What does RedTie Quotation do?
It’s a very clever server-based application that allows customers to quote jobs, order work, upload PDFs and check status updates for their work. It also gives us a host of back-end features to manage the site and the workload.
Why did you choose this particular software package?
It met our requirements in nearly every respect, which was not surprising as it was designed by digital printers and not software engineers.
Did you look at any other similar systems?
We looked at Xralle and PrintJob.
Why did you make the purchase?
We had been guilty of treating digital print the same as litho and jobs were taking a long time going around the various departments, all the time costing us money and slowing us down. We needed to have everything automated and kept within one department.
What features do you particularly like?
The way the system can be used as a basic MIS. It’s not just quoting and receiving files from customers – it’ll print you everything from a job bag to a delivery note. I like the way it cuts out all the unnecessary steps between customer and production departments.
Is there anything you dislike?
The quoting mechanisms could be a little bit more finessed, but that’s a small detail.
Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?
I mentioned to RedTie that I wished it had a function for customers to approve their work online, instead of phoning us once they get a proof. They thanked me for the idea and got to work on including it in the software.
How fast is it?
We had a job arrive at 4.45pm recently and the customer was amazed to find it delivered to him by 10am the next morning. We don’t do that every time of course. We normally say 24- or 48-hour turnaround, but it does show how quick things can go through now. With our previous system, it would have taken half an hour just to make the job bag.
How reliable is it?
So far, it’s been 100% reliable.
What’s the quality like?
Superb. It is a really solidly built application. Key to this are the little details like the that fact the quoted price constantly recalculates within the page as you change the various options.
How easy is it to use?
From the customer’s point of view, it’s really simple. It becomes necessarily more complex as you get more into the backend, but you don’t need to be an IT expert to set it up.
How much time or money has it saved?
It saves us several hours per job.
Has it won you any new work?
We are seeing new customers signing up every day.
Would you say that it offers value for money?
Absolutely.
Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
No, we were able to get everything done within half a day.
What about the pre- and after-sale service?
Very good so far.
Who do you think the machine is right for?
Digital printers, or litho printers with digital departments.
Under what circumstances would you buy another?
We’ve already bought the companion software, RedTie Template.
Conclusion
User’s verdict
Speed 5/5
Quality 4/5
Reliability 5/5
Value for money 4/5
Supplier’s Response
Phill Rodgers, R&D director at RedTie, says: “We are very pleased to hear the RTQ works so well for Cambrian. Its features are a result of working with printers to automate their repetitive tasks and, after four years of development, we have a very stable platform, which is a focused, effective time- and money-saving tool. In the next few weeks, all RTQ owners will receive an update to provide further intelligence on their cost calculations and the online approval feature that Neil requested.”
Price TBA
Read the original article at www.printweek.com.
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