Lollypotz - great concept, pathetic customer service. Again.

This is truly the conversation, online, tonight, after I placed an order -  hoping that things had changed since I placed an order with Lollypotz 2 years ago which they couldn't deliver.

In answer to their worthy question: How did you hear about us?

Me: 
Other: I have used you before and you didn't deliver. Please deliver this time. (And yes I did mention that their website looked a little outdated - but only the very end of my email).

Their answer:

Sorry that you feel that our website is not modern enough.  It has only just been updated so,  I disagree with your comments.  We also receive excellent compliments daily on the ease of our website.

Unfortunately we can’t guarantee this delivery this week so would you like me to arrange a refund?    Mt Martha is outside 2 day zones and it now wouldn’t leave until tomorrow so can’t be guaranteed by Friday.

I’m sure our competitor, Edible Blooms would love your business, and I’m sure you would prefer to use her website.   www.edibleblooms.com.au

Please confirm that you would like us to refund your purchase.

My answer: 

Hi Louise,

Yes please arrange a refund. I'll organise something else.

Pie Face plunges into administration

I was so surprised to read this article this morning. Apart from the fact that they make really delicious pies (almost like Nana used to make) it always sad to see a business go under.

Franchising is difficult and it is so important to set them up correctly in the first place, and if you are a franchisee, read all the fine print. Below is an overview of what happenened.

The collapse comes after Pie Face quietly closed six of its seven stores in New York City last month. While Pie Face has previously attempted to expand into India and New Zealand without much obvious traction, the chain is also believed to have agreements to enter South Korea and the Philippines.

The chain also became embroiled in a legal battle with a former franchisee earlier this year.

Former franchisee Prit Dutta sued Pie Face for $800,000 in February, alleging the pie chain was misleading and deceptive when communicating the expected returns for its franchise stores.

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/44731-pie-face-plunges-into-administration.html?utm_source=SmartCompany&utm_campaign=5283790da4-Monday_24_November_201424_11_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_234118efee-5283790da4-93594842

The joys of printing yourself

Now stop being so tight and give HMS a call. 1300 912 550

www.hmsprintmanagement.com.au

Thailand. I love you

I arrived in Phuket last week to meet up with a friend from 30 years ago. Yes too long between drinks I know but she's in Dorset and I'm in Melbourne and time flies don't you know. The internet hasn't made physical touch any closer. Facebook and email are great but to hug her and sit and chat with a drink was - priceless. 

So, as I hadn't been here for a couple of years and was travelling solo I booked (from Melbourne - thank you booking.com) the well rated airport hotel in Phuket and a private car to get to her in Krabi from Phuket airport (both 2500 baht or approx $100 each) on arrival. Total $200. After all I could get axe murdered in a country I didn't know and couldn't speak the language in if I strayed from the great google. 

After a week here, and feeling more like a local ( and not such the timid ignorant traveller) I had to come back to Phuket this afternoon for the flight home early tomorrow morning. I caught the local bus from Krabi to Phuket (3 hours at $15) - certainly comfortable enough for a snob like me, and, because I was skint, chose a cheaper local airport bed and breakfast at the Phuket Hotel Bed & Breakfast ($40) and I now am loving myself sick as I sit here in my little Thai courtyard b&b having a duty free scotch. 

 

The Thai people I have ever met ( 3rd time here now) have always been delightful - kind, caring enough to try and overcome the language barrier ( more than I've done for them)  and they make me - a solo female traveller - feel safe, as well as go above and beyond to get me to my destination. Even when they don't know where it is and the only address I've been emailed is in English. And they even call me Madam - I don't like that but boy does it make me me feel welcome here (Kate nee Middleton I don't know if you really get off on that?). 

Anyway I hope and try I do the same for our guests/our fellow humans in my country. 

It doesn't take much to lift your game does it. 

People of Thailand I bow to you. 

Is paper dead?

Someone sent this to me - too funny not to share although you'll probably get the punch line in the first few screens.

Clean, fresh logo design

Over the past couple of months I've been doing the marketing (from scratch) for a new business delivery fresh home cooked meals around Melbourne. The company is called www.vegetarianfoodonline.com.au and it's been fun (and lots of work).

There are so many food delivery business's out there it's crucial that the logo looked fresh and delectable and we think we got it in one here.

Here's a pic of the labelling taken by one happy customer on their mobile phone.

A great logo is one which (if you're not Coke) can be glanced at and which quickly gives you an idea of what the business does. This one was designed in 2 colour (keeping start up print costs nice and cost effective) and can be reproduced across web, signage, promotional products and social media without distorting in any way. Nice and clean. The labels were designed so the customer could also see quite a bit of the meal, making the packaging even more tasty! Your thoughts?

Stunning Canvas Prints

A little sales plug here for one of our divisions: canvasprints.com.au

Did you know we are the only authorised canvas prints reseller for the Great Masters?

Imagine one of these classics reproduced in stunning and vibrant colours on canvas. They make a unique and beautiful addition to any interior design plan. Home, office, school - you can get access to these and many, many more here http://www.canvasprints.com.au/gallery.php?c=1 and they are free to use via canvasprints.com.au

We love fiverr.com

I'm always very happy to support my local suppliers but I have to say that sometimes when I need something done fast and I don't have a contact here that I personally know and trust - it's time to go to Fiverr.com

You can get practically anything done at all - from $5.

This week I've had 8 voiceovers for some video's we produced, some beautiful contouring of photographs that we needed really fast, and headline copy written. All within hours usually.
Fiverr is a community of skilled people across the world offering their services to anyone!
Check it out https://www.fiverr.com/

Print - how big can I go?

Well, with current technology the sky is the limit. Rolls of large format media are usually around 200metres x 1300mm so depending on the size you want, chances are the print will be produced in multiple panels. But with the right installer, and the right image, you won't even see the seams.

Here's some pics we nicked off the internet (again). And remember, digital print is 4 colour process so you can't specifiy special colours but who cares - digital is fantastic these days!

Want some of this? Contact us: www.hmsprintmanagement.com.au

Warren Buffett’s 5-Step Process for Prioritizing True Success

Warren’s approach to prioritizing caught me off guard. Then the brilliance and simplicity hit me. I’ll explain the process in story form just as I heard it told to me.

Warren Buffett’s 5-Step Process for Prioritizing True Success

1. Know what you want – List your top 25. One day a few years back Warren went up to his pilot (we’ll call him Steve) and jokingly said “The fact that you’re still working for me, tells me I’m not doing my job. You should be out going after more of your goals and dreams.” Warren then asked Steve to list the top 25 things he wanted to do in the next few years or even his lifetime. Just jot down anything that comes to mind as being important to you that isn’t currently a part of your life. Readers, that’s your queue to start writing.

2. Pick your Top 5. Once Steve completed his list, Warren then asked him to review each item and circle the top five that were most important to him. The ones he wanted more than anything. Steve was hesitant because to him they were all massively important. After all, that’s why he wrote them down.

http://liveyourlegend.net/warren-buffetts-5-step-process-for-prioritizing-true-success-and-why-most-people-never-do-it/

About spot, custom and Pantone colours

This is quite an old blog post I found but it is still relevant and explains what Pantone colours are (all known as spot, custom or corporate colours).

Digital print is made using just 4 ink colours - Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Key (black) or CMYK so you can't specify a PMS or special colour for a digital print job.

Offset print allows us to mix any number of inks together to produce any special colours you want (bearing in mind that oranges are the most difficult)  to achieve amazing colours.Offset is for higher print runs and is more expensive and these days digital print gives a pretty fantastic colour and finish.

As you can see below, offset inks are quite gluggy and you really don't want to get this type of ink on your hands!

Mixing Inks

http://the-print-guide.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/custom-spot-brand-and-pantone-colors.html

Good for your Bum. Great for the World.

'When it comes to saving the planet, we're on a roll'.

That's very clever marketing from whogivesacrap.org who manufacture and home deliver their toilet paper around Melbourne!

50% of their profits are donated to Wateraid, a charity that helps deliver water and sanitation to third world countries.
Lack of clean water and safe sanitation are the SECOND biggest KILLER of children under 5 years old, world wide. That is staggering - apart from heartbreaking.

So, as these guys say this toilet paper is - Good for your Bum. Great for the World.

Order some today and buy some feel good dunny paper.

Clever Print Ads - part 2

I love surfin' the net (does one still say this?) looking for old print ads or brochures. Since the internet has practically taken over the world companies are not spending as much on print media any more and when they do they have to make sure they get it right from the start.

In the old days (pre internet) there was so much competition that you had to be very well known or very clever to get your ad noticed ahead of all the others.

Here's a couple we like (I nicked them from here)

Canvas Print deal

We've done a deal with Canvas Prints for Fathers Day.
Get a whopping 25% off by using code fathersday

Tomorrow is the last day to order though, otherwise we can't guarantee delivery for father's day.
Order here: http://www.canvasprints.com.au/album.php

Upload photo's of yourself, your family or artwork - like this example!

Now who doesn't think that's cute!

Please help this charity

You may have seen the recent Foreign Correspondent episode on the life saving work of East Timor Hearts Fund 
Have a look at this and let us know if your company would like to be involved.

http://vimeo.com/103979748

Great Insurance company (yes, seriously)

A big shout out to Brokers National who organised insurance for my diabetic daughter. We got a number of quotes - mostly ridiculous with massive commissions built in but Evan Kerr at Brokers National helped us with price and service. Can't recommend highly enough - thus the plug on our Blog.

See them for Commercial, Trade, Life and Personal Insurance - and mention HMS. Ph: 03 9791 6688

#notrippedoff

Signage Solutions for Capital Finance

We recently fitted out interior and exterior for Capital Finance's new home in Carnegie.

For the interior we produced a (heavy) glass reception sign which was pinned off the wall. It looks very modern and matches with their glass reception top.

We produced reverse mount window graphics for one of their windows (so passing traffic can't pull it off!) and for the exterior, we produced weatherproof aluminium signage.
Contact us for your signage requirements here: http://www.hmsprintmanagement.com.au/banners-australia.html

Here's some pics of their new interior:

Paypal - what a nightmare

Does anyone despise Paypal as much as me I wonder. It is an absolute nightmare to try and open a business account with them. We tried (for the 4th time in 2 years) 2 months ago and they are still sending us ridiculous requests for pointless documents. Their compliance team takes at least 2 weeks to answer any email, and if you phone them you will be on hold for 30 minutes minimum.

So I went to Stripe - what a joy - account opened immediately and money flowing into our bank account within 5 days. I cannot rate them highly enough.

I really wonder how much longer Paypal will last when business like Stripe make it so very easy.

Our latest website build

We always like to help sharing a bit of social media when we build a new website for a client.
Our most recent HMS Websites build is for Diabetic Food Online

We built the website, added a shopping cart, and then established Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We're doing the SEO at the moment and will outsource this on an ongoing basis.
With just over 100 FB Likes in the first 48 hours we think this business will do very well.

www.diabeticfoodonline.com.au

Our charity features on Foreign Correspondent

Often we donate to charities on an ad hoc basis just to make ourselves feel better - instant gratification I guess. Most of the time we really don't know how crucial that donation is to our fellow humans.

Last night Foreign Correspondent did a story on our chosen charity, East Timor Hearts Fund.

You can see the story here http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/foreign-correspondent/NC1402H021S00
If you can, please donate.

Print ads to make you laugh

So I've been surfing the net to find stuff that's interesting or funny or downright wrong.
It can be difficult to make print sound as exciting as I think it is, week after week so I found these print ads to share instead - very creative and clever minds at work here - I hope you get a laugh as I did.



I nicked them from here

Poster advertising - These are just wrong

Here at HMS we love, love, love printing posters. BUT we hope we would have drawn the lines at some of these ones! Quite acceptable in their day (we guess) can you imagine what would happen if some of these printed posters were found in magazines or retailers today.

Do you have any to share?

Check out some more here

Famous Business Cards

Think you don't need a business card because we've got the Net?

You do - get yours - 1000 cards for 100 bucks. From HMS. Contact us. You might be famous one day - it would be embarrassing if you'd never had a card.

The Calling card - from the days of old

This image, my friends, shows a Calling Card and how it was used. During the 1800's and early 1900's the Calling Card was the only way to arrange a visit. The visitor (wealthy enough to have their own personalised calling cards printed) would knock on the door of the visitee (I don't know if that's a word but it will do for this) and hand their card to the servant.

The servant would place the card on a platter (usually silver) and take it through to the visitee - if they were at home. The visitor would stand on the porch or in the home's reception and wait until they were either taken through for the visit (again, by the servant) or advised that the visitee was not 'at home'. In that case the visitee would then respond either by telephone (early 1900's) or by taking their own Calling Card to their visitors home where the same process would take place.

It was very popular with ladies and those who have read the classics will be familiar with the Calling Card.

These days we phone, email or facebook to see if we can arrange a visit. Personally, I love the idea and leaving a business card for someone I want to see just isn't the same.

Like to know more? Check out this: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/09/07/the-gentlemans-guide-to-the-calling-card/

A video about HMS Print Management - thanks Powtoon!

http://youtu.be/fCSE1LTPiVE

3d printing - Make anything you want

Imagine a world where you can make anything you want, just by pressing "print". 3D printers have arrived and they promise a fascinating future, depending on what we make.

We think you'll enjoy this video - it explains 3d printing and how it works.

http://youtu.be/G0EJmBoLq-g

Businesses losing $8 billion a year through dodgy customer service

Aussie businesses are losing a massive $8 billion a year due to bad customer service, according to new research from NewVoiceMedia.

NewVoiceMedia surveyed more than 2,000 adult consumers from across the country and found that 58 per cent are taking their business elsewhere as a result of inadequate customer service – and of those, 92 per cent have switched at least once or twice in the last year. According to the study, 55 per cent are so put off from calling a business for fear of being kept on hold, that they will switch to a competitor without even attempting to resolve a problem. According to NewVoiceMedia, the top frustrationscausing consumers to walk away from a business are: 

     -       Lack of appreciation from a business (46%);-       Unhelpful/rude contact centre staff (38%); and-       Being passed around multiple agents (32%).

So you may as well come to us at HMS Print Management 

Where you'll be loved and looked after forever!

Here's a great deal on Canvas Prints

canvasprints.com.au

Home Made shoes anyone?

Shoe fondue for home made shoes - your thoughts?
http://tallersmariavictrix.blogspot.com.es/2014/06/fondue-slipper-unas-zapatillas-hechas-al-instante.html

Something different for Friday - an apartment made entirely of concrete!

This is quite amazing.

 http://tallersmariavictrix.blogspot.com.es/2014/06/apartamento-japones-hecho-integramente-cemento.html#

All about 3d Printing

At HMS Print Management we've been watching the latest in 3d printing and  wondering how best to explain the process. The best defination is that it's a manufacturing process rather than a traditional print process. Rather than lay down layers of ink as in offset or digital print, the 3d printer lays down materials like plastic, food, metals etc.

We can now 3d print food, clothing, organs, toys and practically any object you want.

We found this video really helpful and hope you do too.

http://youtu.be/Vx0Z6LplaMU

Franchise Registry - a first for Australia

A new Australian franchise registry has been launched to assist prospective franchisees in their search for a business, improve franchisor compliance and enhance the credibility of the sector.

There are five specific aims for The Franchise Registry:

1. help prospective franchisees identify genuine franchise brands
2. protect and enhance the reputation and credibility of the sector
3. boost trust in franchising among potential franchisees
4. deliver independent and relevant data to regulators and the Franchise Council of Australia
5. improve the finance lending potential in franchising

Read the rest of this article here

Unique baby gift

Here's something special - what a great idea for a new parent - and baby can proudly bring it out at their 21st birthday.

We can design and print these in any size you need.

Brochure folding - lots of options

We found this handy little diagram on Pinterest - it shows all the different ways to fold a brochure or flier. So when getting a quote now you know what type of fold to tell your printer!

To foil - or not to foil?

Foiling is the process of stamping a metallic image (logo, pic) on to just about anything. Used as part of the printing process, the foil is applied after the sheets are printed. The flat sheets are supplied untrimmed to a specialist who will then apply the foil.

It's not a cheap process, and not an environmental process but either - but it sure looks good for those specialist jobs. You can foil just about anything.

The future less bleak for small business: ACCI survey

We like sharing good news here at HMS.

While small businesses continue to face difficult trading conditions, the sector is set to improve in the second quarter, The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (ACCI) latest Small Business Survey has found.

Key small business indicators including sales, profits, employment and investment all fell in March, however on a more positive note business owners are mildly optimistic that conditions will improve during the second quarter, the survey revealed.

Read the report here

Choosing a payment gateway for your business

I liked this article from Start Up Smart today.

When starting your next online business you will undoubtedly be faced with the choice of integrating a payment gateway. Whether you make this choice yourself or leave it up to your web developer, there are now more payment gateways available than ever before.

If cash flow is important to your business survival then investigate how long the gateway is going to hold your money before paying it out to you post sale. Note: this can be anywhere from two days (Braintree, eWay) to seven days (Stripe, Pin Payments).

Make sure you own your customer data. Providers such as PayPal will not let you take your data with you when you choose to leave. It's worth investigating this early in the piece before asking a couple of thousand customers to again provide you with their details.

Here is a quick look at some of your likely options.

Budget 2014: Unfair contract provisions extended to small business

Small Business Minister Bruce Billson has promised the extension of unfair contract protections for small business for some time and the budget delivers on this.
http://www.startupsmart.com.au/government-and-regulation/budget-2014-unfair-contract-provisions-extended-to-small-business.html
“This will help to provide a level playing field for small businesses and enhance the welfare of Australians by increasing small business certainty, confidence and productivity,” Billson said in a statement accompanying the budget papers.

Jetstar - you shoud not be using social media

Jetstar has posted an ad on Facebook: http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/jetstargeneration

It is worth reading the comments (and there are over 800 of them) for a laugh - but also as a lesson in why social media is dangerous for a company that refuses to address the same old issues. Jetstar never respond to their social media on Facebook - I know as I've sent them a few before I learned not to go anywhere near them.

I write this as a fairly regular flier an my motto is 'Avoid Jetstar at any cost' so I had to share some of these gems from the Facebook comments:

10 years of poor customer service is nothing to celebrate

Unlike · Reply · 19 · 8 May at 22:15

10 years of cheap service, 10 years of ripping people off, 10 years of poor customer service happy birthday

Unlike · Reply · 7 · 9 May at 07:36

10 years of frustration....oh sorry, where you expecting positive comments from your past passengers.

Like · Reply · 5 · 8 May at 20:00

Jetstar can afford the low fares because they keep cancelling the flights, so no running costs.!! 

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 10 May at 09:17

Such horrible people to deal with. Trying to charge me $400 for a name change (same flight, same seat, just a name change!) Please help me spread this hashtag: #Regretstar

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 11 hrs

G'day Jet Star- low airfares are just the beginning. Had a few good experiences and several bad ones, Next time I'll go with Virgin.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 15 hours ago

I prefer to call them Jetscar. I have been scared for life and will never use them again. Quite happy to forfeit the $375 worth of vouchers I received from them. Once bittern, twice shy! Shonky airline.

Terrible customer service and behind the scenes support, but cabin staff tend to be ok once (if) you actually get on the flight. Personally, I avoid like the plague, I'd rather walk as it's often quicker.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 9 May at 12:23

Now that's clever packaging!

We love Pinterest and this is why. Here are some really clever packaging ideas!

Anyone using Oneflare?

I keep getting emails from Oneflare. I'm pretty sure I didn't sign up - has anyone had any experience with them?