Canon UK helps its customers look at the bigger picture

Canon UK has hosted a series of customer forums focused on the results of its latest Insight Report, The Bigger Picture: Your customers’ view of the value of print.  The forums, which took place in London, Reigate, Birmingham and Dublin, gave Canon customers the opportunity to discuss the research and explore the ways in which it can help them to grow their businesses.

The Bigger Picture was commissioned by Canon with the aim of helping Print Service Providers (PSPs) to understand better what print buyers actually want, thus equipping them better to meet their customers’ needs more effectively, grow their own businesses and help to grow those of their customers. The research covers five main topics: the value of print to print buyers, how print buyers choose a print provider, how print buyers use print, how print buyers see their future use of print and opportunities for print providers.

Michael Moradian of Print Express in London says, “This initiative from Canon is to be welcomed. The forum gave me access to insight that, as a small company, I otherwise wouldn’t have access to. The Bigger Picture is an extremely useful piece of research because it gives you a better idea of what our customers are looking for and what the broad trends in the market are. I think that all suppliers in the industry should be engaging in this sort of activity because it makes the whole industry stronger.”

Commenting on what the research shows about the value of print, Moradian continues, “Print is tactile, it’s easier to manage in some circumstances and it can also give a lot more information in a compact form. It’s still easier to read than scrolling across a screen. That’s what I felt the research really came up with, that we’re an important part of the communications mix with a definite role to play. We need to find ways to integrate with other channels and help them integrate with print, because other channels are enablers not competitors.”

Barry Cool, Director of Propeller in East Sussex, says that the research makes him optimistic for the future.  “The research reaffirmed a lot of what we, as a business, believe. When we took over the business five years ago, we believed that the future would be about what you can think of and create, not just what print you can produce. Today we’re certainly seeing evidence that this is true, and the report seems to back that up. It shows that people still very much value everything printed, in addition to all the digital media that are available to them. The people who’re ‘winning’ with their clients are the ones who understand all of the elements and offer the right solutions for the project at hand, even if that means printing less for some projects.”

Cool explains, “We work really hard to understand our clients, understand their business and understand what they’re looking for. The Bigger Picture is an invaluable piece of research because it gives our industry an insight into what the buyer thinks. The research shows that there is a lack of awareness among many print buyers about the range of possibilities offered by digital print. By developing relationships with your clients that make you become a trusted advisor instead of a supplier, you’re building valuable relationships that will sustain your business in the long-term.”

According to Andy Harris, European & UK Graphic Arts Customer Marketing, Professional Print Solutions, Canon Europe, “We had an overwhelmingly positive response to The Bigger Picture research from our customers at drupa earlier this year and this was echoed in the feedback we’ve been receiving from customers after these forums. Canon is not only highlighting the need for PSPs to build more consultative relationships with their customers, we’re also working with them to help them do this through initiatives such as the Essential Business Builder Program and business mentoring. We look forward to seeing growing numbers of PSPs using the insights to improve communication with their customers and grow their businesses.”