Striking
Gold with Electronic FormsStriking
Gold with Electronic Forms  |
|
Making money with electronic forms is easier than ever thanks to Computer Composition Service. If you are involved with forms, read on...
Forms Distributors
Today's winning distributors are adopting a strategy of using electronic forms to propel their companies into highly profitable information systems providers. The competition is fierce for traditional business forms products. Not only are the direct-selling companies offering stock and custom forms, but the office superstores and quick printers are now competing for the small business and local accounts. How can an independent forms distributor grow and prosper in this climate?
CCS electronic forms are the answer. By choosing a forms manufacturer with the ability to produce electronic versions of a customer's printed forms, the distributor has a new product to deliver. The electronic form is valuable to the customer, and gives the distributor leverage to keep the customer account. As the distributor becomes familiar with the potential of electronic forms, there are also substantial revenues to be earned through systems consulting, forms programming, the bundling of electronic forms with paper products, PC hardware, software, and on-going customer support.
Electronic forms are the vehicle which transports the forms distributor from a "me-too" supplier of printed products to a unique source of customized electronic business solutions.
Forms Manufacturers
Most forms manufacturers have an in-plant art department with typesetting and graphics equipment. Stored within the graphics systems are thousands of digital files which are used to print-out camera-ready master artwork, film negatives, and plates, in order to reproduce forms on traditional printing presses. In many cases the library of digital files has been growing for years, and the enormous costs to create the files have already been amortized.
Computer Composition Service makes it possible to "re-use" this digital library in a very profitable way. The same file that was created to drive the traditional printing process can be quickly and automatically, converted to a valuable Windows-compatible electronic form. For the price of a diskette you can now ship an electronic form along with every order for printed forms. The diskette can be listed as a chargeable item, or it can be offered as a special promotion. It most certainly is a value-added service to attract new business.
What is the electronic form worth to the recipient? As the old saying goes, "You may lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Smart forms professionals and energetic end-users already know the benefits which can be derived from electronic forms. For them, the electronic form is a critical focal point to streamline operations and improve efficiency within the enterprise or organization. Forms manufacturers should target their electronic forms capabilities to this progressive (and growing) segment of the forms industry.
Systems Integrators
CCS electronic forms are ideal for building custom workflow automation systems for a task, department, profession, or line of business. Since the starting point is the paper form, it is easy to analyze the requirements of the users. By creating an electronic version of each paper form, and then linking the electronic forms to data bases, you have a comprehensive solution that can be quickly developed and implemented. Add-ons such as computation (i.e. column/row tabulation), E-mail, and "Help" screens are easy to program into the system for a finished look-and-feel.
Bundle the above software with custom cut-sheet laser papers for forms and labels to increase profits. Package the entire system with PC's, printers, and other hardware/software/support for even greater profits.
End-Users
In the final analysis, electronic forms are only as good as the end-users think they are. With paper-based forms, end-users initially bear the cost for printing, shipping, and warehousing, and then incur additional costs during forms data capture, verification, handling, and storage within the enterprise. Electronic forms are advertised to enable savings and improve efficiencies in all of these areas.
Based on these claims, some electronic forms vendors recommend that nearly all paper forms be replaced with electronic forms. This suggestion is usually part of an expensive "reengineering" project and packaged with client-server computer networks, workflow programming, custom software, outsourcing of non-essential staff services, and other grandiose plans. In the cases where management has approved these efforts, it is difficult to know if the benefits outweigh the costs because so many structural changes are involved and the plans require years to implement.
Computer Composition Service's concept is very different. We believe the paper form is an asset. It is proven to work by its existence, and people already know how to use it. Since our electronic forms are created directly from the paper form, there is no need to make a radical change in the operation of the enterprise to realize the benefits of electronic forms. The paper and electronic forms are interchangeable depending on where and when they are being used. Also, the same supplier who provides paper forms is now able to provide electronic versions quickly and at a reasonable cost.
Most importantly, CCS's electronic forms are not encumbered with software license fees. Just as paper forms do not have user fees, our electronic forms are royalty-free and can be used by anyone with a Windows PC. All the filler software that a user needs is already included in Windows! Many options are also available for enhancing your electronic forms for data base access, computation, and E-mail.
Segments of the Forms Industry
The forms industry includes forms manufacturers which sell directly to end-users, as well as manufacturers which sell through intermediaries called distributors. Forms sales professionals and forms distributors design, sell, and deliver forms to end-users to help manage and administrate the enterprise. Information systems integrators combine hardware, software, forms, and various support services for end-users. End-users are the consumers of forms, and in some cases have in-house capabilities for systems integration, forms design, and forms printing.