New Websites up and running

I have never had a baby, but I’m beginning to get an inkling of what it feels like to give birth.  It’s unbelievable just how much work can go into one computer system and we’re still not quite finished.  Months and months of hard work have gone into our new system and this week just gone feels like I’ve been in labour for about 80 hours!  We’re almost there – the gallery looks a bit bare, but we will be adding to that on an ongoing basis.

So if you want to check out the new look website, head over to www.graphicus.co.uk and take a look around.

The team have been magnificant – everyone has rallied round to get the jobs done that were needed and no one has complained about any of it.  Carrie has put in extra hours to get products and images loaded, Judith has tracked lots of shop products that have never been on the website before and is working hard to get those uploaded.  Denise and Emma have been getting to grips with the new till in the shop with it’s barcode scanner and touch screen computer.

We have a new trade site over at Elusive Images too, so Lynn has set up trade customers with accounts and helped to set up the home page of Graphicus.  She is also putting her expert knowledge to good use by editing product descriptions and adding extra details such as links to similar products or alternative products.  Most of the team have new computers, so Adrian has spent the last couple of weeks setting those up, installing the new software, setting up backup procedures, checking security and anti-virus, while caring for his mum every weekend and visiting his dad every day.

Val has quietly soldiered on, stocktaking the production department and keeping the presses running while the rest of us crawled around warehouse shelves unearthing obscure discontinued products from five years ago that we didn’t even know we still had.  Good news is we have a clearance section on the website now, so we can add these things as we find them.

We couldn’t have done it without Lesley who was drafted onto the project over a year ago and has battled with spreadsheets and databases until her head exploded.  Her other half David (chef) has been a very  good sport too – volunteering to stay till silly o’clock to help get the stock take done last weekend.

Our old loyalty scheme in the shop has been replaced with a shiny new Stash Point system which applies to both website and telephone mail order and shop sales alike.  The old shop loyalty cards can be used until Mach 31st, but if you have any part filled cards, bring them with you and we will convert them to stash points for you at the till.

It’s all good stuff, but be gentle with the girls, there’s so much to learn that it’s going to take a while for it all to sink in!  Graphicus Guild members should have their newsletter by now and if you want to order, it would be a big help if you could use the website rather than the phone to do it – partly to road test it for us and help iron out any problems, and partly because not all of the team are fully trained on the new system yet, so there are less people able to handle telephone orders right now.

I’ve written a guide to the new site which you can read over on the Graphicus Blog – it’s on it’s own Website Guide page.  Here’s just a summary of the ways the new system will benefit you.

New Features at a Glance

• Stash Points – earn points while you shop, then use them to get products for free later
• More accurate – better inventory control means you can see what is in stock
• Less back orders – you know what is in stock at the time you order so you can make an informed choice
• Email notification – be the first to know when we receive new stock
• Find products easier – search by brand, or by department – a lot of thought has gone into the department breakdown to make it easy to find products
• Better search facility – search starts matching products as soon as you start typing and narrows down the products the more you type
• Faster ordering – use QuickShop if you know product codes
• Guild prices visible – log in with your normal username and password to access Guild specials and prices (one less password to remember)
• New Affiliate scheme – if you have a website or blog, you can link to our site or to specific products and earn commission

If you have any comments or queries about the new site, you can use the contact page on the website to drop us a line (hey, it let’s us know it’s working!).  I know some of our trade customers read the blog too, so please feel free to check out the new www.elusiveimages.com too.

If you are a Graphicus Guild member or a trade customer, you should have received an email from us with your website username and password.  A lot of these have bounced back, so you may get a call or letter from us to check your email address.  If you haven’t had an email about the new site, then you will need to register before you can place an order, using the Register button at the top of the page next to Login.

Guild Members, please note – if you register yourself, you won’t be set up as a Guild Member, so call or email us to let us know you have registered and we can switch on the feature that lets you see Guild prices on any special offer items.

I hope you like the new websites, please bear with us during the adjustment period as there is a lot for everyone to learn.  The plan is though that once the dust has settled, the new system makes the whole company function more efficiently, leaving me more time to do creative stuff.  Who knows, this may be the year I finally get round to writing that book or filming that DVD …

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