To Print with Trust

There have been countless buzzwords uttered across the globe during this era of pandemic – some old, some new, and some with altered meaning. But one, above all, has been around in one form or another since animals started to roam this planet: “Trust”.

Whether a passing look in the eye, or a lifetime of learning, animals – including humans – have learned to trust or distrust one another. In 2020, humans were forced to decide whether or not to trust businesses and brands.

Human-to-brand trust (and vice-versa) did not become a thing overnight. Since the advent of the Bank of New South Wales (1817), Holden (1856) and Coopers Brewery (1862), we have learned to trust one business over another with our lives, our livelihoods – and even our beer. But like many aspects of life, the pandemic has catalysed and exacerbated the need for trust.

1. When a business says it practises Covid-safe regulations, customers need to know that is true.

2. When a business says it is supporting local suppliers, customers need to know that is true.

3. When a business says that it is environmentally responsible, customers need to know that is true.

4. When a business says it will look after its staff, customers need to know that is true.

Partners and other stakeholders also need to know truths regarding the information above.

Surpluses have been restricted in the last 18 months – travel, shipping, basic supplies and money – so trust has become imperative. We’ve certainly questioned our trust of strangers with whom we merely share a petrol pump or a supermarket aisle – so why should we trust a brand that wants our business?

People have suffered advertising fatigue, email marketing fatigue and news fatigue (fake or real) – so how does a business speak to the audience it is attempting to attract? If the business is to be successful in whichever impact it targets, it has to speak from within and throughout, with transparency and truth, whether cleaner, clerk or CEO.

At Complete Colour we trust our team members, we trust our clients, our partners and suppliers. It’s the only way we know. We even trust our competitors and will happily refer to them if we feel they can do something better than we can – unless they give us a reason not to trust them!

We’ve recently identified trust as our fourth pillar, after Service, Quality and Value. It’s an aspirational value that has underpinned our business since it was established almost 30 years ago.

If the experience of a global pandemic is teaching us anything, it is to remember the importance of trust. Without it we are nothing.

Trust plays a big part in our everyday performance. From first meeting a client, we feel a huge responsibility to deliver an experience that exceeds expectations across customer service, quality of final product and return on the client’s investment.

We have to trust each other when operating heavy duty machinery, we have to trust in the suppliers of our stock and enhancements, and we have to trust in our own ability. In the case of digital and offset printing, we are creating a tangible product from its digital representation – often tens of thousands of times. We take great pride in going to print with trust.