FASTSIGNS Improves On-Line Offering for Customer Convenience in 4 Ways (11/00)

Since the day its first store opened fifteen years ago, FASTSIGNS has focused on making quality signage more readily accessible - first by locating stores in high-density retail and business areas, then by adding full-service project management to their offering. Now, with the September launch of its expanded e-commerce website at www.fastsigns.com, FASTSIGNS is just a click away.

Phase One of the FASTSIGNS e-commerce program brings four major conveniences to its customers:

1. Easy File Transfer
   When customers need to send a graphic file for use on a signage project to their local FASTSIGNS store, the new site's file transfer function makes it easier and faster than ever before.

   "This is a tremendous advance," says FASTSIGNS founder and CEO Gary Salomon. "We're providing a simple, secure way for customers to send us their logos and artwork without the delay or expense of shipping a disk, and without the technical glitches that you often run into when attaching a graphic file to an e-mail."

   Known for it commitment to being "E-Media Friendly", FASTSIGNS promises compatibility with virtually any graphic file, regardless of the platform or software it was created in. The company's Director of Technology, Jeff Youngblood, admits that it's a big promise. "There are endless variations in the files that people send us, and transmitting them all into formats we can use can get very complicated. But that's what FASTSIGNS is about - making it easy for the customer."

2. Instant Store Locator
   All US FASTSIGNS store locations are accessible from MapQuest mapping database. Customers can bring up detailed maps and point-to-point driving directions to and from the desired FASTSIGNS store.

   "This will be especially helpful for business travelers," Gary Salomon points out. "Say you're in another city for a convention or trade show, and you discover that you need a banner, an exhibit graphic or maybe a meeting sign. You can enter our website, find the nearest FASTSIGNS, and e-mail them the details about what you need. They can either create the sign for you, or they can contact the FASTSIGNS store in the city that you usually work with, ask them to send the files that they need and to make sure that the new graphics match the ones you brought from home."

3. Request For Quote Form
   Once a prospective customer has identified the FASTSIGNS store he/she prefers to work with, an online Request For Quote form makes it easy to inquire about the specific sign or project. Experts from that store will respond to all queries with detailed information, pricing, and free consultation if desired.
   

    

4. Make This My FASTSIGNS This feature on the new FASTSIGNS e-commerce site allows users to specify which of the network's 438 stores they want to work with regularly, so that the store's own homepage will automatically appear whenever they visit the site.

"This is the first time we've used internet technology to communicate with our customers on a large scale," says Jeff Youngblood. "We've made it as transparent as possible, and we expect it will help eliminate ambiguities in the ordering process. The online Request For Quote provides a simple, clear starting point to work with when the customer and the FASTSIGNS representative get together on the phone or in person to discuss the project."

Future phases of the e-commerce website project are being developed under the leadership of Director of E-Commerce, Willard Moon. A recently retired FASTSIGNS franchisee, Moon has an insider's insight into the needs of signage customers. His background as the former President of a large Dallas advertising agency and his success in building a million-dollar FASTSIGNS store uniquely qualify him to lead the development team in continuing the development of an e-commerce site that will empower clients, increase the speed of service, and bring the best in graphic technology to virtually any business, anywhere.

"The four elements of Phase One will further streamline the sign-buying process for our customers," says Willard Moon. "People who've never worked with FASTSIGNS before will find it easy to see what we can do for them, and people who are already loyal customers will find their interactions with us can become even more convenient."

But that, Moon says, is just the beginning. "We don't just sell signs," he explains. "We solve problems and provide solutions. We build long-term, supportive relationships with our clients. That's the way we do business. In future phases of this plan, our goal is to develop ways to bring that kind of depth right into the e-commerce venue, so that we can extend total service and support to every customer on every project - even by way of the internet."

FASTSIGNS International is the franchisor of the worldwide network of FASTSIGNS stores. FASTSIGNS provides the full range of custom sign and graphics products, including banners, safety and identification signage, trade show exhibits, exterior signage, and graphics for windows, floors, and vehicles. Headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, FASTSIGNS International has more than 438 Franchise locations worldwide.