Service – and the Price of Beer

To celebrate surviving six months at Apple Print and Creative, I took myself off to Norway last week. As expected, we experienced stunning scenery, amazing towns within the Arctic Circle and fascinating facts about the history of an area not often studied at school.

What I was not prepared for was the exceptional service and customer care we received throughout the visit. This came not just from the restaurant staff on the boat, but also from the young lad who looked after the reindeer, the snowmobile guide who sang to us in “Sami”, the bus driver who really cared about his passengers and the young fisherman’s wife who is fighting a one woman battle to save the village that three generations of her family have lived in.

As someone who has been in the service sector almost all of their career, from a waiter in a grim hotel when I was 17 to my current role (a few years on), I appreciate good customer service when I receive it, and even in these days of “buying online” and universal “electronic mail communication” I still believe that service is the greatest differentiator when looking for suppliers of anything – from a pint on a Friday to a creative and print service.

Having spent a week in this environment, I am encouraged to make every effort to ensure that the service I give to my customers is taken up a notch or two - and I will be happy to be put to the test by existing and new clients. If these young people can do it in temperatures of minus 10 to minus 30 then I should be able to manage it from my warm office in The Orchard.

And as for the price of beer? Well, Norway is an expensive country to drink in, but £10 for a bottle of beer and £40 for the house white was appreciated by my liver more than it was mourned by my wallet.

There’s a hero in all of us

On our last blog, Andrew mentioned that we are working on a project for a client using Thermochromic heat sensitive varnish. I thought it would be good to share a bit more information on this project, plus, who doesn’t like talking about superheroes?

Now, before you get carried away thinking about what your superhero name and special power would be, let me explain how the idea all came about. Our client was after an Internal Communications campaign to boost internal sales and communication, and also for peer to peer recognition within the business. What better way to grab their attention than sending a teaser e-mail asking them if they’ve got what it takes to become a superhero?

Of course everyone has. I can see it now, all of them wrapping their suit jackets round their shoulders and charging round the office. Ok, maybe just me. But you get the point.

Next in the campaign came the magic, the personalised thermochromic direct mailer with heat sensitive varnish. All the sales people had to do was use their own powers to reveal their registration code and enter it into the website. From there, they could sign onto a purpose built website and choose their own Superhero Avatar.

Over the following three months, all they have to do is use their super sales powers to gain entries into a grand prize draw. The more power points they gain, the more chances there are to win big. And we mean big! Points can be accrued from everything from accepted deal registrations to revenue closed, and are logged by the individual on their own page, and confirmed by the business development managers who have a separate access area on the website.

The website shows everything from individual points scores, to league tables across divisions and business development managers (on their own log in) can pull reports to show who has already signed up, how many points they have, who is playing and who hasn’t responded yet. 

Bubbling away in the background is also a Social Media campaign going live in the next quarter, T-shirts and USBs handed out and follow up emails. 

Keep checking this blog to see the next stage come to life!

Ink on Paper

As you may have guessed we are taking in turns writing our blog to ensure that we have some quality information to share - it has felt strange to share this process but seen as I had not been getting round to it I am pleased there are posts every week so far.

This week I have been running our new digital press, among my roles here I have been over seeing the production team....it's a tough process that needs constant supervision due to the changing nature of our clients requirements, but all in all it's a very rewarding job, I get to see the work being finished and sent to the client. We love our digital and design services here but there is nothing as tactile as the hard copy printed item to make you feel warm and fuzzy about what we do.

So...our new press, WOW, it's blooming smashing and while it came with a large price tag it has delivered what was promised in the way of speed and quality, those of you who know me will know that I am a print geek of massive proportions (the geek bit not my size) so getting down and dirty with this new bit of kit has been a real pleasure. It can run papers from 60gsm right up to and including 400gsm printing both sides at once at 1200 DPI - We run SRA3 sheet size as standard to make sure the value to the client is maximised.....and wait for it........70 pages a minute.

Now I am trying not to make this post look like the Printers version of "50 Shades" but we are fast becoming very good at the specialist printing processes. We have just delivered a super project for one of our clients which used a Thermo Chromic Heat Sensitive varnish (see pic below)......we have been doing scratch cards - heat reveals, NFC and QR codes - I wanna talk Print Tech so email me....call or shout really loud and I will pop round and show you what can be done.

For now it's back to the print room for me.......next week I have a ton of web projects to start planning so I am going to make the most of the time I have to produce real hard copies this week.

Andrew Watts - Printer, Planner, Managing Director

Help...i need an idea!!

We've all been there... sat at our computer/tablet/pad and not known where on earth to start a project. It may be that the project is simply so large that all you need is a project plan to break down the chunks. Sorted.

But what if that's not it...? What if you purely have creative block and feel that all of your brightest ideas have been used in recent projects? Tight deadlines are always a common cause for 'the block', but these are inevitable. You need inspiration and you need it FAST.

Thankfully there are exercises and checklists to help you through this frustrating time. Even if the outcome doesn't directly lead you to the perfect idea...they will start you thinking and, in turn, drag you out of the pit of despair!!

Here are my top six tips for getting back your creative mojo:

1) Check you have all of the relevant information.

Now this may sound obvious, but sometimes the information presented to you by a client/colleague may not be enough to work with. You can try... but if you need to know more or you're finding it difficult to visualise what the project's even about - then its time to pop the cluedo hat on and ask as many questions as necessary. It will also help you out in the long-run as misinterpreting briefs can be catastrophic.

2) Communication is key.

You've come up with some ideas...but you're convinced they are going in the wrong direction. Don't sit on them and ponder, this wastes time and digs you further and further into 'the block'. Use internal staff to bounce these ideas off. You may find that they actually ARE hitting the brief or the staff may present thoughts and opinions you hadn't yet considered. Even the most well-rounded ideas can benefit from an outsider's perspective before being committed to.

3) Create a good balance between isolation and outside influences.

You may be distracted from conversations surrounding you or the office music playlist just doesn't float your boat. Either way... take some time out. Stick on the headphones...listen to your own choice of music...sometimes even the process of putting on headphones without any sounds helps me zone-out and focus. If you're lucky enough to be able to work in a different room for a period of time - do it.

It goes without saying that this also works in reverse. If you've been sat working alone or isolated under those headphones for too long... be sociable. Something you overhear from the conversation the other side of the room may just spark some inspiration!

4) Use creative flash cards.

You could make your own or even just flick through magazines letting your eyes pick out random words. Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created a pack of cards in the 70s called 'Oblique Strategies'. I cannot recommend these enough!! They were originally produced to alleviate musicians block...but work just as well in any form of creative role. They are a series of words and sentences designed to relieve times of pressure by making you think another way or about something else. They also look pretty cool and something all creatives should own!!

www.enoshop.co.uk

5) Be a sponge.

For an immediate cure... get out and about. If 'the block' is definitely not laziness and you've tried all of the above you need to take a break and let your mind have some fresh air. Talking a walk will not only calm you down in general, but it will also open up your senses to what's going on in the world (opposed to just your screen and desk). Take in your surroundings and really look at things. Did you even know there was that bakery round the corner??

For good practice, and a more long-term solution...you need to keep interested. Go to galleries and gigs, read magazines, watch bizarre documentaries. This will keep your mind active and open to new ideas.

6) Speak to other professionals

Here at Apple Print and Creative we are always happy to help with creative consultations or even project brainstorming sessions. If you're stuck with a campaign idea to launch that latest product or would like to bounce off advertising plans with a member of our experienced team then just give us a call. We will happily visit you or you can pop into The Orchard for a cup of tea, cake and a natter. Often the best ideas come from collaboration.

If you need help with a project or would just like to chat an idea through then drop us a line www.appleprint.co.uk