The Client
The Combined Book Exhibit® is one of the most widely recognized and highly respected
names in the publishing community. For almost 75 years, CBE has been showcasing
published works at national and now international book shows and expos, becoming
a dependable resource for the publishers it serves, and the librarians and educators
who depend on it. THE COMBINED BOOK EXHIBIT’S® reputation with publishers has helped
it grow into one of the biggest—if not the biggest—exhibitor at each show it attends,
while it’s reputation with educators and librarians makes it one of the busiest.
The Challenge
Leveraging a $5 billion library market for Book Publishers
CBE deals with thousands of publishers and tens of thousands of books on a yearly
basis, management of the system was getting harder as the company grew into new
avenues of business.
CBE had an outdated web presence and an unstable ordering process, thousands of
orders each month took a toll on the staff and inconsistencies in the database caused
a lot of inconvenience during large shows.
The need of the hour was a system that automated everything, starting from the subscription,
to tracking books, book placements, catalogue generation, payments, alerts on schedule
changes and payment processing.
In short the need was a complete automation solution that could streamline their
large operation.
The Solution
A custom web based office automation suite makes it happen.
We redesigned all 4 CBE websites and restuctured their database management systems,
using the latest MySQL 5 we saved thousands of dollars in licensing costs and gave
CBE unlimited scalability in their business processes.
The software includes a custom
subscription management system and a
CRM that tracks
the full circle from subscription to the process of procuring, transporting and
exhibiting thousands of books, software’s, DVDs, Periodicals and Magazines.
Every title entered into each fair is included in an online searchable database
located on the Combined Book’s official website. Each database will contain the
same information as the exhibit catalog (including pertinent title and company information)
as well as images of each title. For each catalog and database, the included information
is exactly as you want it to be, based on what you include when you fill out the
registration form.
The system is loved by the CBE team and we routinely assist them in enhancements
to help expand the system into new areas of business.
The Result
CBE now processes many times the number of orders from a few years ago and the process
is seamless with no stress on the staff or inconsistencies in the show catalog.
The system allows CBE to reach out to the publishers via a Newsletter management
system, email alerts keeps everybody in the loop at all times. This has not only
improved client confidence it has dramatically changed the company’s perception.
This power of a versatile software has propelled CBE into several new avenues of
business.