spi global services overview

Maximize the Value of Your Content Online and Offline

Value | Driven

Table of Contents

Introduction ………………........................................................................... 1

I. Publishing Solutions ……………….................................................. 2

1.1 Production ………………............................................................. 21.1.1 Composition ............................................................. 21.1.2 Graphics ...................................................................... 21.1.3 Project Management ............................................ 21.1.4 XML/eDeliverables .................................................. 2

1.2 Editorial ..................................................................................... 31.2.1 Language Polishing ................................................ 31.2.2 Pre-editing .................................................................. 31.2.3 Copyediting ................................................................ 31.2.4 Proofreading .............................................................. 31.2.5 Indexing ....................................................................... 3

1.3 Conversion ............................................................................... 31.3.1 Digitization ................................................................ 41.3.2 Keyboarding ............................................................... 41.3.3 Format Conversion .................................................. 4

1.4 High Volume Data Encoding ............................................ 41.5 Peer Review Support ............................................................ 41.6 Production Editor .................................................................. 5

II. ePublishing and Digital Solutions .......................................... 5

2.1 eBooks ........................................................................................ 52.1.1 Format/Device Conversion .................................. 52.1.2 Enhanced eBooks ..................................................... 52.1.3 Fixed Layout ............................................................... 62.1.4 ePub 3.0 ....................................................................... 6

2.2 Multimedia .............................................................................. 62.2.1 Flash/HTML5 .............................................................. 62.2.2 App Development .................................................... 62.2.3 Mobile Content Development ............................ 6

2.3 Support ...................................................................................... 72.3.1 Testing and QA .......................................................... 72.3.2 Help Desk .................................................................... 7

III. Content Platforms and Technologies .................................... 7

3.1 Tools ............................................................................................ 73.1.1 SPiCE ............................................................................. 73.1.2 Proofing Systems ..................................................... 83.1.3 Workflow Systems .................................................. 8

3.2 Technologies ........................................................................... 83.2.1 ePub 3.0 ....................................................................... 83.2.2 HTML5 ........................................................................... 83.2.3 XML/XSLT ..................................................................... 83.2.4 .NET ................................................................................ 83.2.5 Javascript ..................................................................... 8

3.3 Content Platforms ................................................................ 93.3.1 Content Engineering .............................................. 93.3.2 Content Uploading/Processing ......................... 93.3.3 Database Design/Maintenance ........................ 9

IV. Content Enrichment ..................................................................... 9

4.1 Database Enrichment ......................................................... 94.2 Content Mining Support .................................................... 9

4.2.1 Taxonomies/Semantic Tagging ......................... 104.3 SME Support ........................................................................... 10

V. Marketing Services Support ..................................................... 10

5.1 Creative Services ................................................................... 115.2 Business Editorial................................................................... 115.3 Custom eCommunications ............................................... 115.4 Layout Services ....................................................................... 115.5 Business Research ................................................................. 11

VI. Customer Services Support ....................................................... 12

6.1 Help Desk .................................................................................. 126.2 Back Office Services .............................................................. 126.3 Contact Center ....................................................................... 12

VII. Technology ........................................................................................ 13

7.1 Innovation Lab ........................................................................ 13

Maximize the Value of Your Content Online and Offline 1

Introduction

SPi Global partners with companies to maximize the value of their content online and offline. With escalating costs of production and printing, changing customer preferences, and the need to adapt, SPi Global enables organizations to exploit and invest in new media technology. With a complete suite of digital, publishing, content enrichment, marketing and customer support services, we help companies gain a competitive advantage through our unique and innovative solutions.

For over 30 years, SPi Global has been helping leading publishers, not-for-profit organizations, information providers and Fortune 1000 companies increase their revenues, reduce costs, improve time-to-market, and automate operations. With over 500 clients and 7,000 content specialists, no job is too large for us.

We also have a 120-member content technology team developing and deploying technology-enabled solutions to meet the needs of our clients. Our R&D team in the SPi Global Innovation Lab is working on developing processes to support tomorrow’s products in a cross-media environment.

Year after year, SPi Global is recognized as the leading partner to publishers and those in the content industry. SPi Global has been recognized as an industry leader by the following groups:

This document describes our services and solutions in detail. Many of these solutions have been developed based on the needs of our clients and we can do the same for you.

Maximize the Value of Your Content Online and Offline2

I. Publishing Solutions

SPi Global offers a full spectrum of publishing solutions, ranging from Production and Editorial Services to Data Conversion and Peer Review Support. We’ve helped our clients increase revenues, reduce costs, improve time-to-market, and automate operations, offering the following solutions:

1.1 ProductionAs publishers face increasing pressure, many are turning to partners for professional resources and expertise. With our expertise in composition, graphics, project management and XML/eDeliverables, SPi Global can help publishers and information services companies reduce costs, speed time-to-market and develop new revenue streams. Today, SPi Global provides end-to-end solutions for a wide array of publishing clients. In journal publishing for example, we produce more than 1.2 million typeset pages for more than 1,000 journal titles in all. Production services include:

1.1.1 Composition SPi Global’s XML/SGML-first workflow features page composition tools and technologies that deliver complex content in a flexible, highly-stable format. This workflow speeds production times, accelerates multiple channel delivery and vastly increases return on investment. SPi Global performs page composition services using industry standard typesetting software – 3B2, LaTeX, and InDesign and we have extensive expertise with complex and technical content, (e.g., complex math and chemical structures), using MathML, TeX, LaTeX, and ChemDraw.

1.1.2 Graphics Using state-of-the art technologies and techniques, SPi Global’s team of more than 100 graphic artists analyze and optimize close to 35,000 author-supplied illustrations each month — most supplied in a wide range of formats and with varying levels of quality. Equipped with state-of-the-art color studios, our artists optimize images for a wide range of delivery formats and are adept in illustration, editing and color processing.

1.1.3 Project Management SPi Global project managers orchestrate the production of more than 750,000 pages every year, helping clients successfully migrate projects from onshore to offshore resources. As a result, we’ve helped clients realize cost savings while maintaining similar, if not superior, levels of service. SPi Global project managers routinely:

– Collate revisions from authors, editors, and proofreaders onto a “master proof”

– Contact authors to seek copyright permissions for the use of their artwork.

– Coordinate copyediting, composition and indexing workflows.

– Manage the editorial review process by liaising with the publisher, editors, and professional proofreaders.

– Monitor schedules and target completion dates to keep everything on track.

1.1.4 XML/eDeliverables SPi Global is an expert at using SGML/XML to create source documents for multi-channel content delivery, from PDFs to online articles. We can help you archive content in repositories and then set the stage for multi-purposing the content with other digital production and publishing systems. We’re also experienced working with all industry-standard, journal-specific DTDs and we have significant experience working with customer-specific DTDs. We can also generate and deliver electronic deliverables for various online platforms such as Highwire, Ovid, ScienceDirect, Atypon, Ingenta and PMC.


1.2 EditorialWith our deep expertise in editorial services, SPi Global’s editors, writers and content specialists are ready to put the finishing touches on information products, getting them ready for consumers by improving English usage, copyediting for style or indexing articles to improve search on the Internet. In addition, our editorial teams can help publishers and content providers launch information products faster and more effectively by maximizing the value of their content. Our highly skilled and trained in-house editors are complemented by a pool of qualified onshore freelance editors. Our Editorial Solutions include:

1.2.1 Language Polishing SPi Global provides English language improvement services for papers written by authors who are not native-born English speakers. Based in the Philippines and India, our language editors, who have decades of experience copyediting scholarly and STM content, “polish” the manuscript, improving grammar, removing redundancies, fixing problem sentences, and fine-tuning the language.

1.2.2 Pre-editing Our pre-editing services streamline the process for clients who copyedit content in-house. We format raw manuscripts, removing obvious formatting errors and other inconsistencies and making them ready for “copyediting” so they can focus on style or other more specific, value-added edits.

1.2.3 Copyediting SPi Global’s experienced copyeditors have been providing copyediting services since 1997 for many of the world’s leading publishers, copyediting more than 1 million pages in 2010 alone. SPi Global copyedits highly cited journals as listed in the ISI list of Top 500. We are familiar with various copyediting style manuals such as AMA, APA, CMS, CSE, and ACS and we can manage the onshore freelance copyeditors used by the publisher and we can provide a single seamless workflow to the client.

1.2.4 Proofreading As a final step, our editors will review information products, from online publications to printed magazines, before they are distributed to customers. Using the same guidelines as we use for copyediting manuscripts, we carefully proof next-to-final copy, ensuring that the content is accurate and follows earlier drafts.

1.2.5 Indexing SPi Global performs keyword indexing, author and name indexing, product indexing, subject/analytical indexing, and bibliographic indexing for over 650,000 pages every year. Our skilled indexers are subject matter experts in key fields and disciplines, and they create comprehensive style sheets that then allow for the development of detailed keyword, author, and subject indexes.

1.3 ConversionSPi Global earned its reputation for industry leadership as a data conversion powerhouse in the early 1980s and now offers a full range of conversion services, from simple data entry to complex content conversion projects. The company has translated a wide range of document formats (hard copy, ePub, MOBI, PDF, ASCII, microfilm, typesetting system application files, microfiche, etc.) and offers publishers and content aggregators an end-to-end solution — from data capture, high-speed and archival imaging, DTD/schema development, and metadata creation, to large-scale, tag-intensive SGML/XML transformation, and content quality assurance. In fact, over the past five years, SPi Global has converted over 150 million pages, including two of the largest conversion projects in STM publishing.


Our capabilities include:

• High volume data entry and OCR (99.5%-99.995% data accuracy rates).

• Conversion of complex source material from hardcopy, microfilm or digital Files to XML, SGML, any SQL-Compliant database or any Content Management System format. Electronic File Conversion between formats and from PDF, MS-Word and QuarkXpress to XML, SGML, ePub, MOBI or other client-specified formats.

• Creation of online PDF, eBooks as well as Print-on-Demand files.

• Digital preservation of Archival Materials, Brittle Books and Oversized Items.

• Ability to convert all Roman-character-based languages (eg, Latin, Danish, Gothic Letter forms) and transliterate some non-Roman-character-based languages (such as Hebrew, Arabic, and both traditional and simplified Chinese).

1.3.1 Digitization The opportunity for converting content from analog to digital is still significant. However, most of the more basic, straight forward projects have been completed. With our deep experience in conversion projects, we can help you make the right choices and avoid the mistakes others have made in digitizing large archival repositories, achieving significant economies of scale

1.3.2 Keyboarding Data entry still plays a key role for many conversion projects that require data capture from hard copy source files. For those projects, SPi Global has fine-tuned its capability to key in information quickly and efficiently and at the preferred accuracy rate for clients. For one major postal agency in Europe, for example, we’re entering postal codes, house numbers and other demographic information, keying in information from almost 500,000 images per day.

1.3.3 Format Conversion Many publishers still have vast repositories of old and new publications that need to be converted to a digital format. With our expertise in all aspects of the digitization and conversion process, we can perform these large-scale, and even small-scale, conversions with maximum efficiency and at the lowest cost. For one national library in Europe, we’re currently converting newspaper, magazine and other print articles into an ePub format and then posting them to the Internet for the client. We’ve converted up to 4,000 books and more than 1.5 million pages of content for this client, which logs downloads of between 100,000 and 140,000 of content daily.

1.4 High Volume Data Encoding Our data entry teams are also ready to encode data from image files into database records. We’re performing this work

for a large auto insurance company, accessing image files and then populating 20-30 fields into the database to create searchable records. We’re also working on other large-scale projects, for one client, encoding information captured from more than 500,000 images a day, with a capacity to handle up to 5 million if necessary.

1.5 Peer Review Support For many STM publishers, the peer review process is an integral part of the editorial workflow. We put our editorial peer

reviews through a different workflow, giving users access to an online editorial system that includes instructions on how to submit manuscripts online and to provide comments. Our customer services support team is also ready to help support users for the peer review process, answering questions via phone or e-mail.


1.6 Production Editor We can step in and find the most efficient ways to coordinate the production process with editorial offices, authors and

supplier, saving time and cost. Our experienced production editors currently support more than 250 journal titles and we keep a wide range of projects on track by working with editors, translators, indexers, production staff, and multiple authors to manage schedules and troubleshoot problem areas. As more publishers and authors start to publish eBooks from the outset, we’re also building a team of production editors who can streamline the eBook production process, from finding appropriate graphics to managing the hyper-links within the text.

II. ePublishing and Digital Solutions

Even though the opportunity for converting previously published books, printed magazines and newspapers to a digital format remains huge, the publishing industry has reached an inflection point. The real decision facing publishers now is whether to truly put the “e” first in their production process, adapting best practices and procedures to ensure that they are ready to take full advantage of all the opportunities and challenges presented by digital content.

SPi Global stands ready to help publishers make the transition to an e-first operation and convert or produce articles and titles in an ePublishing environment, by creating multimedia specific for enhanced eBooks to also developing content for mobile devices, from smart phones to iPads. Our teams have converted millions of pages of content from hard copy, digital, microfilm, or microfiche formats and we have proven expertise in converting content to virtually any industry standard or proprietary eBook format. We’re also equipped to help companies that seek to develop eLearning capabilities, either for the educational or corporate markets.

2.1 eBooks The eBook conversion market continues to expand as a major opportunity for publishers and conversion partners alike. In

2010, consumers purchased 6 million eBook readers, up from 3 million in 2009 and sales are expected to continue rising in 2011. All those devices need to be filled with content and publishers and device manufacturers alike are scrambling to convert front and backlist titles into formats compatible with the wide range of readers and smart phones on the market. With our well-established digitization and conversion capabilities, SPi Global is already helping a number of leading professional, trade and association publishers expand their presence in the eBook market as their trusted conversion partner. Just as important, our teams can also help you make the right decisions that will keep you in a position to take advantage of future opportunities in the eBook market by developing a viable e-first strategy for publishing and converting front and backlist titles. Our eBook capabilities include:

2.1.1 Format/Device Conversion We have proven expertise in converting content to virtually any industry standard or proprietary eBook format – from ePub, MOBI, PRC and AZW to eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad and iPhone, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Sony Reader. In addition, our technology team is focused on real-time deployment of the latest market developments and we are constantly refining our conversion tools and processes to optimize rapid eBook production cost efficiently.

2.1.2 Enhanced eBooks As more authors and publishers create books specifically designed for digital consumption, enhanced eBooks will become increasingly more commonplace. SPi Global’s expertise is designed specifically to help publishers take full advantage of enhanced eBooks, which feature hidden searchable text; rich media features including audio, video, and interactivity and internal and external linking.


2.1.3 Fixed layout While many new books will undoubtedly be published in an enhanced format, many new and existing titles will continue to be converted into traditional fixed layouts. For these projects, SPi Global’s experience in digitization and conversion enables us to deliver the highest quality at the lowest cost. We’re well equipped to deliver on large-volume conversion projects that require quick turnaround times.

2.1.4 ePub 3.0 Just as the earlier standards from the industry set the stage for widespread eBook adoption, ePub 3.0 will standardize the creation of rich multimedia and interactive experiences for eBooks. SPi Global is already playing a leadership role in this emerging standard and we’ve begun to develop workflows and processes that will streamline the use of ePub 3.0 once it gains broader adoption. ePub 3.0 makes it easier to create high-quality eBooks and no matter which devices emerge as the winner in the marketplace, we will be ready to help publishers prepare their content to take full advantage of the new format.

2.2 Multimedia There’s much more to eBooks and digital content than static text and images. Consumers expect to be able to view

video, flash animations and link to content on different platforms or websites. To that end, SPi Global has assembled a team that can create the multimedia features that complement book and other ePublishing projects, incorporating Flash animation for the entire text of the book, author-supplied video and/or presentation files, teacher aids and self-testing materials.

2.2.1 Flash/HTML5 We’re also helping our clients prepare for the future by gaining a working knowledge of HTML5, a new iteration of HTML that will more readily support multimedia, from flash animation to other online applications. HTML5 is intended to subsume not only other variations of HTML, but also programs that run on HTML, including Javascript and Flash. In the meantime, our teams will continue to develop new content products for existing HTML standards, including Flash and Javascript, with an eye on future developments.

2.2.2 Application Development Forward-thinking content providers are leveraging mobile platforms to distribute their content products via interactive applications that allow consumers to perform shortcuts on their mobile devices. These small, device-specific software applications extend the utility of smart phones, offering short cuts that engage users and give them key information, often at the point of need. In addition, many content providers want their content to be accessed as simply as possible from the device, eliminating the need to go through the browser. SPi Global is building a team to develop applications that are compatible with all major mobile device manufacturers so we can meet this key requirement of our customers.

2.2.3 Mobile Content Development And as more information providers deliver content to mobile devices, we’re also helping them present content in rich media formats that incorporate audio, video, animation and 3D; location-aware functionality including mapping services like GoogleEarth and social connectivity to Facebook, Twitter and other social media channel. Using open standards, we separate content from programming, applying cross-device standards and the latest practices of interactive design.


2.3 Support Focusing on the lowest cost page often backfires for publishers in terms of extra cost for reworking publications.

SPi Global employs rigorous quality assurance procedures, ensuring that products not only meet, but exceed client specifications. We also engage in beta testing of eProducts, testing on multiple browsers, ensuring that all information is correct and accurate and that each product also functions properly, without any fatal errors and bugs. We also provide around-the-clock support via our Help Desk, ensuring that someone is available to answer all key questions and keep projects moving forward.

2.3.1 Testing We also engage in beta testing of eProducts, testing on multiple browsers, ensuring that all information is correct and accurate and that each product also functions properly, without any fatal errors and bugs. Outsourcing beta testing frees precious in-house resources for publishers, while ensuring functionality, usability, interoperability, and accessibility of digital information products prior to roll out. We also combine our ISO and Six Sigma processes to implement quality assurance best practices that assure our client’s eBooks will have the correct formatting and placement of graphics and text.

2.3.2 Help Desk SPi Global offers 24/5 around the clock customer service via its Help Desk, ensuring that clients can always get in touch with us to convey vital information. They will be available to answer your questions and also get in touch with someone on the production team should you need to speak someone.

III. Content Platforms and Technologies

Converting analog and legacy content for a broad range of digital outputs requires a healthy understanding and sound application of new technologies and workflow automation tools. SPi Global has honed its expertise in a wide range of content technologies and platforms, from industry-wide standards such as ePub 3.0 to proprietary tools such as SPiCE. Our insights of the publishing and information industry and our working knowledge of these platforms enable us to automate workflows, dramatically reduce costs and speed time-to-market for our clients.

3.1 Tools While content conversion and editorial services will always demand a significant amount of human interaction,

SPi Global automates the workflow with proprietary tools such as SPiCE and our proofing system which eliminates inefficiencies or redundancies that could slow down cycle time or create costly QA on the back-end.

3.1.1 SPiCE SPi Global’s automation team developed SPiCE (SPi Copy Editing Tool) using Microsoft.Net technology to automate pre-editing, and copyediting tasks. Working as an add-in for MS Word, SPiCE prepares documents for language editing by structuring manuscripts and routine editing using XML schema. Once the copyediting has been performed, publishers can generate XML for any schema, supporting content creation for books, journals and MRWs.


3.1.2 Proofing Systems SPi Global has developed a number of proofing and auto correction tools to ensure content accuracy and quality. Our author proofing tool, for example, eliminates inefficiencies that arise from manually tracking author changes via online PDFs. The web-based system supports automatic linking from mail-to-proof PDF page, enabling authors to perform corrections online. We’ve also developed an innovative tool that dramatically reduces turn-around time by eliminating manual intervention in the author corrections process, which means that corrections made by the author are directly processed in XML.

3.1.2 Conversion Platform SPi Global’s experienced teams of project managers, content analysts, software engineers, content technicians and QC analysts have developed a number of automated processes for migrating content from one format to another. These processes enable us to move content from platform to platform quickly, with greater accuracy and at significantly lower costs.

3.1.3 Workflow Systems We then bring these automated tools and processes together via a workflow management system that optimizes the production workflow, driving faster processing times and more use of resources. SPi Global also continually refines the workflow through these systems, looking for new ways to eliminate unnecessary steps or incorporate quality assurance checks earlier in the process, reducing costs and speeding time-to-market.

3.2 Technologies SPi Global develops and deploys technology-based solutions that enable our clients to drive new revenue streams

and reduce business costs. We invest in technology that helps us design and create custom IT-enabled solutions that integrate the full range of latest content technologies and industry wide standards. These content technologies include:

3.2.1 ePub 3.0 A leader in helping to formalize this emerging standard for eBooks, we’ve developed workflows and processes that will streamline the use of ePub 3.0. Our expertise with this tool will enable us to ease the production of enhanced eBooks and give us an edge in helping publishers bring new content to the information marketplace.

3.2.2 HTML5 Once HTML5 becomes a widely supported standard for Internet-based content, our teams will be ready to integrate the deep and innovative functionality HTML5 offers, from viewing multimedia presentations within the browser to developing content products for existing HTML standards for existing tools, such as Javascript and Flash.

3.2.3 XML/XSLT With our deep expertise in XML, we can help our clients develop a number of information products for XSLT, the style sheet language of XML.

3.2.4 .NET Our programming teams have developed a number of technology solutions that rely on .NET, the software framework that runs on Microsoft Windows.

3.2.5 JavaScript The same is true for Javascript, which we use to develop scripts that will enable our clients’ products to run on Web browsers for enhanced user interfaces and dynamic websites.


3.3 Content Platforms Transferring content from one content management platform to another can be a difficult, time-consuming and costly

task. At SPi Global, our experienced teams of project managers, content analysts, software engineers, content technicians and QC analysts have developed a number of ways to efficiently and cost-effectively migrate content and then maintain those platforms once the information has been converted.

3.3.1 Content engineering Our teams design and develop conversion scripts that enable raw feeds from leading news information providers that is then processed via customized, automated tools that convert the data online into XML. We review how the data should appear online and then transform the content into the aggregator’s proprietary format.

3.3.2 Content uploading/processing SPi Global programming teams also ensure that programs and processes are in place to ensure that the content uploaded from the raw feed or information services provider reflects the client’s guidelines. Again, we automate the process to handle the vast amount of content that we need to process for our clients.

3.3.3 Database design/maintenance For several clients, our teams also maintain the online bibliographic databases, ensuring that information contained is reviewed for version accuracy and that it’s ready to be delivered to customers when needed.

IV. Content Enrichment

For many publishers and information services companies, generating a sale requires more than just a good placement on a website or shelf space. Instead, content sales rely on how well the book or information product shows up in the search queries and recommendations of prospective buyers. This functionality depends upon the level of enriched metadata and tagging available. Information overload not only exists on the Internet, but also within the extensive proprietary databases of our clients, which are in turn sold via subscriptions to professionals in medicine, law or other advanced fields. With our content enrichment solutions, we can help our clients tag and structure that content, turning it into rich data that can be accessed more readily by consumers. Our expertise in business process reengineering has also enabled us to automate our workflows, which means we can reduce costs while also providing high-value service. Our services include:

4.1 Database enrichment SPi Global has extensive experience in structuring content for large, complex databases for XML content and metadata

and overall content enrichment. Our teams database cleaning, de-duping, validation, fact-checking, database research, information clipping, and content extraction services for a wide variety of information providers. SPi Global content analysts also tag data within the overall database structure, making it easier for it to be sorted and sliced and diced for public consumption.

4.2 Content Mining Support SPi Global are currently performing this work for a client involved with scientific journals related to chemistry and

pharmacology. The journal articles are scanned manually by our teams and then transferred to the database using software that reads the entire article, mining that content for relevant information. Software then mines the data, using guidelines provided by the client to pull out the pertinent terms and keywords that consumers of the information will use to access the database. We are capable of working with the client’s existing software or of developing our own tools to mine the database for relevant information.


4.2.1 Taxonomies/Semantic Tagging Structuring the content and data in ways that ease its access to end users is a key part of any content enrichment project. To that end, SPi Global has developed schemas and taxonomies that enable optimal “search and retrieve” techniques using state-of-the-art tools and also the expertise of our in-house subject matter experts. We have developed detailed approaches to structuring data and we carefully follow client guidelines. This approach enables us to create taxonomies that support the highly specialized topics our clients require us to work with, which range from pharmacology and forensic science.

4.3 SME Support Given the length and breadth of the scientific topics covered at an advanced level, it requires highly-skilled personnel

with a good exposure to a wide range of scientific areas from basic medical sciences to human medicine and drug development. Our teams include SMEs who support the overall work, helping the content specialists make decisions as they structure and tag the content. The SMEs are also responsible for quality assurance, which includes training and developing the skills of the people. We deploy a continual approval process to ensure that expertise is recycled, learned and shared throughout the team.

V. Marketing Services Support

As many companies expand into new markets, they often find themselves facing the problem of how to provide around-the-clock support for a wide range of operations, including marketing support. SPi Global can help these firms keep pace with these fast-moving opportunities through the entire business cycle by offering a full range of editorial, creative and design services.

By providing a dedicated team of editorial specialists, graphic artists and web designers, SPi Global marketing services support delivers critical, real-time support for companies with expanding global operations who need to find fast, cost-effective solutions for updating marketing collateral, creating sales presentations or delivering new brochures.

For example, our marketing services group is currently serving as a dedicated in-house design team for a global law firm. Our designers and graphic artists make sure each new piece of collateral meets style guidelines and also updates or revises collateral as necessary to support the firm’s business development efforts by enabling lawyers and other key professionals to visit clients with customized presentations and updated sales material.

We’re also providing a wide range of services for a global research and consulting firm, from writing and editing the reports to designing and laying out the graphics. We also perform back-office support, managing the process for tracking appointments for analyst briefings, allocating and following up on comments and web queries and generating segment research reports from the database upon request.

The scope of work performed by SPi Global varies from basic layout and design to fact checking and copy-editing. The teams, based in our delivery center in Manila, help companies that need support for long, time-consuming projects, enabling design or editorial work to continue during the evening and early morning hours. In addition, our Manila location also enables us to support Asian offices during business hours, while giving U.S. or European clients, the flexibility to ask for last-minute changes in the evening and then review the final draft in the morning.


In addition, our team of more than 30 design and layout specialists is also adept in working with all of the latest desktop publishing technologies, InDesign, Quark Express, Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word and others. We also maintain full compliance with information security requirement and provide key services in the following areas:

5.1 Creative Services Our design artists can create visually appealing marketing collateral, event invitations, posters, Web banner ads and

other marketing pieces. As a result, your organization can work with us to give you a highly visible presence at major conferences or to equip your sales force with high-quality marketing collateral for client visits.

5.2 Business Editorial Local, in-country thought leaders are often the best resources for writing research reports and other business

communications. At the same time, these in-country experts may not speak English as a first language and their reports need extensive editing. Our editorial specialists can edit your research reports, consulting documents and pitch books, ensuring that the content follows style guides and that the prose is well written and adds value for the organization.

5.3 Custom eCommunications Targeted, highly-effective e-mail communications can help you expand your reach to clients. But those messages need to

look professional and convey your key positioning as succinctly as possible. Our editorial and design teams can help you launch e-mail marketing or sales campaigns, design and develop newsletters and provide basic support for a broad range of integrated marketing activities.

5.4 Layout Services All corporate collateral needs to have a consistent look and feel and that’s even more important when you have offices

spread out in different countries. Our designers compose research reports, consulting documents, pitch books, brochures, solution sheets and a wide range of other types of marketing collateral created by local offices, enabling your firm to maintain style guidelines and provide a consistent branding image.

5.5 Business Research Support For many firms, reports built upon solid research and fact-gathering are often the difference in winning over new

business. SPi Global researchers are experts at performing basic web-based research on sectors, prospects, employees and other sales-driven information that can give you an edge in any sales presentation.


VI. Customer Support Services

To maintain an edge in today’s competitive digital marketplace, publishers and information services companies have to not only meet customer expectations; they have to exceed them consistently. And when something goes wrong, they need to resolve the issue as fast and as efficiently as possible. At the same time, publishers are also under increasing pressure to rein in costs, which makes the challenge of keeping customers happy even more pressing.

To help publishers meet this challenge without breaking their budgets, SPi Global Solutions has combined its domain expertise of the publishing industry with its global resources and state-of-the art technologies to provide customer support activities such as claims and returns processing, order fulfillment and technical support. We provide these services to many of the world’s largest commercial and not-for-profit publishers in the STM market.

SPi Global also sets and achieves aggressive process-improvement goals for our clients, applying best practices that have routinely improved turnaround time, for one client from nine days to five and then two, and for another from two days to one. We also provide detailed performance tracking reports on client engagements, giving our clients visibility into key metrics that document our performance.

For a more detailed look of how we’re helping our clients meet and exceed the expectations of their customer, see below:

6.1 Help Desk We also provide application services and technical support for employees of our publishing customers, helping them

with technical issues such as uploading information products so they can be accessed by customers. We deliver Level 1 and Level 2 technical assistance, escalating issues to the corporate development team if appropriate. We specialize in providing support outside normal U.S. business hours for employees based in Europe or Asia.

6.2 Back Office Services 6.2.1 Claims Processing

Our claims specialist process claims from publishing customers and subscription agents. We also collaborate with internal support groups, forwarding claims requests by the end users to the various departments, making sure everything stays on track. We also help our clients resolve issues related to missing, damaged or defective volumes and publications.

6.2.2 Returns Processing Even as publishers move to a digital publishing environment, many publishers still fulfill hundreds of requests for archived print issues. Sometimes, these issues are either damaged or lost in transit. Our specialists work within the publisher’s fulfillment workflow to facilitate returns for books, journals or other publications, following the rules and conditions set by the client.

6.2.3 Order Entry Our specialists process journal and book orders for publishers, taking the information from customers and entering it directly into the publisher databases. We will also process invoices and help customers with requests for cancellations, samples and trial subscriptions.

6.3 Contact Center Our experts are also ready to help customers resolve such simple requests as tracking down the product user name and

password queries. We can also handle more detailed requests such as providing information on specific product features and benefits. We typically respond to all e-mail queries within 24 hours and also provide real-time chat support.


VII. Technology and Innovation

7.1 Innovation Lab SPi Global sees the publishing and information industry undergoing rapid structural shifts. A shift in content delivery

methods while at the same time adapting to changing customer preferences have meant escalating costs and complexities in the development and production of content across the board. The growing needs to adapt, invest and exploit new technologies are key challenges the Innovation Lab is designed to help our publishing partners resolve.

Driven by specialists from our Strategy, Marketing, Technology, and Research & Development Units, the Innovation Lab is designed as a low-risk path for SPi Global’s key customers to leverage our domain experience and technical resources in the development of innovative processes across the publishing spectrum.

Here are a few of the projects we are working on in partnership with our customers:

• Conceptualizing“e-primary”workflowandproductionprocessforbooksandjournals.

• Improvingthe“ContentExperience”throughenhancedeBooks.

• ePub3.0 and HTML5 deliverables across multiple devices.

• Partnershipapproachwithclientteamsinoverallprocessoptimization.

• Pilotprojectsinservices/solutionsnotcommonlyoutsourced.

About SPi Global

SPi Global partners with companies to maximize the value of their content online and offline. With escalating costs of production and printing, changing customer preferences, and the need to adapt, SPi Global enables organizations to exploit and invest in new media technology. With a complete suite of digital, publishing, content enrichment, marketing and customer support services, we help companies gain a competitive advantage through our unique and innovative solutions.

For over 30 years, SPi Global has been helping leading publishers, not-for-profit organizations, information providers, and Fortune 1000 companies increase their revenues, reduce costs, improve time-to-market, and automate operations. With over 500 clients and 7,000 content specialists, no job is too large for us.

For more information on how SPi Global can help you maximize your content online and offline, please contact:

Jamie Israel Director of Marketing, Content Solutions M 732 662 8345 [email protected]

www.spi-global.com

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