It’s All about the Services: TABS Launches Dedicated Services Organization

Earlier this week Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS) announced it was expanding its core business with the launch of a new services-oriented organization, Toshiba Managed Business Services (TMBS) (http://toshiba-solutions.com).

TMBS will operate as a separate business unit of TABS and will focus on strengthening present business services offerings in MDS and MPS, document security, workflow/capture, barcode printing systems, and add services competence in managed digital signage and retail kiosks.

Bill Melo

According to Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions, Toshiba America Business Solutions and general manager, Toshiba Managed Business Services. “Toshiba Managed Business Services will offer a portfolio of business services managed by a dedicated team with industry expertise to help today’s enterprises achieve their business objectives. The new organization will also unify its services to include retail kiosk capabilities based on Toshiba’s years of global leadership, and best-in-class digital signage through key partnerships.”

Melo will lead Toshiba Managed Business Services, which will be located at TABS’ new headquarters in Irvine, Calif. Chris Applegate, director, enterprise services, will manage daily operations. The organization launches with an established national team of professionals in sales, business analysis, solution design, integration, and product customization services. The new TMBS team will focus on consultative services to help customers meet business challenges in printing cost management, document workflow, green initiatives, security, mobile access, customer service, regulatory compliance, sales, internal communications, and in-store experience.

In addition, TMBS will be primarily engaged in enterprise sales with a national focus on key vertical market opportunities in education, financial services, manufacturing, retail and healthcare. Services offered by Toshiba Managed Business Services are largely related to Toshiba’s current MDS/MPS offerings that include the Encompass program, e-STUDIO MFP lines, Toshiba barcode printing and retail kiosk systems, document security, workflow/capture products and digital signage offered through key partnerships.

TMBS joins four other business units operating under Toshiba America Business Solutions, including the Electronic Imaging Division (EID), Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS), Document Solutions Engineering (DSE), and Toner Products Division (TPD).

In a Webinar the week before the announcement Melo outlined the rationale behind the announcement noting that with a flat market for Toshiba’s largest business segment—MFPs—this new business unit is a way to grow the business going forward.

This doesn’t mean Toshiba has given up on MFPs. “We still see the MFP business as an area of opportunity for us even though it’s mature, and by most standards flat or declining,” adds Melo.

The TMBS organization will offer three different skill sets, including sales and business development, professional services, and software development largely for product customizations and collaborations with Toshiba’s POS group, for example.

While the field organization will be located at Toshiba’s new headquarters, Melo says the organization will leverage the existing Toshiba dealer service network for break/fix as well as Toshiba infrastructure for activities such as dispatch, infrastructure, implementation, and billing.

“TMBS will also leverage our existing strengths at TABS,” says Melo. “Clearly we have had a successful MPS program and the way we went to market with that program back in 2004 mirrors to a degree what we’re doing at TMBS. As we did 8 or 9 years ago we’ll use that same approach to bring to the market solutions with the customer set we already have at the same time lift up the capabilities of the TMBS organization.”

“What’s unique about TMBS is our broad array of services allows us to impact a full spectrum of business communications,” adds Applegate. “Whether it’s output management, to workflow automation or finding digital destinations for content we can provide solutions packaged as managed services that truly help our customers innovate their businesses.”

Acknowledging that the MPS space has become overcrowded and conversations with decision makers regarding the value proposition of MPS are starting to sound more alike, Applegate emphasized that to win in the MPS space, differentiation is key. That’s where TMBS comes in.

“Most of our competitors are telling the same story or a similar story,” he says. “True value comes from reducing print, not just what it costs to produce it. We help customers choose when it’s the most appropriate information needed by deploying best-of-breed solutions like Adobe LeanPrint, we can help clients reduce waste and optimize their printing environment. This is where we bring value on top of MPS. Helping customers make the transition away from printed page to electronic media is the next step in the value proposition for us. We can also help them automate their intensive workflows and in some cases eliminate unnecessary business processes.”

A primary source of differentiation is helping customers fundamentally change their content delivery. “This is unique to TMBS,” says Applegate. “By creating digital destinations for content using technology like digital display and interactive kiosks we can help customers innovate the way they serve their internal customers and external clients. We can help provide dynamic communication and collaboration and ultimately help them improve their overall customer experience.”

This is an ambitious undertaking for Toshiba and one that raises the bar on their services offerings. And with TABS’ history rolling out an MPS program as a template, this new services organization is poised to make a strong impact in the market.