This week, we close out our February State of the Industry overview of technical service in the office equipment industry by asking the $50,000 question: where do we go from here?
Clicks, market trends and the pandemic have all added an extra wrinkle in the dealers’ ability to deliver technical service in a profitable, efficient and safe manner. Sadly, not all of the newer challenges will vanish once the pandemic becomes a memory, so our dealer panel provides an overview of what they think will be critical in moving their technical service proposition forward.
UTEC will continue down the path of converting IT-proficient talent into hybrid-type technicians who can speak to both the IT and copier break/fix side of the house. Tom Wykowski, operations manager for the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based firm, is confident in his team’s ability to identify those IT professionals who can demonstrate a mechanical aptitude for break/fix.
The dealer had luck with finding a talented individual at a college job fair. Wykowski notes the individual became a standout technician within six months. But the tech soon grew tired of turning a screwdriver and was moved to a full-time position with the help desk.
Transferring an employee is better than the alternative. “That’s the roadmap we’ve got to sell to employees, to show them what direction we’re taking and where he fits, whether its five or 10 years down the line,” Wykowski said. “That’s going to be our biggest concern going forward, finding that hybrid tech who can do both.”
Growth of Remote
One of the aspects that has been highlighted by the pandemic is the need for dealers to heighten their ability to effect repairs remotely. Barry Burress, vice president of operations for Richmond-based Virginia Business Systems, points to the ancillary benefits of remoting in to rectify issues: not needing to enter an end-user’s environment and keeping service employees safe in the process while reaping travel time and labor savings.
“Work from home adds a little complexity, but using remote tools we have to be able to solve issues and get clients back up and running quicker without having to make on-site trips is the biggest thing for us moving forward,” he said.
The thrust for RJ Young will be continuing to invest in training to help diversify and evolve the skillsets of team members, observes Chip Crunk, president and CEO of the Nashville, Tennessee-based dealer. While he anticipates the transition of A3 to A4 machines will continue, the increased push toward wide-format and production print devices—which demand specialized training and competencies—will continue to foster growth in service opportunities.
“That investment in training programs for our people will help ensure our customers continue to receive unparalleled service delivery,” he said. “We’ve also invested in new and exciting remote solutions that allow for augmented reality technical assistance. Our service team is the lifeblood that drives customer satisfaction and retention, so our plan is to continue investing in technologies that will allow them to succeed regardless of the products they are working on for our valued customers.”
While EO Johnson anticipates a slight rebound in images printed or copied in 2021, it also believes much of the decline that was experienced last year will be permanent on the other side of the pandemic. What it demands of the dealer, according to Frank Paulich, vice president of service, is the need for service to be nimble and ready to alter course quickly.
“Dealers should expect to take on new products, new service territories or new types of customers,” Paulich noted. “I think we are also more open to after-hours support and helping customers with new business needs as they adapt as well. The increased use of augmented reality or ‘smart hands’ software will help build a deeply talented help desk team that can support less experienced field techs who find themselves working on a wider variety of products.”
Sharing Tools
Gary Harouff, president of Advanced Imaging Solutions of Las Vegas, believes the dealer requires better tools for its service teams to communicate more, particularly one that shares resources and knowledge. In order to make this a reality, Harouff is taking an all-hands-on-deck inclusive approach, one that includes the service techs—the very people involved at the granular level—to help create such a tool.
“You have to go to your people more because they have the knowledge and thirst that you need,” he said. “You need their involvement, and I’m here to empower them on what’s working and what isn’t. It’s all about communication going forward, and that’s where so many dealers (ourselves included) struggle. We do have constant meetings and roundtables with all our staff members, such as our internal podcast.”
For XMC Inc. of Bartlett, Tennessee (just outside Nashville) the overarching priority is remote support. Mike Brown, COO, notes that while the dealer has already been providing remote support for connectivity, a focus is being placed on creating more video content to reference.
“We are also reviewing and testing tools that provide live video support in order to accomplish more remotely,” Brown remarked. “If, in fact, manageable print volume shifts to home-based employees, I could see a need for a delivery-based exchange process that could provide home services without techs having to enter homes frequently.”
