PRINTITRESELLER.UK 39 INTERVIEW really want to talk to anybody else, they just went with that product and us,” he concluded. Amanda Kent and Jack Ranson, Directors, Certa MPS Amanda Kent and Jack Ranson, Directors, Certa MPS cite stock shortages and managing customer expectations as key challenges and explore how better communication and collaboration between resellers and vendors can help overcome these challenges. Dealing with stock shortages has been one of the biggest issues over the past few years. Amanda said: “Generally we've had to look at what we've got available to us and make it fit to what the customer needs. Sometimes we've had to wait a long time for stock, now I know we’ve come out the other side, but we're still very mindful of the fact that it could change very quickly, and something could happen in the economy again, and we really wouldn't want to have the same experience as two years ago.” She added: “Because we provide our own service to customers, we have to fulfil toner, consumables and parts requirements and keep the machines operational. And sometimes when there's a shortage of a widget because it's been stuck somewhere in Europe, it causes a problem for us.” Managing customer expectations Ranson said that managing customer expectations is another big challenge. “We live in an age where customers are used to getting things the next day from the likes of Amazon, so when stock has been, not great, that's been a challenge. We have to be mindful of making sure that we can deliver a service that's as good as next-day as can be really.” Better communication from print vendors would help address these challenges as Amanda explained: “Communication, I think is key and keeping us in the loop of what's going on. Knowing when things are available, would really help us because we would then be able to plan a little bit better. If we know in advance that something potentially is going to be a problem, we can manage our way around it and find another solution to keep the customer happy, so that they don’t really know that there's been a problem at all.” Ranson added: “I think having a vendor that's aligned with your way of thinking helps in marrying up with your service delivery as well. So, making sure you're on the same page, so the end-user experience is exactly the same from start to finish and there are no hold ups because of one party or the other. So, I think that a close working relationship with the vendor and being aligned are key.” Service delivery Amanda said that today’s hybrid working model and changes in terms of how customers print and where they print, is impacting how Certa MPS delivers services. “We've got to manage a slightly different landscape than we did five years ago when it was just a centralised office with multifunctional devices and an in-house IT department. With people working from home now, they’re expecting the same from the equipment sitting on their dining room table as they are from what's available in the office. And as a result of that we've had to adapt the way we look after customers and become more of a third-party IT resource for them. Customers working from home can call on us and we can help them directly rather than having to wait until they go back into the office.” Ranson added: “Being able to adapt to customer requirements – future proofing a solution for instances where customers are hybrid working and being able to say yes, you can do that with what we've put in place already is key. Like Amanda said, customers want to be able to do the same thing with a document at home if it's printed, scanned, filed, email, whatever it may be, as what they have been able to do previously in an office.” The right device Commenting on trends that point to a reduction in A3 printing, Amanda said that in some of the markets sectors they serve, A3 output is still prevalent. But general office printing, ourselves included is definitely less, we’re just assuming the customer is going to carry on doing things the way that they have always done, when in reality, [with the new AM-C400 and AM-C550 MFPs] Epson’s probably come up with a better answer really, so that we can put the right machine into the right location. That’s created opportunity to have a different conversation and as salespeople we like that,” she concluded. To watch the full interview please scan the QR Code Being able to adapt to customer requirements – future proofing a solution for instances where customers are hybrid working and being able to say yes, you can do that with what we’ve put in place already is key continued...
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