Unheralded and Underrated: Dealers Rely on Hidden Gems to Expand Client Conversations

In a world where the subject of speeds and feeds was everything, the ability to venture away from the topic of MFPs with a client or prospect has become the more-popular approach for office technology dealers. Printers and copiers will always serve as the baseline offering; after all, they catapulted your dealership to where it is today. They have enabled you to keep the lights on for years.

The good news is, the conversation no longer needs to be driven by the box. Dealers are already branching out into ancillary areas that can titillate customers who manage weak smiles when you reference higher-capacity trays. It’s time to raise some eyebrows and explore the world of hidden gems—those underrated products and services that tend to fly under the radar but have the potential to take your dealership to a new level.

Think about your client base and MIF. What if you were able to sell 10% of your base on an offering that is somewhat atypical of dealers’ products and services? Would that give your bottom line a shot of adrenalin? Well, many of your contemporaries are offering these hidden gems, and it’s not just in the name of prettying up lease renewal talks. Here are some examples of dealers who have used these hidden gems, several of which are recent additions, to take the client conversation in a different direction.

Cool Reception

Lee Flood is almost apologetic when he discusses the beauty of Konica Minolta’s ALICE Receptionist. The director of sales at Pearson-Kelly Technology laments that it is one of the few instances in which technology actually fills the seat of a person (the dealer has an ALICE kiosk in addition to a live receptionist to showcase the technology). But, it also frees clients to make better use of their personnel through ALICE’s automated ability to greet and register visitors, notify employees, provide information and improve security.

“From a security standpoint, for organizations who need to watch out for potential issues, it can help keep people out of the building,” he noted. “One of the things I like about it is the system is not overly complicated. Some of the more niche or ancillary items you can sell can be complicated, between installation and maintenance with a lot of costs up front. That increases your risks.”

Some of the more niche or ancillary items you can sell can be complicated, between installation and maintenance with a lot of costs up front. That increases your risks.

Lee Flood, Pearson-Kelly

ALICE is best geared toward the larger office setting with 50-plus employees, which helps open the door to larger opportunities, according to Flood. In addition to the office setting, Pearson-Kelly, which has offered ALICE for about 19 months, has seen increased interest from the manufacturing vertical. Churches with multiple locations are prime clients in situations during which sermons are simulcast from a remote location.

While the economy remains strong, ALICE is a cost-saving solution, replacing an individual who may be making $15 an hour plus benefits and providing a quick return on investment. It’s particularly effective for businesses that may not have many walk-in clients/visitors.

Likewise, having ALICE can also free up a utility employee to handle other chores instead of being tethered to the front desk. “ALICE also has integrations with FedEx and UPS for deliveries,” Flood noted.

Surveilling the Opportunities

Jason Habbal only needed to turn on the television or go online to gain an appreciation for the uptick in demand for surveillance equipment. The news is awash with tales of irate customers and scorned former employees showing up at businesses fully armed with the intention to wreak havoc, often with tragic results. Cyber threats have been joined by physical assaults as a leading concern for all manner of safety.

Habbal, the vice president of sales for Vision Office Systems (VOS), was intrigued by the Axis surveillance equipment offered by Canon (which acquired Axis in 2015) during its product showcase three years ago. Habbal also noticed a great deal of pent-up demand for surveillance equipment, so within the past year, VOS began to offer the Axis line.

“We started looking at smaller deals that we could grow a customer base on,” Habbal noted. “We’ve quoted some residential, mansion-type homes, but we’ve tried to stick to commercial opportunities as much as possible. We’ve done a few churches to get up to speed and make sure that we have everything in place.”

LIKE CAR INSURANCE AND DISASTER RECOVERY, YOU HOPE YOU NEVER HAVE TO USE IT. BUT YOU’RE PROTECTED IF YOU DO.

Jason Habbal, Vision Office Systems

Choosing Canon was easy, since VOS was already a dealer for the OEM and trusted the company’s solid reputation. VOS hired a sales rep who had experience outside of the MFP world in selling phones and other technology, and the rep quickly absorbed the talk track to give the dealer a go-to person.

With regulations for installers varying from state to state, Habbal has an agreement with a local reseller to handle the installation and aftermarket service. The firms have an agreement not to encroach on one another’s business, and they refer work on a mutual basis.

It hasn’t been an easy road. The cameras can provide a great margin, but Habbal has seen how easy it is to price himself out of a deal. Surveillance camera conferences haven’t yielded a wealth of insight, as Habbal also learned that resellers aren’t particularly enamored with copier dealers trying to move into their space, regardless of whether they’re seen as direct competitors.

Eventually, Habbal would like to handle both installs and service. For now, he finds himself dealing with objections from clients and prospects who would prefer to use off-the-shelf home systems that cost a few hundred dollars at the local Costco instead of high-grade, advanced equipment and monitoring. It’s akin to an office client buying a $75 printer at Staples; a wholly insufficient solution.

“Like car insurance and disaster recovery, you hope you never have to use it,” Habbal said. “But you’re protected if you do.”

Virtual Security

Since we’re on the subject of security measures, many dealers have found a gateway to growth through offering managed security services, which falls under the managed IT umbrella. Axion Business Technologies offers just such a solution that provides protection against the latest advanced security threats, offers end user cybersecurity training and helps ensure business continuity, notes Bob Ferland, president of Axion, and a member of the Visual Edge Technology family of companies.

Ferland notes that Axion’s intuitive solution learns the user’s computer behavior, which helps safeguard against malware and ransomware intrusions by blocking the atypical behavior caused by the threats. It has been on Axion’s menu for the past year, and Ferland is excited about the possibilities of scaling within current and prospective customer accounts.

“It really does fly under the radar,” he noted. “Document companies are familiar with this type of product because it uses artificial intelligence and requires retraining users on how cybersecurity should be viewed. Also, the solutions are fairly new. Many computer users out there will use traditional antivirus, or some users don’t use it all.”

We’re educating businesses and users on cybersecurity, which will help bring technology like this to light.

Bob Ferland, Axion Business Technologies

As is the case with competing technologies that are designed for a home or SOHO environment, off-the-shelf products can be overwhelmed in a larger business environment. Ferland notes most commercial antivirus software solutions provide an outdated approach that is more prone to failure or newer threats that are unleashed.

“We’re educating businesses and users on cybersecurity, which will help bring technology like this to light,” he said. “The artificial intelligence piece is pretty cool.”

Digitizing Documents

Quality service is a hallmark often boasted by office technology dealers. Dr. Dawn Abbuhl, president of Repeat Business Systems (RBS), points out that her company’s Net Promoter Score regularly sits in the 90s—one month it was 100, but it’s usually 95. By contrast, she notes the globally renowned Ritz-Carlton hotel chain’s service score is in the 70s, as are many other businesses with a staunch reputation.

But from a hidden gem perspective, Dr. Abbuhl appreciates the strength and value of her company’s document imaging and backfile scanning. The dealer has thrived through Ricoh’s CHAMPS dealer services program for providing business process improvement enhancements for clients. In fact, RBS has increased software and professional services 800 percent in the past few years.

“People are always talking about workflow, but in the past they’ve seen it as an expense that they don’t really need,” Dr. Abbuhl said. “But lately, I’ve seen a shift. We’ve definitely sold more software and workflow.”

Converting hard-copy files to digital is one of those eye-rolling propositions for customers, but it only takes one fluke mishap—a flood or fire, triggered sprinkler systems, etc.—to turn a repository of information into a major headache, not to mention a potential lawsuit.

“There’s definitely an opportunity for businesses to face lawsuits if they don’t digitize their documents,” she said. “Businesses run out of space, and you can’t keep hard-copy documents forever. We have a robust conversion solution for it, but it’s not the most affordable.

There’s definitely an opportunity for businesses to face lawsuits if they don’t digitize their documents.

Dawn Abbuhl, Repeat Business Systems

“Even with technology advances, you still have to deal with paper. That’s why it’s important for dealers like us to go forward with document imaging as well as back-file scanning. The beauty of this offering is it can be sold off-cycle; you don’t have to wait until the copier contract comes up.”

Stamp of Approval

When most people think of mailing equipment, they picture dark rooms and heavy machinery, or a postage meter. For Matteo Recanatini, marketing director of Offix, he sees an unsung hero of the marketing department, capable of serving the needs of clients both large and small.

In his mind, the visage of a dirty, dank mailing room for producing invoices, bills and checks gives way to a vehicle for folders, inserters and cutters to produce a myriad of products, including invitations and thank-you cards, that just scratches the surface of its capabilities.

Having this type of equipment in house provides a number of benefits for the end user, according to Recanatini. It provides control over the quality and speed of the job, and oversight that is lacking when firms choose to farm out such jobs. That added flexibility enables the client to turn jobs on a dime, or make wholesale changes without the hassle of dealing with an outside vendor.

Companies should stop thinking of mailing equipment as something that’s boring and just a cost.

Matteo Recanatini, Offix

Offix uses the gear to produce trifolds, communications inserts for client invoices, holiday cards, invitations and client leave-behinds (customized with the name of the representative). “It just allows for a level of customization and flexibility that I’m convinced saves money and allows the company to grow,” Recanatini observed. “Companies should stop thinking of mailing equipment as something that’s boring and just a cost. It’s a catalyst of marketing activities and can actually pay dividends pretty quickly.”

Offix has its mailing equipment connected to its CRM platform, which converts the digitized information right down to a stuffed, sealed and folded envelope. This has been a boon for the dealer, given its proximity to the Washington, D.C., market, which is awash in organizations that use paid and unpaid volunteers to fold and stuff envelopes.

“That’s manpower that can be spent doing other things, and that applies to volunteer political work as much as it applies to for-profit organizations,” Recanatini said. “The ability to link it to a CRM when it comes to marketing provides a suite of potentials for communicating that people don’t think about.”