Executive Q&A: Gina Testa, vice president, Worldwide Graphic Communications, Xerox Corporation

1. Tell me a little about your company, the segment of the market it serves, and what you consider to be your "core" users.

Xerox Corporation is the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management. From desktop printers and multifunction office systems to high-speed color presses, outsourcing and digital imaging, we provide the industry’s broadest portfolio of document technology, services and software; and the most diverse array of business process and IT outsourcing support. We span all types and sizes of organizations serving schools, small businesses, government agencies, commercial printers and Fortune 1000 companies. We work extremely hard to provide an entire value proposition that is unmatched in the industry, focused on the right technology, workflow and business model and how they enable more applications and ultimately more revenue growth for our customers.

In the graphic communications space our “core” users are businesses of all shapes and sizes – from large Fortune 500 companies to small quick print operations. Xerox has solutions and services to help companies increase business, cut costs and find a better way to get things done.

2. How did you get involved with the company? What is your background before that?

I began my career at Xerox as an intern in the auditing department while receiving an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology. I have spent the last 25 years in various roles including marketing for the Color Solutions Business Team in the Office Document Products Group; vice president/general manager of the Quick & Franchise Print segment and vice president, Business Development for the Production Systems Group.

Currently, I am the vice president of Worldwide Graphic Communications responsible for helping Xerox graphic communications industry customers around the world profit and grow their business with digital printing. I’m also heavily involved in business development strategies for Xerox including developing marketing programs and tools to make sure customers thrive when they buy Xerox products.

3. What do you consider your greatest achievement in this market to be?

Our customers’ success. We listen and partner with customers to help them excel at everything they do. But it’s not mutually exclusive, helping our customers makes us a better company. Xerox has an unwavering commitment to providing the right technology, workflow and business model to help print providers take advantage of the opportunities in digital printing. Our business development tools and services are resources created with the success of our customers in mind. I was personally involved in the development of ProfitAccelerator, which now includes more than 100 tools, kits and programs to help print providers market and grow their business.

We place an extremely high value on customer feedback. In fact, the iGen family was developed (and is so successful) because the voice of the customer was brought directly into our R&D labs. We used Xerox Lean Six Sigma and Design for Lean Six Sigma to create a disciplined approach to defining and understanding what the customer was facing so engineers could address the right solutions for both current and potential custom­ers. And because we listened to their needs, customers are finding incredible success with the Xerox iGen4.

For example, DMM, Inc., a direct marketing solutions provider based in Scarborough, Maine, produced a fundraising campaign for the Biodiversity Institute on its iGen4 press. “Adopt-a-Loon” postcards were designed to raise awareness and drive funding for the institute’s environmental efforts – sharp detail and accurate color reproduction were musts to preserve the quality of the wildlife photography. The campaign resulted in 80 new loon “adoptions” and a 14.4 percent increase in donations over the previous year.

4. If there was anything you could change, either about your career in regards to the print industry, your company, or the market as a whole, what would it be and why?

There has been a lot of talk about the new Web 2.0 world and the conversion to online only but documents are everywhere and digital printing remains an industry bright spot. According to Caslon, digital color page volumes are expected to increase 10 times by 2015 to 330 billion pages in the US, with similar growth in Europe.

Just look at the explosion of custom content, personalization and cross media marketing. Printing is more alive and impactful than ever. Customization and cross media is getting easier and more economical every day. Scalable solutions from XMPie make it possible to create dynamic campaigns that generate significant results. And printing isn’t just for paper. We’re extending to new applications like printed electronics, new packaging applications and more. Additionally, offset and digital were previously viewed as adversaries but are now working together to increase volumes.

5. What do you consider the greatest challenge to be for the industry right now? Why?

Without a doubt it is print providers being tasked with doing more with less. They not only need to maintain, but also grow volume, uncover new opportunities and ultimately increase profits with less time, less personnel and less margin for error. The most successful companies I see are those looking at increased personalization, better and more integration with print/Web/e-mail, or branching out into adjacent markets such as the photo industry and packaging market.

Adding to this challenge is the amount of information created and shared. Did you know that 281 exabytes of information were created last year? That’s five million times the information in all the books ever written! We’re overloaded with information and it’s more important than ever for marketers and print service providers to cut through the clutter to make messages stand out. According to a Romano & Broudy study for the Digital Printing Council, adding color, name and a personalized message increases response rates by 500 percent. Using personalized communications with integrated cross-media communications, the worlds of print and electronic media are coming together to generate significant measurable improvement in achieving business objectives.

6. What do you consider the greatest asset to be for the industry right now? Why?

Our industry has terrific innovators who are constantly changing with the times. Print providers are extremely resilient and entrepreneurial, turning to digital technology and tools to overhaul their businesses with new applications, new efficiencies and new ways to do business.

And we’re trying to do our part by providing the right mix of innovation and proven hardware technology, software and services. With digital print on demand and applications like direct mail, photo specialty and transpromo, print providers are able to offer additional value to their clients by managing costs, only printing on an as needed basis, and increasing ROI with more personalization. Xerox workflow solutions help customers connect with their clients over the Web, automate processes to streamline operations and reduce costs. Additionally, our business development tools and resources are designed to help printers grow their business.

7. In your opinion, what have been the biggest changes to the way we communicate with one another in the past few years? How would you recommend this industry take advantage of that?

The increase in personalization is astounding. We are doing things with digital printing that was unheard of not too long ago. Today, I open my credit card bill and see personalized ads based on purchases from my last trip to the grocery store. I can even buy golf balls for my husband with his name on the box!

Another change I’ve noticed is the increasing need for efficient workflow. The average run length of print jobs has dropped, while the number of individual print jobs that must be processed has exploded. Therefore providers must have an improved, end-to-end print manufacturing processes and more automation to profitably handle the sheer volume of jobs received.

8. Looking ahead, what major innovations or technologies do you believe will shape the future of the industry? Why?

As market leaders in digital printing, we believe xerography, inkjet and offset printing will coexist well into the future, each chosen based on its strength for specific applications. We believe digital printing will ultimately become the predominant technology, and that there is a place for both toner and inkjet. For that reason, we are investing in multiple technologies so we can continue providing a variety of alternatives to address our customers’ needs. In fact, there was a lot of excitement around inkjet at Ipex when we previewed our high-speed production inkjet technology at the show. The technology delivers vivid image quality on low cost, untreated papers without any special coatings or bonding agents. We’re still in the development stage but interest was definitely piqued for what a device like this could mean for the industry.

I also see the ways in which we communicate continuing to change. There are so many different ways to communicate now with e-mail, SMS and various social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and we need to take advantage of these tools to stay in touch with customers. For example, with my New Business of Print video series I am able to share important insights and trends I see from talking with peers and customers in a non-traditional way. Xerox also started a blog (http://realbusinessatxerox.blogs.xerox.com) to give a look at how the company operates and keep an open dialogue with employees, customers, industry pundits as well as perspective customers.

9. What is the biggest piece of advice would you give to printers and others involved in this industry?

To put it simply, innovate and differentiate. Operating status quo is not an option and print providers need to create value for their customers by bringing something new to the table. Print providers need to assess equipment, software and business model needs and make necessary investments.

By embracing the unique capabilities of digital printing, they can stretch marketing dollars with applications such as direct mail, transpromo, newsletters and business identity materials. Continuing to find ways to improve productivity and developing new value-added services that will improve business by bringing in new customers.

At Graph Expo 2010, we’ll be showcasing our commitment to delivering what our customers need to make them succeed in real business today. Through live demonstrations, Real Business Live presentations and examples of successful applications we’ll connect customers to new ways to drive business and maximize profits.

10. Is there anything else you would like to share with Printing News readers?

Rest assured, the future of print is bright and we’re excited about the evolution of the industry. We’re working on new ways to connect with customers such as Real Business Live and Thought Leadership sessions using a variety of venues including the Gil Hatch Center of Innovation in Webster, N.Y., and major locations around the world. We’re also engaging with customers more and more via social media efforts—interacting on our corporate blogs, through twitter and Facebook and sharing video captured at various industry events.

The pace of business isn’t slowing down. The overwhelming creation of information every second is speeding up and, with that, the expectations of our customers and their customers are becoming more demanding. Whether it’s cutting through clutter, making it personal or printing with ‘green’ in mind, Xerox can help. We are committed to finding the right answer and helping our customers prosper with print no matter how simple or complex the challenge.