I hope you’ve been taking solace in the challenges the independent dealer community, knowing that these are some of the very same challenges your dealership is facing. The challenges we’ve been presenting throughout the month were originally shared by ENX and The Week in Imaging’s 2014 Elite Dealers who answered the question, “What’s the biggest challenge facing your dealership?” Because of space limitations we were unable to include those responses in the Elite Dealer profiles we ran in December. Instead, we’re sharing them throughout the month of January in the ENX/The Week in Imaging newsletter and online. Let’s look at the responses of 10 more dealers.
“Currently, our biggest challenge is how rapidly technology is changing and staying in step with the world leaders in technology. It’s a whole paradigm shift in how office technology works. Hardware is almost a side item with so many people moving towards paperless solutions, cloud storage, mobile communication, etc. We are on the brink of the next wave of technology evolution, and it’s a challenge to anticipate where it’s going and stay at the forefront of what people want and need. We are sending employees to the newest technology schools, doing extensive research, attending Webinars, and focusing as much time and energy as we can into being on the cutting edge of document technology.” Consolidated Copier Service, McDonough, GA
“Aside from what is a tough (but recovering) economic business climate, the biggest challenge to Stratix Systems’ success came from within our own organization. It is always a challenge to take a sales team that was accustomed to selling traditional printing and imaging hardware, services, and supplies, and developing the skill set and know-how to uncover opportunities that exist within the IT and Managed Services and ECM areas—for current and new customers. “Moreover, a shift in business management style needed to take place, as Stratix Systems could no longer effectively operate under the wraps of a “traditional copier dealership.” Hence, company leadership brought in experienced, high-level managerial talent from outside the printing and imaging industry. “Introducing proven leaders, who have an appropriate skill set and come from an IT and Managed Services and ECM VAR culture, helped facilitate the establishment, development, growth and success of these respective business units.” Stratix Systems, Wyomissing, PA
“The biggest challenge we face every day is remaining relevant in the market. We continually re-invent ourselves to insure we are on the leading edge of what’s happening in the office technology space. As mobility and cloud computing become more prevalent we must be positioned to consult our clients and partner with them to deliver these solutions. We are continually looking at our education levels and training the people in order to present and support the sophisticated technologies that exist and impact our clients and our business. We have good partners in the hardware space and have done extensive research on the software applications and IT service delivery tools that we need to remain on the forefront of this business and meet and exceed our customer’s expectations.” U.S. Business Systems, Elkhart, IN
“Our biggest challenge has been moving our customers into Managed Services, specifically IT. There can be reluctance in allowing an outside provider to manage your network and sensitive information, but after doing business with us for a little while our customers trust us 100 percent and are satisfied with the work we’ve done.” Rhyme, Portage, WI
“The most important challenge for our company over the past five years, in a difficult economy, has been continued growth and profitability. Every business, large or small, needs to continuously analyze their business model. Are we providing what our clients want? How do we become more valuable as partners to our clients so that we are not just hardware providers? Are our employees learning and growing? Is what we do adding to the bottom line for the health of our company? These are challenging times, but it is critical to keep your eye on the ball. Our employees help us do just that. Understanding what the client’s needs are and how EBS/VBS can deliver Fast Forward Document Solutions is how we continue to grow and stay profitable.” Edwards Business Systems/Virginia Business Systems, Bethlehem, PA
“The biggest challenge in the industry is the ongoing margin pressure; primarily the result of incongruous marketplace pricing from the direct manufacturers sales offices. To conquer this challenge, Centric has focused on adding value to every transaction. We focus on the benefits of dealing with a local company that has the ability to be responsive and solve problems locally with all management, parts, supplies, billing and administration close to our customers. We are large enough to compete and handle all of the customer’s requirements but small enough to care and be an active member of the local business community who generously contributes to the community. It is a value proposition that clients value in the mid-Atlantic region.” Centric Business Systems, Owing Mills, MD
“Our biggest challenge is continuing to find ways to provide objective, independent, all-encompassing solutions to our clients. This may often involve a combination of products from a variety of manufacturers, recognizing that one solution may not be right for every client. To combat this, and to offer more variety to clients, we have expanded our offerings to include Toshiba, which joins our other product lines, including Konica Minolta, Lexmark, and Muratec. We have also invested in training for our technicians on the Toshiba product lines.” Bay Copy, Rockland, MA
“Our greatest challenge has been developing and maintaining the proper internal corporate structure and processes as our dealership has grown. This is how we ended up developing Business Process Optimization as a product, because we had to bring in outside people to help us with our own internal processes, and we saw the value in their services. With a recent acquisition that resulted in having a new office in a whole new territory, structure and procedure has become even more important. If it wasn’t for the past focus in this area, I am not sure the acquisition would have been as successful as it has been.” Word Processing Services, Inc., Hagerstown, MD
“Our biggest challenge is managing growth. 4 The Office has been experiencing double-digit growth since our inception. We are currently considering adding additional staff, but are most appreciative of our staff’s willingness to get the job done, even if it means staying a little later.” 4 the Office, Pittstown, PA
“Competition in our marketplace, including three New York City based mega dealers with strong purchasing power; 65 mom & pop dealers with low overhead who buy equipment at low prices from distributors instead of direct from the manufacturers; and eight manufacturer’s branches competing for down- the-street business.” Electronic Office Systems, Fairfield, NJ
