It starts with a sneeze, then devolves into a runny nose, aches and pains, chest congestion and other maladies that indicate a cold (at best), the dreaded flu, or, even worse, coronavirus. The reaction to coming down with an ailment is somewhat universal and sad, but we’ve all been guilty of uttering the phrase, “I can’t get sick right now.”
We start off this week’s 2022 Elite Dealer challenges with the obvious reminder that your health trumps all else. You may be an invaluable cog in the business operation, but as you’ve assembled a stout team of professionals that is willing to take on added duties when the need arises, it will allow you to pop the hood on your body and make the needed repairs to get back into perfect running order.
Take the case of Michael Hagerty, president of Copy King Office Solutions in St. Charles, Illinois. Hagerty has battled back issues for years and has undergone more than a dozen procedures to provide relief. Still, the pain became excruciating and it was impacting his ability to walk. His left leg became numb and weak. Repeated trips to the doctor’s office and hospitals caused him to miss a lot of work.
Finally, Hagerty visited a neurosurgeon in Arizona, had a procedure performed, and remained hospitalized post-operation for three months. In all, he was out of the office for four-plus months. But during the prolonged absence, the Copy King Office Solutions team rallied to ensure normal business operations would continue.
“Even though I could work remotely, I still felt disconnected from my business, employees and customers,” Hagerty noted. “However, my employees stepped up, taking care of Copy King as if I was still in the office. It reinforced that my employees are my extended family and I will forever be grateful.”
The same team mentality held true when Jeff Ragusa, the president of Applied Business Concepts in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was hospitalized for three weeks with COVID pneumonia. Even after he was discharged, Ragusa needed to be on oxygen at home for roughly another month.
While he was missed, business continued to hum at the dealership. “ABC’s fantastic staff rose to the occasion and maintained its excellent performance in my absence,” Ragusa wrote. “They went to great lengths to not engage me so that I could recover.”
Being mindful of the health concerns of the client in addition to its own team, BASE Technologies of Bethel, Connecticut, devised a plan to help mitigate the chances of sickness spreading through the company. The dealer was split into two groups, with each alternating between working in the office and from home on a weekly basis.
“We did this because we have customers that are essential such as health care clinics and hospitals, and needed to be on-site to support them,” the dealer wrote.
Client Retention
On the business front, some dealers have found maintaining the current customer base to be a significant challenge, as account poaching became rampant in the post-pandemic era. Quarterly business reviews have taken on more significance for Integrated Office Technology of Santa Fe Springs, California.
“We have really put a focus on conducting quarterly business reviews for all customers to not only make sure they are being taken care of but to also let them know about the other business/technology solutions we offer,” the dealer noted.
In light of the manufacturer backlogs and clients downsizing their organization, United Office Systems of Marietta, Georgia, has sought out different ways to add value for clients. “We have addressed this by doing more refinancing of current leases, leasing more used equipment and selling new technology such as cloud-based phone systems,” the dealer reported.
Growing Pains
Accommodating growth adds its own laundry list of obstacles to overcome. Systel Business Equipment of Fayetteville, North Carolina, completed a pair of acquisitions in South Carolina to help bridge the gap between its North Carolina and Atlanta offices. While sales and service volumes were flat compared to 2020, the dealer turned the corner in the first quarter of 2022, with service contract revenues increasing 10% over 2021.
“Fortunately, we have been able to maintain headcount, even throughout the pandemic and have seen a steady increase in sales in 2022 while focusing on generating more net-new business opportunities,” Systel wrote.
Relocating its Seattle headquarters to two different facilities without experiencing any interruption in sales and service was a crowning achievement for Copiers Northwest, but it also stood as the dealer’s greatest challenge. The corporate offices were moved to a build-out of its South Seattle distribution center. Its print center/Imagination Studio required space for multiple high-speed, high-volume copiers, as well as wide-format output devices and finishing gear.
“That facility, along with our sales and showroom, moved to a building across the street from Starbucks headquarters and a half-mile from the football and baseball stadiums, which are now within walking distance,” the dealer wrote. “An extensive build-out was also required to accommodate critical functions.”
