Testimonials

   1. The Problematic Annual Directory

Problem:
This publisher was producing a 770-page annual directory involving several databases. Prior to Data Management’s involvement, the composition work had been done by another vendor, and the publisher was quite frustrated with the entire process.

Solution:
Two of our production people were assigned to the project. About half the pages were composed using QuarkXPress and the other half using VersaComp, our database publishing solution. The project went smoothly the first year, and we’ve been doing the work ever since.

What they said:
“Before choosing Data Management as our typesetter, this job was fraught with fits and starts, missed deadlines, inaccuracies, and out-and-out mistakes. With your help, our yearbook project has transformed from a yearly anxiety attack to a well-oiled machine.”

“The quality that makes Data Management stand out among our vendors is the proactive way you help us do this project better, saving us time and money and making our job easier. Your desire to keep pace with the constant evolution of technology is evident in your frequent suggestions of new ways we can be more efficient. You don't just do the work we pay you to do; you also help us solve problems.”

“In addition, the work we receive from Data Management is always accurate and on time, and it always comes from a friendly, conscientious, and knowledgeable staff.”

Problem:
This manufacturer was producing an annual series of 18 price books. When we became involved the manager responsible for the project was extremely frustrated with the previous vendor. She’d spent many hours looking at proofs that were full of errors, many of which were actually caused by the vendor’s deficient process.

Solution:
This project was assigned to one of our programmers who made the project go smoothly. It was a true night and day experience for our customer.

What they said:
“I'm writing to thank you and the entire staff of Data Management, Inc. for your excellence in project management, customer service, quality workmanship, and innovative ideas. Each year, Data Management has helped to modernize and expedite the price publication process. You have all been a pleasure to work with, kept a great attitude in the face of great challenges, and made it easy for me to come back with revisions. Your attitude has been that it's all in a day's work.”

Problem:
The publisher was producing a catalog every six weeks that had to be exactly 72 pages. The page layout requirements were exacting and hundreds of photo images had to be properly inserted. The publisher was surprised when we said that we believed the pages could be built with a computer program.

Solution:
One of our programmers wrote a program to build the pages with a fully automated process. The tricky part was to make the book exactly 72 pages in length with no wasted space on the last page. The logic of our program works this way. It composes one potential solution after another in rapid succession over a period of several hours. As each “potential composition fit” is completed the last page is tested to see if it meets the specification requirements. If it does not, the program goes on to the next potential solution. A process that had taken our customer several weeks using desktop publishing technology was reduced to a matter of hours.

What they said:
“Data Management took our raw data file and wrote the program to dynamically generate our catalog. A process that once took several weeks now runs in just a few hours! The staff at Data Management has been a pleasure to work with all along. They are reliable, engaged, and always attentive to our requests.”

Problem:
This medical insurance company produces a large number of medical provider directories. The work is problematic because the supplied data comes from a variety of sources, and is inconsistent in a variety of ways. The schedule is typically very tight.

Solution:
We developed a series of automated steps to “prep” the data before taking it into the composition process. During this process a number of data fixes are performed. The fields are reordered; some fields are split, and some joined; caps to caps and lower case conversions are performed; some missing information is inserted programmatically, the formatting of phone numbers is corrected; and sorts are performed. The time required for data prep time is greatly compressed.

What they said:
“I want to let you know what a great job your team at Data Management has done. Working with Allan, Gene, and Connie has been a pleasure. They provide me with a valuable resource that makes my job so much easier. Keep up the great work.”

Problem:
This publisher of scientific and technical textbooks uses offshore vendors for some of their composition work. They do this because of the competitive pricing these vendors offer. However, communicating with non-native speakers of English can be challenging. Also, the technical workforce at some offshore vendors sometimes changes as workers move from one company to another.

Solution:
All the workers at Data Management are native English speakers, and we work hard at clear communication. We are fortunate to have been able to retain our highly skilled people for the long haul. Furthermore, our efficiency and low overhead enable us to offer competitive pricing. For these reason, this publisher calls us their preferred vendor.

What they said:
"Thanks. The proofs look wonderful. Very professional job. Good work."