A near-perfect supplies management program ensures you’ll consistently hit your mark in providing your customers with timely supplies replenishment.
It took me a while to find my stride in my educational aspirations. In high school, I was always working hard to make the honor roll. More often than not it proved an elusive task. My younger sister seemed to make it every time with little effort – she’s extremely smart so academics came naturally to her. I, on the other hand, am far more stubborn than smart and would find myself studying for hours.
One semester I was a grade short of making the honor roll. I shared with my Dad my excitement at being so close to my goal. The response was not exactly what I was hoping for — “Well kid,” he said, “I know you’ve been working hard, and I’m proud of your effort, but you know what they say? ‘Close’ only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”
He was brutally honest, but that’s also one of the things that made him a great parent. He could have made me feel good about being so close but the truth is, I didn’t make it happen. In life and more on topic, in business, we can’t always toss out little niceties to sugarcoat reality, especially when we’re entrusted with the management of our clients’ environments. “Close” just doesn’t cut it.
Are you using automated supplies replenishment in your MPS program? Most programs say automatic replenishment is included. Turns out, even those that start out with intentions of automatically shipping supplies often end up with customers doing what they have always done – manually ordering supplies.
Why? There are many reasons. The first deals with setting customer expectations. It’s imperative that the end-user understands exactly how their new program is going to work. Think about it. When was the last time you signed up for a service with no idea how it was going to work? How did that feel? It’s a simple step that often gets overlooked. A program document outlining the processes and procedures or an internal memo will go a long way toward avoiding confusion once a program is implemented. Otherwise, when the customer doesn’t know what to do, they’ll likely fall back on what they’ve always done.
The second reason is visibility. Let’s assume your sales team has clearly articulated the details of your MPS program and the customer feels comfortable with how the process is going to work. That’s great, but most customers will choose to believe it when they see it — so show them! Look for programs or partners that offer the necessary tools and resources to provide critical visibility to their environment, including supplies status and tracking as well as service information. Without visibility, they will begin doubting the program the minute a low toner message starts blinking across their LCD screen.
The level of visibility matters, too. If your program only provides access to a data collection report reflecting toner levels but no information on when their next supplies will ship or details on their last shipment, you are only providing half the picture. Seeing that a device is low or needs service without the corresponding resolution information will only cause concern, and likely result once again in the customer doing what they’ve always done — manually ordering supplies, often sooner than needed or even worse, when not needed at all.
The last reason may be the most important. Supplies have to show up on time – every time. Getting the supplies there “close” to when they ran out is not going to cut it. They must be on time. Period. If the supplies arrive too early it equates to lost profits for you. If the supplies are shipped too late it can result in a lost customer or a customer who will revert to manual ordering, which takes you back to lost profits. Either way, “close” just isn’t good enough.
Delivering a near-perfect supplies management system is not easy, but it can be done. The first step is to be brutally honest with yourself. Does your current program deliver what you’ve promised to your customers or are you always coming in just short of the mark? Refining the process yourself will require dedication as well as significant investments in programming, and\or staff to fully understand each and every model being managed and the intricacies associated. Partnering can be a great option, but be sure to do your research.
A solid MPS partner should be able to share with you specific metrics for all components of their program. For supplies management, specifically, they should be able to provide details on all notifications generated, especially any that were missed (meaning a customer had to manually request a supply). Additionally, for all manual requests, they should be capturing the reason why.
The saying is true, “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” Supply misses must be absolutely minimal to non-existent for your customers to trust your program. Delivery metrics will directly impact customer satisfaction, so strive for on-time deliveries of 98 percent or more. Automating supplies fulfillment accurately and efficiently can be a game changer for your MPS program both in profit and customer experience. Is your current offering achieving your desired goal? Do you have a ringer or are you landing just short of the mark?
