PRINT.IT
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marketplace, find the sweet spot,
identify difficulties, learn from our
mistakes and find partners who
can help us with supplementary
or complementary products and
services that help us add value to
the customer,” he said.
“After nine months of selling
visual solutions through the direct
business, we were in a position
to go to our dealers and not just
hand them a screen that hangs on
the wall but give them an ‘oven-
ready’ package and show how we
have done it, where we sold the
solutions, what partners we have
found to help us and also the
things we have done wrong.”
In April, Sharp launched its
Integrated Technology Partner
Programme (ITTP) to identify
dealers that are ready to go beyond
MFPs and print solutions and
embrace Sharp’s expanding range
of visual, collaboration and cloud
solutions. From an initial cohort of
six, the number of ITTP dealers has
now expanded to 18.
Service improvements
As important as a diversified
product offering are the
improvements Sharp has been
making to its customer service and
back office functions.
“Under the previous regime, for
cost-cutting reasons, the whole
back office was outsourced. The
service customers were getting
wasn’t good enough and it started
impacting the business. So, when
we were able to, we took the
decision to terminate the contract
and ‘in-source’, to bring the back
office back in-house. This has been
a complete success,” said Sykes.
More recently, Sharp has
invested money and resources
in training, technical support
and marketing, including the
establishment of half a dozen
steering groups to help develop
solutions for specific technologies
and market areas, including SMEs,
enterprise, visual solutions, EPOS,
IT services and education. One of
their main responsibilities will be
to establish how integrated Sharp
solutions can be packaged and
delivered in a way that appeals to
and meets the needs of end user
customers.
Even in Sharp’s darkest hours,
Sharp’s global Document Solutions
Business was one of the company’s
bright spots. Now, with the backing
of Foxconn and freed from the
financial constraints of recent
years, it has the opportunity to live
up to its potential.
More recently,
Sharp has
invested
money and
resources
in training,
technical
support and
marketing
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