The problem with being a local printer in a college town is that, every spring, customers move away.

For Bob Goodfellow of Goodfellow Printing, Inc., the solution to the problem wasn’t finding new customers as much as it was staying in touch with current ones. Even after they moved.

It was 1947, when Bob’s father and grandfather started making hand-lettered signs for local businesses in Iowa City, Iowa. Today, things are a bit different.

“We have evolved from a company engaged in a decidedly low-tech form of communication to a business that depends on state-of-the-art communications every minute of every business day for our success,” said senior vice president Bob Goodfellow.

Today, much of Goodfellow’s business still comes from within 50 miles of Iowa City. But his biggest growth comes from other parts of the country, largely from college graduates and professors who moved away.

“Qwest DSL allows us to service accounts that are 500 miles away as efficiently as those across town. It’s now an essential part of our communication network,” explained Goodfellow. “The speed with which we can deliver proofs to customers increases dramatically when we can send them via e-mail. Plus, it costs only a fraction of an overnight courier service.”

He added that Qwest’s toll-free services have also impacted his business: “Our nationwide toll-free line is vital in encouraging customers to contact us for free printing estimates. Installing our Qwest 800 line immediately made it easier and more likely that customers outside of our local calling area would contact us.”

Goodfellow recognizes that before Internet communications became part of everyday business, it was fair to call printing a mature industry – one unlikely to see much future growth. However, with Qwest technology, he’s been able to take advantage of some unexpected growth opportunities.

“Because of our relatively newfound ability to communicate job and price information to our customers, many times faster at a significantly lower cost across the Internet, we are finding it much easier to compete with newer technology — driven forms of communication,” said Goodfellow. “This has opened new markets for us and given us reason to be optimistic about our future.”

He adds, “While good voice communication continues to be, and will always be, the most critical element in our customer service policy, data communication and the increasing rate at which we are able to transfer that data will drive the future success of our business.”

What does this mean to the bottom line?

“While our increases in business are currently measured by only a few percentage points, many businesses in our industry would be happy with any growth at all in the last couple of years,” Goodfellow says. “I believe we are still on the leading edge of the advantages that improved customer communication is offering.”

To connect with Bob Goodfellow, e-mail him at:

bob@goodfellowprinting.com

Or call 1 800-564-8526.

Qwest is committed to helping businesses like Goodfellow Printing effectively communicate with customers and grow their businesses. If Qwest services have helped create your business success story, share it with us at:

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