01732 759725 46 ONE-TO-ONE Janet Bowden, Managing Director, Woodbank Office Solutions Industry insight archive services, visitor management, and more. Having access to that portfolio means our Account Managers can confidently approach new and existing customers with solutions they know will fit them now and in the future. Q: With artificial intelligence fast becoming mainstream, how do you see this impacting your go-to-market strategy, product roadmap, and indeed the wider channel? A: In terms of digital print and document management, the biggest transformations we’ve been able to make for customers have been in traditional industries like manufacturing. We’ve been able to really improve their processes by implementing document management software solutions and they’re seeing the benefits. As the technology advances and introduces more AI elements, and the more people become aware of what AI can do for them and their business, I think it’ll make our offering even more beneficial. Our software and technology partners are investing heavily in AI to enhance their functionality, so I’m really excited about the future. It’s obviously a priority for them. As it becomes mainstream, I do think it’ll affect customer expectations both positively and negatively. Customers might expect everything to move faster and maybe self-correct, or assume AI will be part of every solution, even when it’s not necessary. Some people might be apprehensive about new solutions, while others might expect AI to solve every problem. We'll need to carefully manage these expectations and continue to work alongside our customers to get them the right solution for them. Q: What do you see as the key challenges or pain points businesses are facing in today’s hybrid working model and how can you help your partners/customers to address these? A: I would say introducing more flexibility is a goal for a lot of businesses now, but some are not sure how to do Q: What’s currently having the greatest impact on your business? A: Growth. With more customers to look after each year, my focus is on ensuring that we maintain our high level of service. Over the 35 years Woodbank has been in business, we’ve built a great reputation for our customer service, so making sure we live up to that is important. To do that, we keep all our Account Managers, customer support staff and Technical Engineers in-house so that customers get the support they need from people they trust. This year we also appointed a new head of Head of Sales, Carl Tomlinson, who brings 40 years of industry experience with him, a new Account Manager to support a new region, and plan on growing the team further. Q: How do you stay ahead of the curve and ensure that your company remains at the forefront of innovation? A: By keeping an open mind to new technologies and collaborating with our partners to ensure we provide the best solutions. We’re proud to have partnered with Konica Minolta for 29 years in 2024, Kyocera for 11 years, and more recently, Sharp. We also work with several software developers. These partnerships have allowed us to expand our portfolio to include print and document management, scanning and it. Customers who were more reliant on paper being handed from person to person immediately saw the value in the digital document management solutions we provide. We’ve had customers who just wanted to speed up their ordering process, but by implementing a cloud solution we’ve been able to add real value by giving members of their team the option to work remotely. I remember one customer had spoken to ten different IT companies to discuss ways of implementing hybrid working and none could find a solution. We were able to help because we took the time to really understand their processes. That’s what it’s about for us – listening. Q: Looking towards the future, what do you envision as the next big breakthrough or game-changer in the industry, and how is your company preparing for it? A: Technology in our industry is advancing at such a pace that it’s hard to see just how significant those advancements are. When we review customers’ solutions, we look for ways to improve efficiency and streamline their processes, and over the last three decades we’ve seen the introduction of software to do that. These solutions are getting better every day. Currently, with some solutions there’s still some manual entry involved. However, because of AI, I can definitely see a future where those manual tasks are eliminated completely, and customers’ document management optimises itself. We are preparing for this by constantly seeking new solutions and collaborating closely with our customers to identify ways for them to optimise. Q: What advice would you give a young person starting a career in the industry? A: Focus on building strong relationships with colleagues and customers and approach them as if they’ll be with you for life. https://www.woodbankoffice.co.uk Janet Bowden
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