Free advice for improving your printing organization.

Maximizing Your Print Management Software ROI: Pushing Information Across Your Supply Chain

Printing companies are now able to accumulate extraordinary amounts of data as a result of advanced Management Information Systems, Internet portals, JDF-enabled production equipment, and an increase in inexpensive plant-data-collection devices. While this new environment is data-rich, it is information-poor. Wading through huge data sets in an attempt to make sense of them can be labor-intensive and difficult. More than ever, printers are depending on quality information to help manage their business and improve customer relationships. There is a significant effort to simplify and improve the delivery of information to management, users, customers, and vendors.

Businesses used to require IT professionals to get meaningful information out of their MIS system. In recent years, MIS systems have become more open so that users can mine their own data into reports or spreadsheets. Traditional information distribution from software applications is based on the request/reply model, were the user has to ask their MIS system to send back the information of interest through reports or queries.

The latest trend is to push the data to the users, rather than the users having to go and retrieve the data from their MIS system. Predefined events will trigger specific data to be sent to users automatically. Push technology keeps people continuously informed of critical events by delivering information to users, based on criteria they define and as events happen. The information may be sent via email, fax, or even a XML data transfer to other software applications.

For example, a sales representative may receive a daily status report via email showing a list of their new orders, completed orders, orders running late, and commissions earned. A list of new orders requiring credit approval may be pushed up to the accounts receivables or credit department. The purchasing agent may get an email of all paper that needs to be ordered.

BlackBerry's handheld wireless devices utilize "Push" technology. In the traditional "pull" model, the user periodically connects to the email server to check for new messages. BlackBerry's push technology enables messages to be automatically and effortlessly routed to your handheld while you're on the go.

The users are not limited to people within the organization. Your customers can automatically receive acknowledgments, notifying them their order has been accepted or shipped. Paper vendors may be pushing information to your purchasing agent, acknowledging your paper has shipped and will be delivered by 10:00 a.m. the next day. Production managers may receive alerts when individual production equipment, departments, or the plant is over capacity.

Since different users have preference as to how they prefer to receive their information, each user will have a profile identifying their preferred method. A salesperson that is frequently on the road may prefer to receive their information via email or personal digital assistants (PDAs). Whereas, a customer may require invoices in an XML format so they can be loaded into their accounting software.

The benefit of push technology is that the user does not have to go out and find items of interest; instead the user receives fresh information based on their interests at periodic time intervals or in response to some event.

Craig L. Press is president of Profectus, Inc, a national consultancy that helps printing organizations implement best business practices and maximize the value of their information technology investments. www.profectus.com