April 19, 2005 -- Due to the pressure to make digital printing strategy a success, more and more print providers are searching for ways to design incentive and compensation plans that will advance their digital sales. However, there is currently only limited data and information available on which companies can base their practices. The Digital Printing Council is starting to fill this void. PIA/GATF's Digital Printing Council (DPC) and Human Relations Department have issued a call for incentive plans and job descriptions. From the collected plans, the DPC will publish a study that will analyze effective compensation plan design and goals for the fastest growing segment in the printing industry. In addition, samples of various types of incentive plans and job descriptions will be included. In Compensating Your Digital Team, a DPC research study from 2004, it was revealed that there is a lack of team compensation in digital printing companies and that sales representatives are not being offered any real incentives to sell ancillary services. "Last year's study showed that compensation plans in digital printing are in the early stages of evolution. In order for printers to really take advantage of their digital print capabilities and drive their business plan, they need to ensure that their compensation philosophy and design are directly supporting the business objectives and opportunities," said Jim Kyger, PIA/GATF's HR Director. "For example, ancillary service revenue of digital printers is significantly higher than that of non-digital companies, but most companies did not differentiate ancillary services in their commission rates. This should be an area that companies may want to examine more closely in terms of cost centers and incentives to increase sales and profit." Call and Study Details Most companies did not differentiate ancillary services in their commission rates. In the DPC study, five positions in companies with digital printing capabilities will be analyzed: sales representatives, sales managers, customer service representatives, digital press/printer operators, and database administrators. The study will examine the survey data from various types of incentive and compensation plans as well as present sample job descriptions and incentive plan documents, including formulas and spreadsheets of different types of plans. The Digital Printing Council study is scheduled to be published in November 2005. All DPC members will receive it as a benefit of membership. Non-DPC companies that participate in the study will also receive a copy of the final report. To participate in the survey, please go to: http://www.gain.net/human_relations/digitalprintcall.html The Digital Printing Council (DPC) is a premier program of PIA/GATF (Printing Industries of America, Inc. and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation). For more information, please contact [email protected]