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Specialties orders can be taken by phone. Most customers are not aware of this service.

Strengths: The company's innovation and baked goods are its strengths. Customers can place orders using an iPad. Once the order is placed, the customer takes a handheld device which vibrates when the order is ready. These types of technologies speed up the ordering and receiving process thus saving customers time. The baked goods at Specialties are excellent.

Needs to improve: There is sometimes not enough space to sit and enjoy a meal during lunch at Specialties. Waiting for an available seat can be inconvenient and time consuming.

The company has human resources and offices in various parts of the country that may work on a given project. This may affect communication and project speed.

Strengths: Kent Landsberg's strengths are its customer service, resources and pricing. When concerns arose about colors used on packaging it was producing, Kent Landsberg representative quickly called a meeting with me and it's key, related personnel in order to address the concerns and fix it. The company also seemed to be well staffed with experts that were able to address the concerns. Kent Landsberg's pricing was very competitive.

Needs to improve: Turnaround time is not a strength of Kent Landsberg. It took longer than expected to receive a prototype of the packaging in question despite the design being relatively simple.

The online search and ordering process is very intuitive and fast.

Strengths: Fast shipping is Uline's strength.

Needs to improve: Poor selection is a weakness of Uline. The company only sells foam blackboards in quantities of at least 12. If less are needed, customers need to pay for more because smaller quantities are no available.

The company has been in business for a long time and so has developed extensive expertise in its field and a large line of products.

Strengths: Stephen Gould's strengths are its knowledgeable sales representatives and fast responses to requests. The sales representative I worked with understood my packaging needs thoroughly and was very aware of the various Stephen Gould product offerings and helped me understand the options. He also responded promptly to emails and phone calls whenever questions arose.

Needs to improve: The prices offered by Stephen Gould were higher than competitors.

Beyond printing, Almaden Press also will build and maintain an online store (of brochures) for clients.

Strengths: Almaden Press's strengths are its speed and responsiveness. The company prints brochures in just a couple of days. I also always receive fast responses to inquiries I have. The company is also very good at taking on any unexpected challenges such as requests for particular certificates for print jobs.

Needs to improve: Occasionally, the quality of a brochure printed by Almaden Press may be poor. There may be a letter missing, or an unexpected black dot here or there. But the company always quickly addresses any concerns.