Customer story print manager Groels | Customer order portals

They can create online and offline communication combinations like no other. Groels started as a printing company in 1959, but the printing of communication is now part of a larger whole within the crossmedia company. Groels has 24 employees, each with their own expertise in the field of marketing, creation, warehousing, fulfillment or shipping.

Client

Groels

Year

2015

Techniques

Brand portal, Customer portal
CHILI publish

Completely unburdened

The many disciplines are there for a reason. For owner Wim Groels it is important to support customers with everything. “Customers want to be unburdened from A to Z. We combine all the expertise in-house with innovation and personal guidance. We at Groels see ourselves as an extension of the communication of an organization. See us as your partner, not your supplier!”

Brand portals for clients

Wim saw at an early stage the added value of combining online and offline communication in a cross-media platform for customers. “A webshop can be practical for customers, but you can really distinguish yourself with a customer portal. With such an order portal, the customer can compose and order communication products online and in-house. You can store all visual marketing materials in the system. We have connected about five major clients in such portals. These are healthcare institutions and housing corporations. Organizations with different departments or locations, for whom it is useful to centrally manage the communication materials. Everyone can find, adjust and order the various communications from any location after logging in.”

Brand portals for new customers

For some time now, Wim has also been trying to convince new customers about the added value of a brand portal. “This is a more difficult process. Within an organization, usually there is not one person that owns the problem. Or the problem is not properly understood. Employees lose a lot of time with repetitive communication jobs, but often do not see how you can streamline this better with a brand portal.”

The current corona conditions are not helping with this. Wim finds that there are few brainstorming moments left with marketing departments. When given the opportunity, he naturally knows exactly how to explain the added value of a customer portal to them: “The system ensures the best return for organizations with multiple locations or departments that regularly have to make adjustments to their marketing materials. They can manage all materials in the portal. Within templates they can create new expressions according to the corporate identity of the organization. The printed matter can go directly into production at our printing company. An organization saves a lot of time through smart automations.”

Being a total supplier with combinations

Customization and customer portals. As a total supplier for communication, Groels offers a smart mix. “Some customers want to be able to arrange everything within their own portal, while others come to us for all kinds of customization. When it comes to a one-off promotion or continuously other custom-made communications, a brand portal is less useful. In such a portal you can of course adjust materials yourself, such as texts or images, but you do this within house style templates that you have set up – by us – per product in advance. Everything is about fulfilling the customer’s needs correctly and you do that by having open communication. I prefer to do that live, but that is of course less possible at the moment. We are taking a positive approach to this year, but with a clear wish to meet face-to-face again soon.”