Print Image Network Ltd, one of the UK’s leading providers of electoral print and mail services, will once again be joining local authorities and industry experts from across the country, at the Annual Conference for the Association of Electoral Administrators, 28 February – 2 March 2015. The specialist electoral printing company will attend as both a conference delegate and exhibitor, showcasing products at Stand 3 throughout the four-day event.
With a strong heritage in electoral services including the design, print, fulfilment and postage of IER canvass materials, poll cards, postal voting packs and ballot papers, Print Image Network is one of the best-placed specialists in the country to handle issues due to be discussed at the event.
The ‘Together We Are Strong’ theme will see industry experts discuss the key issues for this year. Issues including Individual Electoral Registration, EU Referendum, Overseas Electors, preparations for the 2016 elections and electoral law.
John Foster, Managing Director of Print Image Network said of the forthcoming conference “2016 will be another crucial year for electoral administration. The Police and Crime Commissioner, London Mayoral, London Assembly, Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland, Welsh Assembly and local elections, plus the possibility of an EU Referendum has meant that local authorities and electoral print and mail suppliers have had to work even closer with council customers, to ensure schedules are in place for May and thereafter.”
Services Director, Stephen Power added “The AEA Conference and Exhibition is the one event of the year where we get to talk to customers and other industry experts. In a period of so much change it is good to discuss and plan issues that are likely to arise over the next year and to subsequently work with councils to address them.”
The Association of Electoral Administrators Conference is being held 28 February - 2 March 2016 at the Blackpool Hilton Hotel. Visit Print Image Network at Stand 3.
Fifteen years ago, Print Image Network co-founders John Foster and Stephen Power, combined their knowledge of the print industry and the world of elections to create the election printing specialist it is today. Print Image Network is a company focused on helping to solve the election complexities facing modern local authorities and organisations. As you can imagine, this has been no mean feat.
The challenges presented by the new Individual Electoral Registration system, which was introduced in 2014, plus the recent General election and local elections, have not been without certain challenges. Such significant changes in the electoral landscape have left suppliers of local authorities needing to react to the challenges with the same agility as councils themselves.
After three General elections the company is still going strong. It has seen many changes over the years; mostly legislative, although in more recent times other external factors have influenced the way elections are managed. Budget spending cuts, the decline of voter turnout and technological advancements (or rather restrictions thereof), have all led to challenges for councils and suppliers alike. So, as electoral staff throughout the UK took a short rest following 7th May, all are back to tackle this year’s canvass.
A testament to the way Print Image Network has handled the elections this year is the encouraging results of its recent customer satisfaction surveys. To ensure continued commitment to its Customer Service Excellent standard, Print Image Network developed two customer surveys – one to collect customer opinions relating to IER and one to determine how we serviced customers during the May 2015 elections. The combined satisfaction level from respondents came to 94%.
Over the years Print Image Network has extended its range of services and markets. It also provides print services for any type of business and, with the introduction of PIPI, Print Image Promotions and Incentives, has been providing branded promotion products since 2009.
One of the biggest events in the Print Image timeline was in 2009, when a new brand was born – UK Engage. Taking its experience from within the elections arena, Print Image Network launched UK Engage, the company’s brand to service the election needs of other types of organisations, both in the private and public sector. UK Engage, became more than an elections printer it became an elections services provider. As new staff members were employed and the company grew, so did its skill set and expertise it was able to offer.
Today, UK Engage offers organisations much more than a printing service – it is now able to offer a comprehensive service which includes consulting and advising organisations on their election processes, offering a range of services to improve engagement amongst members. The introduction of electronic voting and other ‘online’ solutions have equipped UK Engage to become a major contender in this field. Today, the brand runs internal elections, AGMs, training sessions and workshops for NHS foundation trusts, social housing providers, professional bodies, cooperatives, charities and Business Improvement Districts, amongst others.
John Foster and Stephen Power have built a company that has, over the past 15 years, gone from strength to strength. Co-founder Stephen Power had this to say about the anniversary. “Print Image Network has always been a forward thinking company, both brands are evolving and adapting to the market sectors in which they operate. We are well-prepared to meet the expectations our customers have for us in the future; we’re delighted to celebrate 15 years in business and we are looking forward to the next 15!”
John Foster added, “2015 has been quite a year. No one would deny that, at times, it’s been challenging for all involved but at the same time we have overcome challenges for all our customers to ultimately deliver successful elections. This year we have also retained our Customer Service Excellence standard, which means that we have been recognised as achieving excellent customer service. No other electoral services provider holds this standard and we are extremely proud that we’ve been able to maintain such high standards and pass our three-year assessment with flying colours.”
Since the early days the company has substantially increased its workforce, increased its product and service portfolio to encompass all modern needs and its customer base is growing each month.
With the introduction of IER, 2014 was a busy year for local authorities and electoral services providers alike. The replacement of the old ‘household registration’ system in place of IER - Individual Electoral Registration proved unfamiliar territory for all involved.
In January 2015, following the main initial IER roll-out, Print Image Network decided to send out a customer satisfaction survey to customers. The purpose of the survey was to understand how its service was received by customers during IER, which was described as ‘the biggest change to voter registration in a generation’ by the Cabinet Office.
The results pleased the electoral printing specialist as they confirmed that customers had indeed been satisfied with the service they received during IER. The results also contributed to Print Image Network’s successful three-year Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation reassessment; something that no other election provider has achieved.
Services Director, Stephen Power commented about the survey results “To achieve great feedback from our customers during what has proven to be a very challenging experience for local authorities and service providers throughout the UK, makes us extremely proud. The CSE accreditation is only awarded to companies which drive customer-focused change within their organisations, this is something that the team at Print Image Network works very hard to do.”
Highlights from the IER-related survey include:
• Overall satisfaction: 100% of customers were ‘extremely satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the service they received throughout the IER transition
• Sales & Account Management: Scores for the sales contacts and account managers were either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ – both ranked highly for their responsiveness to customers
• Products: 100% of customers thought its products were of ‘high quality’ and believed that the application of the IER templates was ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’
Managing Director, John Foster was also pleased at the survey results. “Historically our customers have told us they receive an excellent service from us, therefore we felt it was important to understand if we had managed to maintain our high service levels during the complexities of the IER transition. I'm delighted to say, we did.”
Print Image Network will get its full CSE assessment scores during the next few months.
Print Image Network Ltd, one of the UK’s leading providers of local authority electoral printing services, will once again be joining local authorities from across the country at the Annual Conference for the Association of Electoral Administrators, 1-4 February 2015. The specialist electoral printing company will attend as both a conference delegate and exhibitor, showcasing products at Stand 12 throughout the four day event.
With a strong heritage in electoral services including the design, print, fulfilment and postage of canvass materials, poll cards, postal voting packs and ballot papers, Print Image Network is one of the best-placed specialists in the country to handle issues due to be discussed at the event.
The four-day event welcomes an array of expert speakers to the plenary sessions including Toby James, a senior lecturer in British and Comparative Politics who will open the conference and Sam Gyimah, MP Minister for the Constitution who will deliver the keynote speech.
John Foster, Managing Director of Print Image Network said of the forthcoming conference “2015 will be a crucial year for electoral administration with individual registration well under way and UK Parliamentary General Election and other combined elections taking place. Print Image Network welcomes another opportunity in the electoral services calendar to discuss the issues that are likely to arise over the next year and to subsequently work with councils to address them.”
Services Director, Stephen Power added “Managing the complexities that Parliamentary, local elections and electoral registration bring can be especially testing for local authorities. We know that our customers depend on us to help steer them through their busy election periods. Planning the print schedule for combined postal votes and poll cards, plus ballot papers, not to mention numerous registration mailings and other ancillary products during a Parliamentary Election year is no mean feat, yet our experienced account management team handle this with true professionalism each and every time.”
The Association of Electoral Administrators Conference is being held 1-4 February 2015 at Brighton Metropole Hotel, Brighton.