Industry jargon is turning buyers off print The industry is taking steps to address the disparity, but still more action is required Canon is supporting this industry challenge through its jargon-free Essential Business Builder Program workshops
Amstelveen, 18 April 2008 – Almost nine out of every ten (86%) print buyers across Europe admit to being perplexed by some everyday industry terms, according to the results of a pan-European study conducted by Canon, with four-in-ten (43%) blaming jargon for bad print jobs. The results, inspired after a Canon commissioned report last year revealed a large proportion of print managers did not understand the meaning of “web-to-print”, show the industry is facing a challenge to effectively market itself, especially in the face of new media outlets such as the internet. Mark Lawn, European Marketing Manager, Professional Solutions, Canon Europe said: “The growth of new media avenues means that for the first time in its history the print sector is having to fight to justify itself. If we can’t understand our own industry jargon, what hope is there for our clients? As an industry we need to work harder at marketing and promoting our services and the first step towards that it by making it easy for buyers to understand what they are getting. “Terms like ‘pre-press’ and ‘make-ready’ may be obvious to us, but mean nothing to the customer. Our Canon Essential Business Builder Program already uses jargon free terminology to show our printers how to take new ideas, services and initiatives to customers. The survey quite clearly demonstrates that printers who use easy to understand terms are more highly regarded and valued by their customers.” The Canon commissioned study, carried out by ICM Research in February 2008, questioned 2,068 business people across Europe and highlighted that more than half of respondents (58%) found print terminology frustrating - the number increasing to 68% in France. This was compounded by the fact that as many as 60% of people questioned in the UK, Finland and Norway were irritated by the use of technical terms. Of all the countries surveyed Italy was the most confident when it came to understanding print, but only one-in-five buyers (19%) admitted they “completely understood” the terminology. As a result of the language barrier between the printer and buyer, 43% of respondents had experienced print jobs that did not meet their requirements. Part of the reason for this is because 30% of Europeans questioned had put off calls to printers at least once due to frustration with the jargon they use. This rose to 53% in France. Not only that, but almost one-in-five of those questioned shied away from asking for explanations when they didn’t understand the terminology. But one-third of purchasers (34%) felt printers were good at explaining what specific print terms meant when asked to spell out the meanings, while only 10% failed to clarify the industry terms clearly. Three out of four respondents agreed that easier to understand print terms would make them feel more valued as customers. With better understanding, print buyers felt they would feel more confident and valued and less frustrated. Editor’s notes The Canon Essential Business Builder Program is an industry focused, comprehensive development program designed to help customers find new ways to grow and profit from digital printing. Developed with extensive input from customers, industry experts and leading industry bodies, it provides Canon Professional Print users with practical jargon-free ways to sell, improve margins, and develop their businesses by selling digital products and services, not just the print processes alone.
To coincide with the survey, Canon Europe will be launching the Canon Buzzword Buster book at Drupa in Dusseldorf, Germany, 29th May – 11th June, 2008. The book is a dictionary of definitions that printers, and new entrants to the industry, may find useful when dealing with customers. Visitors can pick up a copy of the book from the Canon stand in hall 8A at the Messe Dusseldorf. Alternatively, from May 30th, the Canon Buzzword Buster can be found on the Canon website: www.canon-europe.com/buzzwordbuster. KEY FINDINGS: A staggering 86% of print buyers do not have a comprehensive understanding of the technical jargon used by their print department or supplier 43% of buyers have experienced unsatisfactory print jobs due to misunderstanding over terminology Just 14% of workers fully understand the technical jargon used by their print department or suppliers, with one in five (20%) having little or no understanding at all More than half (58%) find print jargon frustrating. This is especially the case in France, where 68% are frustrated by print jargon, with 60% in the UK, Finland and Norway irritated by technical terms 30% of workers have put off calls to printers at least once due to frustration with jargon – rising to 53% in France Almost one in five (18%) shy away from asking for explanations when they don’t understand terminology – with over a quarter (28%) of French buyers feeling this way More than two-fifths (43%) blamed unsatisfactory print jobs on a lack of comprehension of jargon Most workers believe their understanding of key printing buzzwords asked of them is ‘not accurate at all’ – with at least 60% stating this for all of the buzzwords they were asked about Just 15% thought their understanding of the term ‘litho’ was a least quite accurate, falling to just 4% and 5% in Spain and Germany respectively Respondents were most confident with the term ‘finishing’, with 29% thinking they had quite an accurate understanding. In Norway however, just 2% thought they had an accurate idea, with a staggering 84% having no confidence in their understanding of the word at all Print suppliers are rated reasonably well when it comes to translating print jargon into plain language, with a third (34%) always explaining terms that aren’t understood, with just 10% never enlightening their customers The majority of buyers use the Internet to look up terms they don’t understand – 14% having done several times with 41% having done so once or twice Over a third of workers are at least a little wary of dealing with printers or print departments because of jargon Three out of four respondents agreed that easier to understand print terms would make them feel more valued as customers
|
RSS feed
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Facebook