13
Editor’s Choice Awards
a business is forced to adopt a generic
'one size fits all' approach without proper
consideration of its real needs.
“A lot of people get caught up in the
idea of MPS, but in our experience all that
50-70% of customers need is a managed
page service or basic print service where a
machine is provided with a fixed cost per
page, servicing and an onsite engineer if
anything goes wrong,” he said.
“Problems occur when MPS providers
attempt to shoehorn a customer’s
requirements into their conception of
managed print services either to maximise
profits or to suit the vendor’s product range
and areas of expertise.”
Last year, in order to meet the diverse
needs of end users and bring much needed
clarity to the MPS market, OKI segmented
its MPS proposition into three clearly
differentiated services:
1. Managed Page Services
This entry-level offering meets the needs of
customers who want a simple solution that
gives clarity of print costs and a reduced
management burden. Key features include
the supply of devices with a fixed cost
per page, remote monitoring, just-in-time
delivery of replacement toners and onsite
servicing of print devices.
2. Managed Print Services
A more comprehensive printing service, this
includes an assessment of the customer’s
existing printing needs and infrastructure
and a proposal for a new printer fleet
optimised for costs savings, lower energy
consumption and reduced paper waste.
3. Managed Document Services
The next level up goes beyond print and
considers how a customer’s business
processes can be improved. Key features
include job tracking, accounting, pull
printing, mobile print solutions and
ongoing reviews and assessments
throughout the term of the contract.
“We have always delivered our
managed services like this, but we weren’t
making it clear to the market that they
were differentiated in this way. A lot of
needs were lumped under MPS, which
created uncertainty especially for the 70%
or so of customers that only require a basic
service,” Brown explained.
Last year, OKI clearly differentiated
its managed print services
proposition to reflect the diverse
needs of end users.
Managed print services (MPS) are a
popular way for businesses to control,
manage and reduce print costs typically
by up to 30%. Savings of this magnitude
have made MPS an attractive option for
businesses of all sizes. However, such
savings are not guaranteed and, according
to Rob Brown, OKI Business Manager
for MPS, they can be hard to achieve if
Working in partnership
Another way in which OKI is different from
many MPS providers is that it only sells
through the channel. It provides the back-
up, infrastructure, resources and expertise
needed to deliver MPS but the service
itself is managed by the channel partner,
be it a dealer, IT reseller, managed service
provider, value added reseller (VAR) or
stationery/office supplies company.
This approach has clear benefits
for OKI’s trade partners. It gives them
confidence that they are working in co-
operation not competition with OKI and
allows them to leverage OKI’s infrastructure
to expand their own service offering.
According to Brown, it has big
advantages for end users too. “It means
that a business can use a dealer/reseller
as a one-stop-shop for everything. It
means that they can go to the supplier
that they are already using for networking,
telephony, desktop PCs, stationery and use
them for print as well. They can have one
invoice from one service provider and have
one point of contact for everything, instead
of having to run print outside the corporate
procurement policy.”
In the final analysis, print is
fundamental to business operations and
managed print services must reflect this by
supporting each customer’s specific needs.
The knowledge resellers and dealers have
of their customers, allied to the flexibility,
product range and expertise of OKI is the
ideal combination for MPS success.
The key to MPS success
OKI’s MPS offering
Editor’s Choice:
Print.IT
What we liked:
•
reflects the diverse needs of
end users
•
covers all print devices
from A4 desktop printers to
departmental A3 MFPs
•
offers a full range of print
solutions from secure print to
job accounting
•
transparency: three clearly
differentiated services
•
one invoice from one service
provider and one point of
contact
– 01732 759725
