PRINTITRESELLER.UK 37 Our proposition goes beyond just print and when you look at what the customer’s business challenges are, they are very much around doing more with less... ONE-TO-ONE multifunction devices and we’re also seeing growth in the monochrome space where customers really want that mix of colour and mono A4 and A3 products. Xerox ConnectKey technology brings added value benefit to clients, particularly in the A3 space, but not so much in the A4 space. So, we have been taking this technology further down our product range and we will continue to do that. We know that customers will be buying A4 products and building in ConnectKey capabilities will help us broaden our reach in that space and will also give us access potentially to more partner clients that we are obviously looking for. MR: So, are you are looking to recruit new partners? AM: Yes absolutely. We know that there’s been a trend of IT providers moving into print and vice versa, although print providers aren’t moving into IT services at the same pace. So, we think there's a lot more that we could do with our mono branded partners, of course, and they will remain key to our success. But at the same time, we’re looking for growth by expanding our multi-brand partners, if they are a right fit, and are on the same trajectory in terms of the value proposition that we want to bring to clients. We also see an opportunity for us to bring our value proposition to IT solution providers as well, as the products become much more solution-centric as opposed to transactionally- centric. MR: How does Xerox set out to differentiate? AM: I’d say the SMB market is really a sort of sweet spot for everybody and we are focusing on how we differentiate here, especially with the ConnectKey app ecosystem, which extends the MFP beyond just printing and scanning and allows customers to integrate into solutions like Salesforce, Concur, etc. That’s why we are working on bringing that capability down into the A4 space. Xerox aims to differentiate in the SMB market in four key areas – ConnectKey apps, workflow automation via Workflow Central, advanced analytics, and Workplace Cloud our own print management solution. MR: And you have just announced the launch of the first AI-assisted MFPs. AM: Yes, the AltaLink 8200 series is the first product with AI-assisted apps bundled in. The MFPs arrive pre-loaded with AI-enabled applications that enable users to quickly summarise documents, convert handwritten notes, and automatically redact sensitive documents. We’ve got a range of colour and monochrome products and they will be available in the market from early September. The devices also feature some advanced accessibility and advanced security capabilities built-in. We’ve created security templates such as default out of the box, medium, or high security locked in. So, we’re aiding and assisting customers in making those decisions – do they want good, better or great security as it were. The hardware functionalities are fairly similar to what we have today, but it’s all about the control of the technology, the usability, the productivity, and the security aspects we’re building into the suite of products, now and in the future. MR: So, why should a dealer partner with Xerox? AM: We’ve conducted extensive research into understanding the requirements of a small to medium customer business. Our proposition goes beyond just print and when you look at what the customer’s business challenges are, they are very much around doing more with less, improving security, and ensuring that the suppliers that they deal with have a sustainability message that they can align to. And in that respect, we feel very comfortable that our value proposition to the small and medium client is very much linked to what it is those clients are looking for. So, if you're a partner looking for a manufacturer that’s closely aligned to the requirements of what their customers are telling them, then we’re very confident that we are a good fit. My team of account managers are very focused on strategic business planning, planning for growth and planning for the future. We’re very much aligned to ensuring that if you partner with Xerox, then you do it because it’s going to increase the value of your own business as well. It’s about us following a strategy that’s closely aligned to the partner’s strategy and are they interested in the digital and IT services that Xerox might be able to bring to them like RPA? We have an RPA offering in the US and we're beginning to bring that into the European marketplace. And that is an additional thread to our bow that we like to think that perhaps other print manufacturers haven’t brought to the multi-brand channel. www.xerox.co.uk
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