As change management confronts many dealers and providers to the office technology realm alike, perhaps it is equally important to maintain the processes and procedures that worked prior to the pandemic (and still hold true) as it is to recognize the evolved needs of end-users and make the necessary adjustments.
That’s the good news. COVID-19 wasn’t an alarm to completely disavow one’s previous business blueprints. Sure, they may contain more eraser marks than is customary, but as we conclude this month’s overview of trends and predictions, our panel of experts also remind us that some of the core underpinnings of business relationships are relevant during every flavor of disruption.
Joseph Contreras, commercial marketing executive, Office Solutions for Epson America, believes the key to success for 2021 and beyond entails adopting a broader range of print solutions, ranging from desktop to print shop. Legacy equipment and technology that fails to differentiate the dealer from a sea of sameness will impact a dealer’s ability to compete against providers that are progressive, disruptive and able to navigate change.
“Given the current change in the printing market, now is an ideal time for dealers to reevaluate and rationalize the portfolio of products that they have to offer,” Contreras said. “As page volumes are down and service profitability is impacted, business inkjet provides a viable option to offer printing solutions with lower maintenance and intervention requirements, compelling TCO and ultimately better service efficiency.”
Speaking of product diversification, Laryssa Alexander—president of ECI Software Solutions’ Field Services Division—believes the dealer community needs to become more flexible and be prepared to address customer demands and changes in the workplace.
“By diversifying offerings and broadening customer bases, dealers can better serve more customers with a larger portfolio of devices and solutions,” Alexander said. “Automation and advanced technology will help support remote operations and offer greater insight into the business.”
Customer Service
Given the challenges facing dealers in the current climate, they must remain unwavering in delivering high-quality, seamless and reliable customer service, even in a remote setting, according to Katsuhiro “Jerry” Matsufuji, vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. Leveraging emerging technologies such as augmented intelligence assets, virtual presence and predictive logic can provide dealers with a firm understanding of what customers are experiencing in real-time, and enable them to tailor their support and solutions in kind.
“By utilizing augmented reality tools, a field technician can connect to a support desk or call center from their mobile device to more accurately see what’s being worked on and help troubleshoot and resolve while onsite, which can result in faster resolutions, shorter visits, and device uptime,” he said.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the value of relationships and the degree of trust that is required to forge unwavering support that goes both ways. Anneliese Olson, general manager and global head, Printing Category for HP, points to her company’s thriving track record established through collaboration.
She notes that the company’s November launch of HP Amplify underscores the value of adapting to the behavior of customers and the needs of partners. The Amplify program arms partners with the capabilities and insights required to build and sustain customer-centricity in the digital age.
“In the technology industry, we have to be creative and deeply personal in how we craft the customer experiences that will resonate in our world today,” Olson said. “We also have to be strategic advisors and true partners to our customers as they continue to transform and experiment with new long-term ways of working. The changes businesses made in 2020 are not going away; they are our new normal. Channel partners and dealers need to adapt, along with vendors and suppliers, to meet the new ways that businesses will work and operate to provide the right technology solutions for them to be successful.”
MPS Adjustment
Considering the number of industry shifts that have unfurled during the pandemic—namely, the acceleration of the workplace transition from A3 to A4 devices—it is vital for dealers to extend their corporate managed print services to accommodate workforce decentralization, notes Dan Waldinger, senior director, B2B marketing for Brother International. Addressing new security and service requirements in the burgeoning mobile world is also paramount.
“Make no mistake, these are all selling opportunities: e-signature apps, secure document management solutions, and cloud storage are just a few digital transformation solutions dealers should be offering to help organizations thrive in a post-pandemic world,” Waldinger remarked.
Bearing in mind that businesses and consumers alike are focused on generating cost savings, dealers should adapt to the mindset and find partners who are in sync with the philosophy, according to Eric Martin, president of Clover Imaging Group. With a movement away from massive fleet refreshes and expensive A3 devices, Martin believes those dealers who can embrace and pivot will win out over less-agile competitors.
“In addition, it’s forced dealers to seek out additional revenue streams and ways to add value,” he said. “Clover has launched several complementary categories to help dealers make up for the gap on the imaging side of the business, including printers, PPE, wide-format and barcode supplies.”
Jim Coriddi, vice president, Dealer Division for Ricoh Americas, believes dealers are going to be seizing the opportunity represented by accelerated demand for digital transformation. That entails moving beyond being a trusted print provider to a workflow management consultant and reliable collaborator.
“They’re becoming their customers’ go-to contact for business and technical challenges,” Coriddi said. “That’s partially because dealers can be uniquely agile and flexible at the customer level, repositioning to address the needs of the new world of work. When you have a strong customer relationship, that trust carries over as your portfolio evolves. From there, it’s about demonstrating to your customers that you have the tools and know-how to solve their problems and help them focus on moving forward.”
