everything is still about the human being.
 
Member price: $12.00
Nonmember price: $15.95
 
 
Printing Industries Press is proud to offer the widest selection of graphic arts titles in the industry. In addition to technical titles covering every aspect of the printing process, you will find economics, sales and marketing, and human relations information as well. Several types of resources are offered including primers, textbooks, training materials and how-to guides, and various downloadable products. Use the links on the left side of the the store's webpage to navigate through the subject categories and keywords to find what you're looking for.  To ensure member pricing, make sure you are logged in to the PIA website.  If you need assistance with passwords, call PIA Member Central at 1-800-910-4283, ext. 770.
 
Have Your Best Print Samples Ready?

A reminder to start assembling your best print pieces for the Print Excellence Awards!  You know you have them - outstanding examples of ink on paper and other substrates, projects that wowed your customers that you are proud of, campaigns that differentiated you in the marketplace.

This year's Print Excellence competition is once again a regional competition with printers from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming all competing to be the best of the best.  Winners of WSPA's Print Excellence Awards are also automatically entered in PIA's Premier Print Awards Competition, the largest in the world.

Call for entries will soon reach your desk  - the rest is up to you!  Deadline for entries is January 31, 2015.

Award ceremonies will be held on April 7, 2016 in Phoenix (Rustler's Rooste) and April 28, 2016 in Denver (Embassy Suites Downtown).  Mark your calendars!
Employee Recognition Awards

We all know that our people are our greatest assets yet how often do we let them know just how valuable they are - particularly in front of their peers?
 
Once again, this year's Print Excellence Awards events will also feature the WSPA Employee Recognition Awards where member companies can single out exceptional performance by team members.  These awards were a huge hit last year and for good reason - everyone likes a pat on the back in front of their peers.


Start thinking now who has made a difference in your shop and nominate them for a WSPA Employee Recognition Award. Recipients will receive a beautiful certificate at the Print Excellence Awards and be recognized before their peers at these well-attended events.

Deadline for nominations is March 15, 2016
Call For Nominations

Western States Printing Alliance (WSPA) is calling for nominations for the Z.A. Prust Industry Achievement Award.

Established in 1991, the award is named in honor of Dr. Z.A. "Zeke" Prust, who started the Graphic Communications program at Arizona State University in 1958.  For almost three decades Dr. Prust served as professor and ultimately Department Chair of the program.

His accomplishments, both professionally and personally, have been an inspiration to generations of students, faculty members and the entire graphic arts community.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

A nominee for the Z.A. Prust Industry Achievement Award must:
  • Be widely recognized as having made a major contribution to the graphic arts industry
  • Supported educational programs within the community as they relate to graphic arts
  • Worked to maintain and improve the image of the industry.
Nominations must be emailed by March 15, 2015 to Michael Makin at mmakin@wsprint.org.

Weekly Photo Feature: Are you Kidding Me?!

Each week, E-Connects shares incredible photos on just how lax individuals can be when it comes to safety. 

The goal - to keep a safe work environment front and center on the minds of all of your employees.

Pictured: This can go all kinda wrong!

If you come across a funny safety pic you think should be featured, email Michael Makin at mmakin@wsprint.org.
Share Your News!

Have exciting news at your facility?  For example, recognized for community service or install a new press?  Hire a new employee you want to show off?

Let us know so we can share in a future edition of E-Connects.
 
Send your news to Michael Makin at  mmakin@wsprint.org. 
Quote For The Week

"If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't."  

Lyall Watson
WSPA | 844-237-1550 | wsprint.org