Choosing a provider
Ideally, the software engine behind a WTP portal would be custom-developed for a sign shop, as then it would be possible to communicate exactly how the workflow should be designed and to add more advanced modules as the business grows. This option, however, may be prohibitively expensive for a small to medium-sized PSP.
Most well-known proprietary software that has been developed for WTP projects in the past is also expensive for the sector, offering too little return on investment (ROI) for a small PSP. And beyond the price of the software (and periodic upgrades), there is the need for server systems to host it, which only a sufficiently large PSP could afford to set up and maintain with dedicated technical staff.
To address these issues, some PSPs have turned to WTP providers who host their software. Often called Software as a Service (SaaS), this option means the provider not only creates and enhances the software, but also maintains it as a web-based service and provides technical support. As its own systems and support resources can be spread across a large client base at little cost, this helps keep SaaS affordable for any PSP that wants to offer WTP portals to its customers.
Different SaaS options offer a variety of capabilities, but generally, they provide cross-platform compatibility, multi-user collaboration and live database integration for digital asset management purposes.
The job-submission scenarios that are possible with web-based portals can enhance the relationship between print service provider (PSP) and client. Photo courtesy Montreal Neon
Seeing what you get
Another advance in WTP, which some in the industry have called a sign of things to come, is the provision of ‘what you see is what you get’ (WYSIWYG) design support.
WTP software provides this capability by allowing elements within a template to represent choices by the customer, who can insert or delete them, under strict rules established by the designer of the system. Generally, WYSIWYG is supported by Adobe’s Flash multimedia platform or Asynchronous JavaScript and Extensible Markup Language (XML) (AJAX) web development techniques, so as not to depend on any single browser or operating system (OS).
By enabling customers who are not themselves professional graphic designers to edit and proof customized artwork within a ‘safe’ environment, this type of system begins to blur the lines between past WTP portals and mainstream desktop publishing applications. The users can enjoy a range of choices while still protecting their brands and graphic consistency.
Further, due to advanced page processing on the web, many of today’s users have come to expect instantaneous visual changes after clicking their choices, rather than have to watch a page reload after making a change. The software behind interactive websites has evolved from web content management (WCM) to web experience management (WEM). And the web is a constantly evolving multi-device platform.
Ease of use
Indeed, for a WTP portal to be successful, the quality of the customer’s website experience must be a top priority. As with other applications on the web, the workflow should allow any user to proceed from password creation all the way to payment without needing outside assistance.
Online tools need to be easy for customers to use. Base photo ©BigStockPhoto.com, screen shot courtesy Presscentric
If the interface is clumsy or non-intuitive, the customer—which in the case of the fast-food restaurant chain could be an in-house marketer, a POP graphics representative, a restaurant owner or simply a tech-savvy restaurant employee—will not use the portal to create and order graphics.
The goal of customizing WTP portals for corporate clients is to ensure they come back again and again to use them. The benefits of customized graphics and target marketing must be accompanied by ease of transactions. Technology should serve the user, not the other way around.
It is important to remember WTP is a completely different method of ordering wide-format graphics to which most buyers have not yet been exposed. Further, the PSP will not have the chance to communicate directly with all possible users of its site, many of which may never have ordered graphics before at all.
