Kingsport Imaging Systems, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee, began doing business in 1924 as Kingsport Office Supply Company. President John Demuth, who’s familiar with the long history, says that at that time typewriters and rubber stamps were their biggest-selling products and the employees would deliver typewriters and office supplies to the various downtown businesses on bicycles.
John Demuth, President
Demuth notes that at one time there were also four companies selling office supplies in one block in downtown Kingsport. However, because they were the only ones who adapted to the changing technologies, they are the only one remaining. The company name was changed in the 90s to reflect that evolution.
Today their annual revenue is around $3-5 million. They cover a territory that includes Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, and their clients range from mom-and-pops to the enterprise level.
Wayne Gardner, Service Manager
Kingsport Imaging is an exclusive Canon dealer, offering a range of products from desktop devices to 105 ppm machines. They maintain seven people in the service department and 19 employees who work in other capacities, including sales and administration. They are 100 percent ATSP certified by Canon.
Demuth says that business is good right now and they intend to grow it more by improving efficiencies. Service Manager Wayne Gardner, a 28-year veteran at Kingsport Imaging, sees service playing a major role in that growth.
“I’ve been a service guy for 40 years,” says Gardner. “I don’t think any company is going to survive without a superlative service department.”
Initializing Automated Reporting
Kingsport Imaging faced the same challenges that many copier dealerships are faced when it comes to monitoring and motivating their service team. They were looking for a program that could provide automated reports while also incentivizing their technicians.
Demuth says that BEI Services addressed these pain points. It not only provided a more effective way to manage and track the efficiencies of the service department, it allowed them to compare their performance to other similarly-sized dealerships in similar marketplaces. It also provided a bonus structure to reward the technicians.
“As long as we know we’re entering the data in the same way as everybody else and if our numbers are right, we can see how we’re doing,” explains Demuth. “That gave us a benchmark to measure ourselves. We could see where we were coming up short and where we were excelling and we could tell what we needed to work on.”
With an average tenure of 20 years in their service department, Kingsport Imaging had prided itself on its service long before adopting BEI Services. But as Demuth points out, even the best technicians can benefit from a new perspective. That’s particularly the case with long-term employees who work on the same equipment for extended periods.
“It’s easy to get into bad habits and not know it,” advises Demuth. “When you compare yourself to somebody in a different state who you’re not even competing with you can find out what you can do better. The next thing you know is that you’re saving quite a bit of money and quite a bit of time. Your service department is much more efficient. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Although an avid supporter now, Gardner admits that his initial experience with BEI’s reports was a struggle. He says that BEI Services was very helpful and helped guide him through it.
“There was so much information,” he recalls. “I’m not really an analytical mind. I’m more of a screwdriver type of guy. We were getting better, but we weren’t doing what I wanted to do. I talked to BEI Services about it and I’m really grateful for their advice.”
Teamwork and Efficiencies
Gardner says that the service technicians now work more as a team. He convened them after the first report in a closed-door meeting and they all agreed that they were a lot better than the numbers were indicating. They put some new procedures in place, and now Gardner gets together with them as a group every month to review their numbers.
Kingsport Service Team
“We have a model-specific checklist that everybody completes so we know that everybody’s on the same page,” he explains. “It has enabled me to promote teamwork instead of individualism.”
Gardner adds that it has improved his leadership skills as well. The checklist and the common goals have allowed him to lead by example as opposed to dictating to the team.
“Now I can point out how not doing something correctly hurts the whole team,” he says. “It really works. It sounds corny, but it does.”
Demuth cites the reporting features, which they use in conjunction with CEO Juice, as being helpful in streamlining how they resolve issues. He notes that the information on the call back report is particularly useful because it provides automated information on the customer, the issue and the technician involved.
“I can choose to send it on to the sales manager so they can in turn send out the sales person to see what’s going on,” he explains. “Or I can call the technician to see what’s going on. If nothing else, the technician knows that I’m going to be aware that he messed up the first time. It’s just another automated tool that takes just two seconds of my time. I can look at it and delete it or start a process to dig into the problem with a customer. It’s definitely a nice report that comes out of the BEI Services.”
“Call back is a nasty word in this company,” agrees Gardner.
“The total call work sheet has been essential in eliminating quite a lot of call backs,” adds Demuth.
Gardner says that the technicians were initially skeptical but now understand the procedures and what they are trying to achieve. The compensation plan and the structure have been helpful in making the adjustment.
“There are bonuses and a program now,” he says. “We set some goals and said this is what we’re going to do and everybody bought into it.”
Kingsport Imaging has been a BEI Services customer for three years. They’ve always been known for their superior service, but as the sole surviving dealership on their block in Kingsport, they can certainly attest to the importance of keeping up with technology.
“We’ve always done a good job, but now we’re doing it smarter,” says Gardner.
