There are a few takeaways to be garnered from polling industry manufacturers as to the state of their future office/smart office platforms.
First, virtually all OEMs have some sort of program based around enhancing the connectivity of end users. This comes as the modern office continues to evolve and move away from independent work toward a more-open environment that encourages collaborative exchanges of ideas (hence, the increase in meeting and “huddle” rooms).
Second, the offerings wrapped around the future office/smart office (dare we coin it the FOSO?) are so fluid/in process that several manufacturers hedged on sharing some of their bolder initiatives, but promised that details would be emerging soon. To which we snap our fingers, utter in dismay and wish that we had scheduled the topic for, say, October. Such is life on the technological edge.
Fear not, gentle readers. We were able to procure some information from Ricoh, Xerox and Konica Minolta. It will provide a flavor of the options that are available beyond, and in tandem with, the MFP boxes that are providing dealers with options in their tool belt to remain in step with their office-based clientele. Two or three years out, these technologies may be considered obvious no-brainers, so we can only eagerly anticipate the “next great thing” that will prepare us all for next-generation selling.
Our FOSO panel consists of Steve Burger, head of engineering and vice president of portfolio management for Ricoh USA; Mark Boyt, head of solutions marketing for Xerox; and Kevin Kern, senior vice president, business intelligence services and product planning for Konica Minolta.
Provide an overview of your future/smart office platform that includes all of its elements.
Burger: Ricoh’s Dynamic Workplace Intelligence approach embraces the ever-evolving modern office, providing tailored solutions, thoughtfully deployed and managed, that remain adaptable to changing conditions and needs for our customers.
RICOH Always Current Technology, already available on Ricoh’s latest IM C series of MFPs, is one pillar of this approach. It makes regular updates to firmware and other applications for Ricoh technologies available on demand, and as needed. Customers can download and install new features, applications and upgrades directly to their device as they become available, giving users greater flexibility and allowing them to work with more agility, adapting configurations and feature sets to better suit changing workstyles and workplaces. The IM C series, equipped with Always Current Technology, serves as an excellent, intuitive on-ramp for dealers looking to expand into new annuity models that result from new cloud and workflow technologies.
Another key aspect is Intelligent Support, which leverages data from across Ricoh’s devices in the field around the world, adds in AI from the devices and helps individual organizations optimize their fleet for their unique needs. Intelligent support also helps Ricoh and its dealers work with customers to quickly resolve issues.
Also vital to our approach to the future of work is RICOH Cloud Workflow Solutions, a collection of cloud-based workflows that delivers streamlined simplicity in affordable, scalable, subscription-based offerings. These solutions make powerful, traditionally complex workflows directly in the hands of customers who traditionally have been priced out of their benefits. This approach lets users take what they need from the suite, without the need for dealers to commit their own IT resources for support. That way, dealers’ IT teams can keep their focus centered on providing IT services, a growth area for many.
Finally, tying into these other elements is Ricoh’s commitment to providing best-in-breed technologies through its dealer and direct channels that meet a variety of needs. We are constantly pushing forward on innovation, research and development, so our dealers have a big toolbox when it comes to ensuring their customers’—and their customers’ customers’—success.
Boyt: Xerox ConnectKey devices are built to support the IoT, while integrating with other innovation accelerators of the third platform, such as cognitive systems, natural interfaces and next-gen security solutions.
Integrating with these key accelerators allows Xerox to drive office automation, improve customer collaboration and offer unexpected ways to work better and smarter.
Here are some examples of how Xerox has built its smart office platform:
- Xerox Easy Translator Service uses AI technology to constantly improve the machine’s translation quality, so customers using our translation MFP app can do so with complete confidence.
- By integrating with collaboration sites such as Cisco WebEx Teams, Xerox customers can scan, print and share amended hardcopy documents directly from their shared space. This includes bot technology, linking to other services that can provide, for example, instant in-room translations.
- Full workflow automation is possible with powerful content management systems such Xerox DocuShare. Approval workflows can be implemented by triggers based on content arrival, routing actions automatically to appropriate reviewers.
- Natural interfaces that include voice control allow users to communicate in ways that are more convenient. Benefits also include simplifying training requirements and supporting 508C initiatives. Gabi, powered by IBM Watson, is another example of Xerox utilizing the latest technologies to improve the way people work.
Kern: In looking at the “smart office” and the future of work, we take a more holistic view than just the technology itself. While the evolution of our API and Internal web services platforms in our Bizhub product line over the past 15 years has provided the infrastructure for customers to build efficient document workflow, this is only one part of the workplace of the future.
The critical factors in the future of work still revolve around People, Places and Technology. Companies both small and large must attract and retain talent, secure their data, optimize their resources and survive and thrive in a highly competitive global business environment. People are inundated with data—both structured and unstructured—from every possible source, and are struggling to leverage this data to drive meaningful business outcomes. The question is how to create an environment and technology infrastructure that supports the rapid evolution of work itself.
Our workplace of the future strategy is based upon three components. First is the WorkplaceHub platform in conjunction with our new iSeries MFPs. The WorkplaceHub is an application services platform that provides an integrated IT infrastructure including hybrid cloud, enterprise-class security collaboration tools and even basic AI capabilities.
Second is an ever-expanding partner ecosystem providing IoT applications, physical security, office productivity, meeting-room management, workflow and even integration to smart office furniture. Finally, an IT services platform to deliver remote support, mobile device management and cloud services.
Talk a little about the best opportunities for placement by dealers, and what are you doing to help them identify and place these technologies? Include insight into pre- and post-sales support.
Kern: For the dealer we see a great opportunity. One of the reasons companies like HP Enterprise, Sophos and Microsoft are interested in our strategy is our dealers provide high value-add and control the last mile to the customer, which is far different than traditional IT distribution channels. To assist our dealers, we are changing the composition of our dealer support by making a substantial investment in IT-educated staff in the dealer channel to help dealers not only sell, but establish the pre- and post-sales support strategies to be successful.
Burger: Ricoh is unique in that any new SMB customer is immediately a dealer customer. There is no competition between our direct and dealer channels, because they serve different markets. When an SMB potential customer comes to our website looking to learn more or make a purchase, they are directed to the relevant dealer. Furthermore, there’s no difference between how we empower our direct sales team versus how we empower our dealer channel: All the marketing collateral, demand gen tools and other resources we create for sales teams are at dealers’ fingertips. These methods have allowed us to give dealers more referrals and leads than ever before, and the conversion rates have been incredible.
That makes pinpointing a specific offering we’re helping dealers with somewhat difficult, because we are dedicated to helping them with all of it. We have programs for helping dealers branch out into new areas, such as production print. One particularly strong example of how we support dealers in unique ways is in managed services. Ricoh’s 24/7 customer support center is available to dealers that would like to have incoming calls forwarded to the Ricoh center during off hours, providing seamless continuity of service.
Boyt: Xerox is committed to helping dealers solve their customers’ need to improve and simplify every day, business-critical processes. To do so, we offer a multi-year training program that helps them identify bottlenecks (FIND IT); determine course of action (MAP IT) and apply suitable, fixable solutions (APP IT).
Dealers also have access to a number of tools such as our powerful and unique Workflow Mapping tool and technical teams offering support along the way.
What are the greatest objections dealers need to overcome in providing these technologies?
Boyt: A natural hurdle is the fear of the unknown when stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. This feeling is further amplified due to today’s ever-changing, technology-driven world.
Dealers are looking for a trusted vendor that will take the journey with them. We understand this need and offer training and support that can help them overcome any concern and move forward with self-assurance and certainty.
Burger: Dealers need to move away from focusing on the “box” and focus more on the workplace and workflow. The way forward is in looking beyond the copy room and into the meeting room. The MFP and the annuity it brings is a known business model, so it can be difficult to lessen focus on that. But the annuities based on workflow will be stronger and more reliable going forward. It can be hard, especially for well-established dealers who have had significant success with a hardware-focused approach, but everyone should be looking more toward how they can provide information and information management as opposed to pages and toner. It’s all about focusing on what most helps the customer’s success, what will keep them coming back.
As your future/smart office platform evolves, where can we expect to see the greatest enhancements? Will they encompass A.I./IoT-enabled augmentations to existing workflows, software plug-ins, partner integrations, etc.?
Burger: Ricoh has thousands of engineers, each of whom has their finger on the pulse when it comes to emerging technologies. Our dealer partners and our internal experts are very aware of, and in some cases already using, the latest cloud technology, big data and artificial intelligence. One of our value-adds for our dealers is in analyzing emerging technologies and making them consumable for the workplace. That involves wrapping these technologies in solutions and services that integrate with the modern workplace. This includes identifying use cases and tailoring solutions for them, as well as finding ways to make them affordable and relatively simple to integrate in the workplace. We partner with some of the world’s leading companies to deliver innovations to empower digital workplaces.
We expect continuing advancements in IoT and artificial intelligence to drive increasingly intelligent and effective workflows, which will fold in nicely with Cloud Workflow Solutions and Always Current Technology. We believe strongly in agile, field-based development, so where we focus our efforts in solution design is heavily dependent on what we hear in conversations with dealers and customers. I will say that a major part of that is increasing adoption of Ricoh technologies throughout the business, allowing customers to reap the benefits of a well-managed, well-integrated ecosystem.
Kern: We think the workplace of the future is the next step in moving to a more consultative sales approach that will enable higher margins in the core business, while providing new sources of monthly recurring revenue and deeper customer relationships.
Boyt: As mentioned previously, we are seeing numerous expansions into third platform drivers, many created by our partners through the Xerox Partner Application Builder program. As a result, our devices have become interactive helpdesks, used for tracking employee attendance, opening building doors and even ordering lunch.
While it is a bit challenging to predict upcoming enhancements, we do anticipate our partners’ innovative ideas will further strengthen the value of our ConnectKey platform with new ways to simplify how work gets done at the intersection of physical and digital.
