Can imagecare.com Hold On To Poll Position?

Walking into the plush reception at imagecare.com in Kingston-upon-Thames you might be surprised to see customers relaxing on sofas with a coffee while they check out their photographs.

imagecare.com, Kingston-upon-Thames

The four-year-old lab has built a reputation for putting customers first and staff are only too happy to sit with photographers and discuss their exact requirements. But how did the lab come about?

Managing Director John Dunbar spent more than 30 years as a professional photographer on the Formula One Circuit and was looking for a new challenge. He was also frustrated with the poor quality of processing and customer service in photographic labs, so in 1998 he decided to set up his own lab - equipped with the latest digital technology, including the Fujifilm Frontier 350 digital printer.

"Now, approximately 90% of our new customers use us because friends have recommended imagecare.com to them. The quality, speed and reliability of our services have also attracted staff from other labs in Kingston - they know that Fujifilm equipment beats other manufacturers' hands down!"

With the installation of the Frontier 350 imagecare.com offers a wide range of services: 1 hour processing (including black and white); 2 hour, 24 hour, 3 day D&P and digital printing; E6 processing in 2 hours (which is unique within the town); any size enlargements, photo restoration, compilation and layout. The lab has also developed an extremely efficient way of dealing with orders. Instead of issuing customers with the standard tear-off receipt at the top of the order envelope, the lab uses a collection card system. Customers are given a numbered collection card which is then written on the order form. Staff can then identify the order by the number on the collection card, instead of by the customer's name.

"Many of our customers are students from the local university and colleges, so we come across a huge variety of names, especially when you consider that the colleges take applications from all round the world," said John. "The collection card system eliminates confusion and reduces the amount of time staff have to search for orders."

But imagecare.com is not about to sit back and enjoy its success - there are already plans in place to boost sales and bring in even more customers. Also on the cards for 2003, is to build on the popularity of John Dunbar's seminars for photographers.

Contact imagecare.com via the website or on 020 8451 5403.