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New Name, New MIS Puts Tactive in Winning Position

Kevin Shaw | January 7, 2021

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When the owners of Print Resources changed the company’s name to Tactive, they hoped to better reflect the evolution of the business from being a print brokerage to a full-service print marketing shop specializing in “tactile and active” marketing pieces.
What the name couldn’t reflect is the work Tactive did behind the scenes to achieve that expansion, including investing in the Avanti Slingshot Print MIS.

Tactive converted to Avanti Slingshot in 2018 after years of using a more piecemeal solution. Co-owner Kurt Ellinger said his company needed an MIS that could adapt to a wide range of projects.

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“We were looking for something versatile, because we weren’t just a printer, we also did digital printing. So the MIS had to be able to do digital and large format, and it had to be able to integrate with our e-commerce sites. Avanti Slingshot really proved to be the right decision for us,” he said.

In addition to flexing with Tactive’s workload, Avanti worked compatibly with its other software solutions. For instance, Tactive was already using Salesforce as its external-facing customer relationships management tool. The Avanti Slingshot CRM module complemented Salesforce seamlessly by adding new functionality for storing customer history, invoices and other data.

Tactive also added a full accounting package from Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains). Not only did it integrate perfectly into the Slingshot system, but Avanti was willing to work with GP to get the software running perfectly. It’s that type of customer service, said Ellinger, that has made Avanti Slingshot worth every penny.

“Avanti is by far the most responsive software company I’ve ever dealt with. Typically, with a software company, you have to get on the support site and fill out a form, and then two weeks later you might hear something. That’s the complete opposite with Avanti. They immediately start working on whatever the issue is.”

Wondering if switching to Avanti Slingshot would benefit your business? Watch this Customer Success Story featuring Tactive.

 

Ellinger also likes that Avanti’s regular software updates list the items customers requested that have been addressed in the update. That proves to him that his requests and suggestions are taken seriously and addressed quickly.

Like most print shops, Tactive has seen large segments of its business go dark during the pandemic, most noticeably event clients who typically order large amounts of printed materials. The shop also had to put its production staff on alternating shifts to adhere to public health guidelines and keep everyone safe. Even so, with its print MIS working smoothly, Tactive has maintained a steady workflow and managed to avoid layoffs. Ellinger feels prepared to go full speed ahead as soon as the economy opens and companies hit the “go” button on backlogged projects.

His advice to his fellow print shop owners: “I know this is a tough time, but think of new things to be, new things to sell and just stay at it.”

Perhaps you’re considering an MIS conversion like Tactive to set up your shop for post-COVID success. Let our product specialists at Avanti Systems provide a free demo or answer your questions.