Web-to-mail portal increases print volume and profits— and continues to grow.

StayGuestBest-of-the-Best Contest Honorable MentionXerox Premier Partners Global Network Case Study

StayGuest,Direct Marketing

ODS–Office Data Service GmbHBased in Berlin, Germany, ODS–Office Data Service GmbH is a full-service printer specializing in much more than production. They provide their wide range of advertising, services and public sector clients with everything from consulting and creative development to printing and mailroom services.

In addition to running a service-based, customer-focused business, ODS–Office Data Service GmbH is a leader among Berlin businesses in sustainability (specifically carbon neutral production), quality management and data security.

On the web: www.o-d-s.de www.StayGuest.de

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The challengeNo matter where you go, hotel and restaurant management is one of the toughest businesses in the world. The key to success is simple. Acquire new customers and retain your regular guests, but making it happen isn’t always so easy. In addition to an ultra-competitive marketplace, many hotels and restaurants are too busy or lack the expertise and budget to create effective direct marketing materials.

The solutionSensing an opportunity to cater to this niche market, Berlin-based ODS–Office Data Service GmbH decided to supplement their traditional commercial print jobs by developing a web-to-mail portal—StayGuest.

StayGuest allows hotels to quickly and easily create their very own postcard mailings with little to no marketing knowledge. Five simple steps walk the customer through the process, from selecting the occasion to choosing a template to inserting editable copy. They can even customize their postcard with their own pictures, signatures and logos. After they upload their address database via an Excel or text file, they receive a PDF print preview and approve the piece. The entire process can be completed in less than five minutes.

Variable data printing and short-run capabilities are vital to the success of any web-to-print or web-to-mail endeavor. ODS–Office Data Service GmbH relies on an EX Print Server, powered by Fiery®, a Xerox® 700 Digital Color Press and the DocuColor® 5000 Digital Color Press to keep up with the orders as they come in. Also helping bring this service to life were the Marketing Accelerator Kit and Prepress for Digital Printing book, two of the Xerox ProfitAccelerator® business development resources.

The benefitsSince StayGuest was launched at a German direct marketing trade show in September 2008, ODS–Office Data Service GmbH has been steadily acquiring customers and increasing print volumes. Currently 88 hotels use the StayGuest system, accounting for several thousand postcards each month.

The benefits of this innovative service go beyond the increased print volume and revenue directly related to their new clients. The industry knowledge and expertise ODS–Office Data Service GmbH acquired during the development of StayGuest has allowed them to restructure their company-wide digital workflow, increasing productivity across their entire enterprise.

Most important of all, StayGuest clients are delighted with the new service. Here’s a sample of what they’re saying:

“In August 2008, our hotel mailed 118 postcards through StayGuest to advertise our winter offer. Within a very short time, we had 15 bookings for several nights. With such a great response and such little outlay in time and money, we will certainly use StayGuest again.”

—Ms. Anne Steffien, Sales Manager, Hotel Kurfuerst, Berlin

Best-of-the-Best ContestXerox Premier Partners Global Network