Last week, I wrote on the topic “How Do You Demonstrate the Value of Managed Print Services to Prospects Who Seem Happy with Their Current Processes? So now, let’s take a closer look at a print management process, and see how an MPS solution could add value. Let’s look at a “printer swap out process” as an example. Assume that the current process is one in which the customer carries spare equipment to hot swap when a print device goes down. This print management process is more concerned with up‐time than with managing costs and improving processes; this is a process ripe with inefficiencies and unnecessary costs. To start, you should be asking the following question: Why are these devices going down and what can you offer to reduce the frequency of the swap‐out policy currently in place?Maybe they don’t that with today’s technology, strategic Service Provider have the ability to remotely manage the operational needs of all devices under management, in many cases before the end‐user is unable to print. Maybe they don’t know that the right Service Provider, providing the right solution, could proactively schedule service, visit the device, identify the issue, and have it resolved before it creates the need for a device swap‐out. Wouldn’t that sound like a more prudent approach to managing a process?
Obviously, the current process incurs financial expenditures relative to time, energy, and productivity, not to mention the ongoing repair costs. Just how much value are they really getting for those expenditures? More than likely, their current process does not fully address other value points, such as cost avoidance, cost containment, and process improvement. So an assortment of questions arises, such as: Why are the print devices going down? Would avoiding this be of value? Why are they going down? Are the devices being properly serviced? Is the current Service Provider performing preventative maintenance on a regular basis in order to extend their life and reduce the incident of print issues? Which devices need more preventative maintenance services than others; based on volume and usage? How many device swap‐outs are they doing per month? If you could reduce that by 60‐80 percent, what kind of value would that represent?
I was recently speaking with the owner of a service company who had been signed up with our application for a while but had not generated much activity. This is an organization that has been providing toner supplies and traditional printer repair for 10 plus years. They have a good customer base and are located in a fairly large market with potential new customers all around. And yet he has been unable to secure many new accounts because, "companies in our area aren't interested in managed print."
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