Hail to the Lexmark Fleet Manager 2.0

Lexmark dealers looking to get a foothold into the managed printer services (MPS) world needn’t look much further than Fleet Manager 2.0, Lexmark’s vendor-neutral MPS offering.

For the office technology dealer, a vendor-neutral solution opens up a lot more doors than a solution that’s not. Lexmark Fleet Manager 2.0 offers ERP integration, service and maintenance ticketing, data collection, multiple data collection methods, and easy installation. It also allows a dealer to group customers, provide what Lexmark calls “meaningful reports,” as well as device and user information, accurate meter reads, and secure customer data. From a vendor support perspective, Lexmark provides the necessary business development and technical support to help the dealer be successful in implementing the MPS engagement.

Another plus for the dealer is an embedded Lexmark Services Monitor that doesn’t have to be installed on a PC or a server. Lexmark describes their eLSM as “the ultimate, zero footprint data collector.” Lexmark Fleet Manager 2.0 offers multiple options for data collection and it’s scalable in terms of types and size of customers. What should appeal to the dealer channel is that the data collector is placed on the MFP.

The automated meter collection capabilities eliminate the need for dealers to track down meters every month, proactively notifies them of a missing data, supports multiple query methods, and integrates the collected data into integrated ERP tools.

Lexmark Fleet Manager 2.0 also offers assessment services, what Phil Boatman, manager, North America Channel Business Development for Lexmark calls a critical first step in the MPS process and the foundation for the rest of the process. The assessment provides crucial data; captures and quantifies the customer’s current state; defines priorities and goals, deployment principles, and the future state; identifies additional opportunities for improvement; and ultimately provides a tool for effective fleet management.

“We work directly with the dealer to leverage these assessment tools and it’s really about current versus future states and we can drive into any number of reports that give that dealer a clear view into the device,” says Boatman.  “That’s right up their alley. They’re going to install an MFP anyway and if this device can sit among the other devices and collect that information, brand agnostic for up to 100 units, all of a sudden the dealer has some power with no footprint. It’s an easy installation, non invasive and allows that dealer to stay consistent with what they’re used to, which is selling hardware and helping the customer understand what’s going on with their fleet. Dealers like this because it gives them an ease of entry into MPS.”

Alerts built into Fleet Manager give the dealer a better view of all of these things while toner reporting takes place at the device level and allows the dealer to understand what’s going on by device and consumable.

The origins of Lexmark’s involvement with MPS trace back to its background within the enterprise.

“What we’ve been able to do over 12+ years is take the thousands of engagements we’ve had at the enterprise level, including business optimization and turn that into learning for the midmarket and SMB space,” states Boatman.

Fleet Manager 2.0 was originally released in late 2010 although it wasn’t until 2011 that the company began seriously offering it to their independent dealer channel.

Lexmark’s MPS initiatives have been validated by others in the industry, including Toshiba who has selected Fleet Manager 2.0 as their main go-to-market toolset. Further validation of what Lexmark has accomplished in the MPS arena comes from the market research organization IDC, who in a 2011 MarketScape Study, described Lexmark as an MPS leader. Similarly, the market research company, Gartner, has placed Lexmark in its MPS Leaders Quadrant.

Boatman acknowledges that the average office technology dealer has different priorities when it comes to MPS and changing that mindset can be a challenge. Those include fleet assessment, meter collection, supplies, and break fix/service. The mission is to tie that together with the various components that Lexmark can provide.

“We focus on what they’re seeing in the output space—is it still just all about traditional copy and print?” asks Boatman. “Are dealers talking about the unknown costs most customers have and how does that relate to managing the entire fleet? What about their print environment? We try to make sense of it and bring some structure to these manual processes. That’s where managed print services fits in.”

Lexmark also views managed print services as more than just cost per page.

“We see it as an opportunity to tie in solutions, proactive management of devices and consumables and the businesses processes driving the output to those devices,” explains Boatman.

What Lexmark wants dealers to understand is that paper is something more than just storage and communicating and there are other ways to collaborate and share information. Equally important is understanding the ability to consolidate paper-based processes around billing and helping customers ultimately understand and manage their costs.

“This is the continuum we are teaching dealers to move up to,” says Boatman. “It’s not just about device optimization. That’s simple. Device consolidation, optimization, whatever a dealer wants to call it, it’s been bread and butter for a long time, but it’s not a long-term, sustainable practice.”

Having the right tool to drive a dealer’s MPS initiatives is critical, however, the ability to offer support is still essential to help dealers get the program off the ground and continue down the road to success. Lexmark provides resources to interpret the information collected and create the business case, performance data analysis (devices, utilization, mix), and provide current vs. future state recommendations. They can also provide the dealer with business case development to help them understand their customer’s environment better and create proposals to drive opportunities. In addition Lexmark provides dealers with a data collection and interview packet that offers guidance for a successful assessment.