Print.IT Reseller - issue 81

COVER STORY PRINTITRESELLER.UK 27 Epson’s proposition helps underline the marriage between sustainable technology and a highly productive workplace, and it also reinforces the versatility of Epson’s portfolio in supporting businesses across all different sizes and sectors. For example, an A3 workgroup printer such as the WorkForce Enterprise has a popular role at the heart of the office to offer the full breadth of fast, high-volume print jobs, whereas the wider office may also need closer reach to an A4 desktop for more immediate, smaller jobs of 1 to 2 pages. While A4 mono printing might offer a unique solution to those within administrative roles, A3 desktop scanners may offer a more productive solution for those in accounting. Being able to meet all the customers install requirements in collaboration with one brand that spends $1.2 million daily on R&D to help maximise the sustainability, productivity and reliability of its products, is just one of the reasons why Epson is a brand resellers continue to build their trust in. Finding the right print service for you There’s nothing all that sexy about printers and the term ‘fit-and-forget’ is how we often describe the relationship customers want with their printer installation. Epson invented cartridge- free printing for homes with EcoTank, providing ultra-high ink yields to minimise the need for buying new ink. We’ve now sold over 50 million units worldwide and are expanding EcoTank into our business range because of the necessity for printer hardware to simply function and not be an added burden to people’s busy lives. The ‘fit-and- forget’ attributes now expected from consumer and business printing helps explain the growing trend of print as a service and why the majority of Epson’s business inkjet printers are now sold by our resellers through one of our MPS solutions. For many businesses, the demands for print solutions are small and simple and with the pandemic causing a surge in small business start-ups that adapt to changing business and consumer needs, resellers need to be able to meet this demand with minimal hassle to themselves and the customer. ‘Just Add Paper’, our newest entry-level proposition, means you can offer your customer selected desktop or floor- standing printers combined with ink and warranty, all provided by Epson, while all the customer needs to do is (you guessed it) add paper. This basic model means resellers enjoy a great upfront margin for low operational commitment and financial risk while the customer enjoys fit-and-forget printers with ink bags that last up to 86,000 pages. Just Add Paper doesn’t require print expertise from the reseller and is a great way for resellers to add print to their solutions portfolio. Print365 is one of the most common print services making its way into SMEs and is another proposition that is helpi ng resellers achieve high margins for low operational commitment and financial risk. With Print365, resellers are selling print as a 36, 48 or 60 month-long service and receive the payment from these invoices upfront from Epson who are then delivering the printer, ink and service to your customer throughout the duration of the contract. The scalability, flexibility and hassle-free experience of Print365 is what makes it so popular among UK businesses, both in the private and public sector, and for the reseller it’s a great way to build business without draining their resources. Epson Print Performance (EPP) need logo is designed for resellers with the infrastructure and experience in making larger installations for bigger businesses, oft en spread across different locations, and earns them a profit per page printed by their customer while Epson provides printer ink and maintenance. With EPP, the print service the reseller offers the customer can be as bespoke as they like and while resellers usually apply their own MPS infrastructure with EPP for a higher earning per page printed, they usually work very collaboratively with our end-user team to help maximise their service and relationship with the customer. To be an EPP reseller you must also be a member of Epson’s partner programme, but as with all of our MPS offerings, the financial risk is being handled by Epson, leaving the reseller to focus on their business and their customers. What reliability means to the customer What can’t be underestimated in a managed print service is the importance of oversight from resellers around their customer’s printer installations. Epson Remote Services (ERS) is a tool designed for resellers to maximise visibility of what’s happening across their customers’ print fleet, whether it’s a paper tray that’s not been pushed all the way in or a maintenance job that needs quickly fixed. ERS can notify resellers in real-time about issues, often before the customer even knows about it, which helps give them the confidence in service from their reseller. As ERS is also available via a cloud based APP on smart devices continued... Richard Wells As with all of our MPS offerings, the financial risk is being handled by Epson, leaving the reseller to focus on their business and their customers