Let’s face it, as hard as we try, we all occasionally mess up. A product doesn’t get delivered on time, or it’s not the item that was ordered. At such times, it’s all too easy to lose a customer, or worse — have the issue blown all out of proportion in social media. I believe such incidents, if they’re handled right, offer an opportunity to actually gain an even stronger customer relationship, one that can result in very positive social media expression.

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The shirt-maker. That’s what we’re calling the BN-20 now-a-days thanks to some recent conversations heard around the office. Turns out the young BN-20 VersaStudio (only 8 months old now) is making a splash in the decorated apparel market as a T-Shirt printer. You should have seen the crowds at our booth at ISS Long Beach last week. Everyone wanted a glimpse and a sample and some more info. They were 4 deep and blocking the aisle!

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Hello, and welcome to 2012! I got a simple email that really got me thinking more about how sign companies can focus on differentiating from the competition. Below is the question, and my response.

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Unless you’ve been meditating on a mountain top in Tibet, you’ve heard about Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant included with the Apple iPhone 4S. Ask Siri to find a restaurant, make a call, or when your next appointment is, and she’ll respond appropriately. Recently, I’ve also had the opportunity to try out Kinect, the motion-sensing input device included with Microsoft’s Xbox console. Both Siri and Kinect offer user interfaces that are charming, intelligent and easy to use.

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Here in the US, the 2012 elections are almost a year away, but you can vote for Roland DG right now in what will also undoubtedly be a hotly contested race. Don’t worry, I’ll never use this space to discuss politics, but Roland DG products have been nominated for the 2012 Wide Format Imaging Readers’ Choice Top Product Awards in 5 categories.

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Well, it’s that time of year again. Among all the shopping, parties, sporting events, and other distractions, here at Roland DGA we’ve spent the last few months forecasting our sales and formulating strategies for 2012.

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We recently conducted a survey of our users who have “metallic capable” devices from our lineup, and we found some amazing nuggets I’d like to share. The survey was sent to 500+ users, with a 29% response rate, enough that the results are statistically significant. For starters, 61% of those units are set up to run our metallic Eco Sol Max inks.

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I had breakfast with Jack, one of Roland DGA’s service managers this morning. We do this occasionally when he is in town from his home base of Wisconsin, and since greasy spoons are in pretty short supply here in southern Orange County, we always seem to wind up at The Snooty Fox. If you’re ever visiting us for training or a demo, I recommend it.

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I don’t know about your office, but ours runs at 100mph for most of the year. I’m sure you can relate. If it’s not a tradeshow, it’s a product launch. If it’s not a product launch, it’s budget time. If it’s not budget time, it’s a web redesign. And so it goes. The best part is, that no matter how busy we are, we always manage to squeeze in a little fun, mostly due to our quirky staff. Last week for example, the Occupy movement set up camp, right in our department! (Notice Romie, our web guy. He’s a total Mac-head and he made his “iProtest” sign on his iPad.)

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Laissez les bons temps rouler! Just got back from New Orleans and the 2011 SGIA tradeshow. Attendance was solid at over 16,000 (final numbers to be published soon) and — a stat I have a hard time believing — 35% were 1st time attendees to the show. Having new eyes on everyone’s products is a good thing for everyone including Roland DGA. While people weren’t stamped with a “1st Time Attendee” badge on their forehead (and I’m lobbying for it in the future) it meant that we had a great opportunity to make a first impression on everyone that we met at the show.

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