PRINTERS
It’s all about the apps
14
PRINT.IT
is eager for partners to make
the most of them: a) because
they are an additional source of
revenue; b) because they provide
a differentiator in a competitive
and commoditised market; and
c) because they can be used
to improve customers’ and the
reseller’s own processes by
integrating an organisation’s
MFPs with other systems and
programmes.
Xerox says there are broadly
three types of apps that can be
used with ConnectKey devices:
1
Information apps, which use
an MFP’s tablet interface to
display information, such as the
name and contact details of the
servicing company, QR codes to
order supplies and alerts when a
machine is out of toner or needs
servicing;
2
Support apps that make it
easier for partners to manage
and service MFPs, for example by
automating meter readings; and
3
Workflow apps that connect
the MFP to different systems so
that business processes can be
digitised and automated.
The Xerox App Studio provides
a range of template-driven tools
that resellers with no in-house
programming skills can use to
customise ConnectKey devices,
plus an App Gallery of solutions
developed by Xerox and third
parties that add extra functionality,
such as scan to and print from
Office 365, Dropbox, GoogleDrive,
OneDrive, Box etc..
Another option is for
resellers to create their
own apps using the
Xerox Personalised
Application Builder
(PAB). Introduced in
2013, this EIP SDK
lets partners with
programming skills
create, share and sell
their own solutions to
customers and other
resellers. End users
benefit because it
enables the reseller
to create personalised
solutions to meet
customers’ specific
needs and to improve
their service levels (see
box).
At the ConnectKey 2017 launch,
a number of Xerox partners
explained how they were using the
Xerox Personalised Application
Builder (PAB) to improve service
levels, among them Joshua
Justice, President of JustTech.
The Xerox App Developer of the
Year attended its first PAB course
three years ago and through a
combination of in-house resources
and the services of contract
developers quickly began to
develop apps for its customers and
other resellers.
Justice said: “Three years ago
we were only a Xerox reseller. We
didn’t have any app developers
at the time. We were interested
in joining the PAB programme to
find new ways to do things; to
simplify processes; to increase
value with customers; to create
new differentiators; to sell more
machines; and to increase
managed print services revenue.
“We are now working with 170
Xerox partners in the US, Europe
and Canada. We have over 20,000
apps installed and are growing at
a rate of 1,000 new app installs
every month. The Xerox US
Channels Group has licensed one
of our apps and Xerox Canada has
licensed another, so we are seeing
a lot of growth.
“The apps we have built
focus on support. Our most
popular is the Firmware Connect
app. Every manufacturer
regularly releases firmware
and software updates
to fix operational issues,
compatibility issues and to
provide security patches, and
each one has a manual step
for downloading new firmware
and software. The Firmware
Connect app automates that
process.
“When new firmware and
software is released and our
company approves it on our
servers, devices are automatically
updated overnight; all settings
are kept at the devices and
software is updated in sequential
order. The Firmware Connect app
increases customer satisfaction,
improves reliability, increases
network security and decreases
service calls and the time it
takes to update software during
business hours. We have 15,000
installations and have downloaded
firmware and software 170,000
times.
“Our first app was the Support
Connect app, originally called
the Contact Us app. With this,
customers can request service and
supplies from the partner right on
the user interface. Then, at the end
of last year we released our Email
Connect app. Setting up scan to
email on any manufacturer’s device
is a cumbersome process, unless
you have the installation wizard with
the new Versalink devices. To set
up scan to email you have to get
the IP address of the machine to go
to the web interface; the username
and the password; and you need all
the email provider’s settings. Then
to set up scan to email, you log in
and put in 17 pieces of information
on six screens. With Email Connect,
you open the app, you put in your
email address and password, you
choose from the 30 most popular
email providers in the US and
Europe, and then hit Save. It’s that
easy; anyone can set up scan to
email in an instant.
“This is important because, due
to security, most users now have
to reset their passwords every 30
days. If I’m a reseller, my helpdesk
gets a lot of calls – ‘My scan
to email doesn’t work because
someone’s changed the password’.
Now you can just leave the app on
the machine, they can put in their
new password and it’s saved; it’s
done. So it cuts down on the cost
of the helpdesk as well.”
Second from right:
Joshua Justice, President of JustTech.
...continued
Our
intention
is to bring
the MFP
into the
heart of the
operation
