Friday, November 28, 2008

December Art Show Listing


We are featuring artists from all over the United States in our December 2008 Art Show Listing. Click here to see the Art Show Listing.

If you have a show coming up and would like it listed, please send us the details so that we can include your show. Click here to learn how to submit information for our Art Show Listing.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

A Note About Customer Service

We regularly receive what we call "love notes" from customers thanking us for our dedication to high quality products and excellent customer service. As manager of customer service, I know that we provide excellent service, but I wonder from time to time WHY exactly people get so excited about it. The reason I wonder why is because when it comes down to it, we're not doing anything extraordinary. Simply put, we answer the phone when people call. We respond to all e-mails within 1 business day. And we guarantee our work 100%. It's not that complicated.

Yesterday I had a pretty bad customer service experience with another company. I'm moving this weekend and I needed to call the utility companies to change the services into my name at my new place. I'm moving Friday and the customer service agent from this utility company was trying to schedule my appointment to turn on the heat for next Wednesday. NEXT WEDNESDAY?!?! I live in Buffalo, NY. You can't go without heat for 5 days in the winter in Buffalo.

Naturally, this concerned me.

I brought up my concern and the customer service agent just kept repeating that the earliest appointment available was next Wednesday. Finally, I said, "Listen, I understand that the earliest appointment is Wednesday. But I need to talk to you about something else. I need to deal with this problem." After some coaxing, I got her to actually acknowledge my concern and help me solve the problem, but it was a pain in the you know what and really frustrating. I felt helpless. The person I had called for help was not helping me.

Whenever something like that happens, I always think to myself: THAT is why people love dealing with iPrintfromHome.com so much. They're so used to dealing with BAD customer service that they can't believe their luck when they call us and we actually help them.

When I first meet people and tell them I work in customer service they always moan and say something to the effect of, "That must be awful. How do you stand it?"

I always smile and confidently say, "I love my job."

It's true. I really do love my job. My job is to help people and helping people feels great, especially when our company policies make helping people so easy. Like I said earlier, we do three simple things:

1. We answer the phone when people call. We won't put you on hold or make you talk to a robot.
**If we don't answer because the lines are busy, leave a message and we'll call you back right away (usually within 30 mins).
2. We respond to all e-mails within 1 business day.
3. We guarantee our work 100%, regardless of whose fault it is.

What it all boils down to is this: we exist as a company because we have customers who take advantage of our services. We know how important you customers out there are to our business. At iPrintfromHome.com, we are here to provide you with a service you value, a service you can trust and a company you can rely on to help make things right if you run into a problem.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

ACEO Prints


Something pretty cool happened at the end of last week that I'd like to tell you about.

We just recently began offering ACEO Prints. We kept getting e-mails from customers asking us if we print ACEOs, but the customers always also included the print size in the e-mail. So we always answered based on the print size, saying, "Yes, we do print 2.5x3.5 prints. You can order them as wallet prints." Then one day we decided to do a little research and find out what ACEOs actually were.

We found out that ACEO is an acronym that stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. And, we found some more good information in this eBay Guide: So, what is ACEO anyway?

We searched eBay and Etsy to see who was selling ACEOs and how they made them, we got some advice from our customers, and then we started officially offering them. We sent out the first official announcement on Friday in our eNewsletter and then the cool stuff that I mentioned in the beginning of this post started to happen...people started reacting almost immediately.

We got a bunch of orders and questions about ACEOs. But the thing that I find most exciting is that customers started posting the fact that we offer ACEO prints in their blogs, in the Etsy forums and on their websites -- real people out on the web who are a part of the communities we're working with, were out there talking and typing about what we're doing over here at iPrintfromHome.com.

We love that.

We're really happy that you're noticing the moves we're making and that you're excited about the different ways that we can help you at iPrintfromHome.

Keep sending those e-mail requests. We're listening. :o)

Friday, November 7, 2008

November Art Show Listing


We are featuring artists from all over the United States in our November 2008 Art Show Listing. Click here to see the Art Show Listing.

If you have a show coming up and would like it listed, please send us the details so that we can include your show. Click here to learn how to submit information for our Art Show Listing.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Hello, everybody!


So we just started this blog yesterday with a few posts about our business, some of our services, and an announcement about our aStore. Today I want to introduce myself as the author of this blog and give you an idea of how we intend to use it.

Basically, I plan to update the blog once or twice a week. I'm going to share stories with you about my experience working at iPrintfromHome.com (iPfH), which means I'll post news and updates about our company. But I also plan to share the human side of our company through this blog, because that's what these things are really about anyway, right? We read blogs so that we can connect with other people, share ideas and get inspired.

So let me tell you a little about me. My name is Sara Campos and I've been working for iPfH for almost 3 years now. Even though I've only been on the payroll for the last few years, I've actually been hanging around this company since I was a kid.

My dad, George Campos, started this business about 30 years ago. We began as a darkroom rental lab, servicing artists and professional photographers who wanted to have more control over their printing but didn't want to go to a custom lab, didn't have access to their own darkroom, or maybe didn't have the money to invest in creating their own facilities at home.

The company evolved through the years: we became a custom lab at one point - we made websites, videos and print displays - and we did some consulting. And now, almost 30 years later, we're still basically doing the same thing that we were doing back when the Campos Photography Center first opened its doors.

At iPrintfromHome.com, we're still helping artists and professional photographers create excellent reproductions of their work by giving them access to professional systems and technologies that they may not be able to access on their own without paying a hefty fee for the service and/or use of the machines. And the cool thing this time around is that now, with the advent of digital photography, we can help you do it all from the comfort of your home or studio or anywhere you happen to be.

The part I play at this company is actually really fun for me. I manage customer service and work on business development. Doing both of those things simultaneously is really interesting and exciting because I get to hear directly from the customers and then turn around and use that information to make suggestions about what development ideas we should pursue as a business.

In this blog, I plan to let you in on my thinking process and ask you to share your suggestions as you have them. At iPrintfromHome.com, we're just people helping people. And the best way to do that is to find out what people need and then figure out how we can deliver it in a way that benefits everyone. That's exactly what we've been doing for the last 30 years and we look forward to continuing the journey with you.

Welcome to our blog. Thanks for taking the time to read our posts. And, please feel free to share your ideas...we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Introducing the iPrintfromHome.com aStore!


The aStore just went live yesterday!

At iPrintfromHome.com we are focused on servicing Artists and Professional Photographers. While we love helping you make excellent reproductions of your work, we also know that you need a whole host of other products to facilitate your career and make your business work, including Portfolio Supplies, Framing Supplies, and Computer Software and Hardware. Yesterday, we opened an aStore (powered by Amazon) that has all of those things for sale. Click here to check it out.

Also, if you have any suggestions for products we should add, send them our way! The aStore is meant to make life easier for you -- so if you think we're missing anything, please let us know.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

iPrintfromHome.com Art Show Listing


We are featuring artists from all over the United States in our October 2008 Art Show Listing. Click here to see the Art Show Listing.

Each month we include a listing of Art Shows in which our customers are participating in our monthly eNewsletter. Our eNewsletter is sent to more than 20,000 iPrintfromHome.com customers all across the country, most of whom are visual artists and photographers.

If you have a show coming up and would like it listed, please send us the details so that we can include your show. Click here to learn how to submit information for our Art Show Listing.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

iPrintfromHome.com Intro


At iPrintfromHome.com, we are focused on servicing artists and professional photographers. We know how important your images are to you and we take pride in producing excellent reproductions of your work.

• We use professional quality archival materials.
• We won’t second guess you on color and we won’t crop your work unless you ask us to.
• All orders are produced with care and attention to detail and most orders are shipped within 24 hours.
• No set-up fee. No minimum order requirement. Hassle-free ordering.

You’ve come to the right spot. We understand what you’re looking for. Let us help you image your imagination.