The Next Managed print Services Event

“Wrath”- One of my favorites

Another stage, power point, round table, expert panel and cast of hundreds looking to commune and see the “new MPS” …again. I've witnessed multiple iterations and others broken promises since 2007. I’ve attended many such gatherings and presentations: Lyra, Photizo, ITEX, ReCharger, MWAi Executive Summit. I’ve spoken with thousands of customers, hundreds of resellers all the OEMs and countless dealers about MpS, copiers, printers, toner, managed services and the like.

Now, a new effort is in town. The "Top 100 Summit" focusing on the future of managed print services; "MPS is Changing" is the tag-line.

In the beginning, managed print services was mocked for being nothing more than facilities management or copier-service on laser printers. Something the more “forward" thinking copier providers and OEMs had ‘been doing for decades’ - not really.

But even back then, in the frenzied years of possibilities, there were those who saw managed print services literally; a service that managed print. Some of us understood ‘print’ to be any media - from 8.5x11 to voice mail. Further, we recognized this managed service as a path to higher thought, more relevancy and a foundation for a sustainable business model not increased shelf space, capturing clicks, or trapping clients in 60 month contracts.

We knew the future of print had less to do with copiers, printers, ink or toner hitting paper. We eagerly embraced the talk tracks and value props around ‘more efficiency in the office’, reduction in costs and optimizing the print environment - and we meant it.

We attended new and interesting shows. In April of 2009, Photizo ushered in this bold new concept and talked about managed print services well before ANY other pundit, consultant, training house, OEM, toner remanufacturer or copier dealer - yes there were a few true managed print services providers but most of the traditional imaging industry either explained away the movement as ‘just another gimmick’ or claimed to have been in managed print services for “25 years”.

We believers "...gave the Future to the winds and slumbered tranquilly in the Present, weaving the dull world around us into dreams.” Designing a future of connected devices, less print and optimized business environments. Yet, like most promises, our dreams were burned away by the reality of equipment quotas and dogma; more specifically, in toner and ink.

Spin the dial six years into the future and it seems who can spell “MPS” can sell “MPS”. Bags of ink are the new MpS. Analytics are the new MpS. Copier service is the new MpS. Despite consistently declining equipment placements, shuttered paper plants and industry lay-offs, increasing print volumes are the new MpS. It is an upside-down world.

 The Universe according to Greg:

• Print Analytics - Who Cares? We do, but do our clients?
• Ink vs. Toner - Who Cares? We do, but do our clients?
• Print is not dying - Ignorance is bliss.
• Managed (IT/Network) services is the future - Oh, really? Even the IT guys understand MS is short term - look up Software Defined Workspace.
• Print volumes have been going up - rearranging the deck chairs, nobody is creating new "clicks".

So what about all this?

Is it still the doom and gloom era? Not really. But no matter how many round tables, expert panels, sales classes, consulting services, or business transformations our industry attends or participates, we’re all simply talking to ourselves; alone in the dark. Until we stop looking at our prospects as ‘targets’ to be ‘trapped in an agreement’ or design ‘sticky’ marketing schemes and start ‘solving’ instead of ‘selling’ those who do survive, will wander the the abyss; shadows of the once might ‘copier industry’.

Which brings me to the Top 100 Summit. Will we usher in a new era? Will the sins of our past support positive change or drag us into the depths of irrelevance?

Big questions and unseen answers.

I suspect we’ll have a great time. I see us sharing new ideas and expressions of hope. Ultimately, what really matters, is how everyone feels 72 hours after the show; sinful and atoned or raptured ignorance.



Get more, here.

HP Inc. — Will It Make a Difference?

The papers are served and signed. Finances and property equally assigned, all “proper” procedures dutifully, if not coldly, have been followed and filed. She said separating was for the best, months after announcing “we’re better together.”

Now comes the hard part. “You take those, I don’t need them. Oh, this is yours. You brought it with you.” Reliving each memory again and again with every packed picture frame — the Christmas trees, fireside chats, corporate presentations — all “tears in the rain.”

Not all spit-ups are the same, indeed this is an atypical separation as both parties retain their last names — "Hewlett" and “Packard."

The biggest split-up in imaging history is about to take place as HP splices, creating two $55 billion companies, HP Enterprise and HP Inc. HP Inc. will offer PCs and printers with HP Enterprise pitching professional services and everything else.

Not since IBM created and then spun Lexmark has there been such a move.

So what does this mean for printers, copiers, and managed print services? In my calculation, HP Inc. could usher in the last “Golden Age” of office print — again.

Here’s my SWOT analysis:

Strengths — Too big to fail

By all indicators, HP Inc. will be a $55 billion corporation with...

Read the rest, here.

The Missed Opportunities in Managed Print Services

Artist, Christine Walters

Managed Print Services (MPS), or the act of supplying and servicing printing devices, originated before 2007. MPS engagements promise supplies and/or service delivery, billed by usage.

For example, for every page printed, a provider will charge as little as 0.0120 for each. Invoicing is periodic and covers supplies along with any service calls required to maintain the devices under contract. At the base level, when an end user requires toner or a service call, the provider sends supplies or dispatches a technician with the goal of meeting defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

The promise of MPS was the continuous management of an unmanaged resource – which would ultimately reduce costs. Some programs promised as much as a 30% reduction in printing costs, but for many MPS clients, these costs were never realized.

From banking to healthcare, every industry has explored the many facets of managed print services and experienced false promises.

There are three basic missed MPS opportunities:

1. Device reduction and fleet optimization, resulting in lower costs
2. Support for paper-to-digital workflow transformation
3. Enhanced customer relationships

Device reduction and fleet optimization

For decades, printers have been purchased and installed ad-hoc. It was assumed that every new employee required a PC and printer to fulfill their assigned duties, so the number of printing devices grew exponentially. The transmission of information shifted from paper to screen, but the production of printers and copiers did not slow.

Overcapacity in print environments was institutional. For example, consider all the copiers capable of reproducing tabloid-sized (11” x 17”) documents. These machines must be physically large enough to support the paper size; rollers, fusers, glass, output trays, and the like. Yet, when analyzed, less than 3% of ALL business output is in the tabloid format, but nearly 90% of copiers were built to support the larger media size.

Today, companies have more print devices than they need, which has generated a pool of underutilized assets and avoidable costs. Though net new device installations are decreasing, a significant increase in operational productivity around the print is still nebulous.

Support for paper-to-digital workflow transformation

As the idea of MPS grew and more assessments were performed, companies started examining the reasons employees print in the first place. (The least expensive image is the one that is never printed.) Additionally, as tablets and smartphones invaded the corporate space, information began to flow from screen to screen more often and businesses naturally started printing less.

For MPS providers, this presents quite a quandary: promoting a reduction in print (one of the marketing pillars of MPS) means shrinking revenues. Presented with the choice of either moving into digital workflow solutions or continuing the old ways of contractual service and supplies management, most providers chose the latter. Regardless, organizations are organically discovering ways to move and present the information faster than the speed of paper: without (and some might say in spite of) printer and copier manufacturers’ MPS programs.

Enhanced customer relationships

Many organizations feel they can better manage cost reduction in-house, without an outside vendor. Aligning internally-managed MPS goals with an overarching organizational vision is easier accomplished without conflicting intent. A provider usually is serving an equipment quota whereas IT departments serve end users.

The missed opportunity for most MPS providers is the chance to become a technology partner. Because printers and the management of output assets fall within the IT realm (an area unfamiliar to most MPS providers) the chance to build credibility with IT in addition to procurement was inherent to the assessment process. Unfortunately, managing to status quo became the norm as breakout opportunities for deeper relationships slipped away.

Today, organizations might be implementing their third or fourth MPS engagement. But what have we learned?

• Who’s responsible for measuring cost reductions?
• How are results measured?
• How do you manage a new MPS program?
• Do you mix copiers and printers into the SLA?
• What are the results? Have costs been decreased and goals met?

Here are some basic recommendations:

• Treat output devices as endpoints.
• Define and implement clear assessment protocols
• Initiate asset tags and an asset management program
• Design refresh strategies similar to PC/laptop
• Define output goals (for example, paper reduction, enhanced patient experience, etc.) that are supported by executive management

There are around 30 relevant points to consider when looking to reduce the costs associated with moving information within and outside your organization – and the cost of toner is just one. The five recommendations above represent the beginning of a Print Policy.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll share more on how to design a realistic and sustainable Print Policy.

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Not enough people are making a difference in Managed Print Services. There is a Silver Lining.

ENX is celebrating the people making a difference across the document imaging industry.  Every two years, a few notables in the copier and printing industry receive kudos from their peers.

This year, I received a request from Scott Cullen, asking for input.

I've known Scott for a while - interviewed me, many years ago.  I was impressed, I still am, with his ability to draw out relevant information (like a good assessment) and present an easy to identify story(like a good proposal).  He is good people.

I've also known Susan Neimes for a long time.  She's managed to stay among the top of the media heap, through the turbulence.  Good form.

I am often asked for input on a variety of subject matter.  Here is Scott's request and my response:

Hi Greg,

I'm pretty sure I sent you an e-mail about this already, but just in case, here you go again. As someone who has been around the document imaging industry for awhile, I'd appreciate your input. I know you're busy preparing for ITEX (I'll see you there.), but hopefully you have a few minutes before or after to give this some thought.

The May issue of ENX is celebrating the people making a difference across the document imaging industry...

Here’s the criteria to help with your suggestions: The thought leaders and individuals from all corners of the industry (hardware, services, solutions, supplies, associations, analysts and consultants) whose knowledge and opinions their peers and others in the industry value. Some may be doing a terrific job of leading their organizations and building a business, or in some cases, multiple businesses. 

Others are front and center at industry events, participating in panels and seminars, and networking with other document imaging industry professionals. Some are active on social media or contributing content to industry publications.

You can recommend as many or as few as you would like.

Thanks in advance for your help...

Cheers,

Scott Cullen
Editorial Director

###

My answer is simple: no more usual suspects.

1. Any thought leader would have nothing to do with manufacturing hardware, so that removes a grip of people.
2. Real visionaries see OEM enforced quotas as oppressive, this negates others.
3. Analysts/consultants pontificate based on rearview data and parrot spec sheets as analysis, nothing there either.
4. Finally, an "MPS program" is no longer innovative and barely relevant.

Nothing from OEMs, the standard copier model participants, analysts, or program managers.  "We've always done it this way..."

There is, however, a collection of luminaries:

Mike Stramaglio - Ignore for a second, battling the monopoly, Mike is compelling channel players re-evaluate their entire accounting system and business model.

Kevin DeYoung - Kevin refused to play the OEM-shuffle-for-shelf-space game long ago and continues to expand the minds of his clients.

Jenna Stramaglio - The Family knows technology and Jenna is great at conveying bold messages.

Kevin Morris - Kevin Morris is running the best MPS model in the industry, he has no peers.

Jennifer Shutwell - For those ready to see, Jennifer, through her work with your MPSA and end users, has illuminated relevant facets of the MpS ecosystem.

Milton Bartley - Milton is an example of successfully pivoting from the status quo, copier model.

Andy Slawetskey - Media aggregator supreme, he gets the words out consistently and has toner in his blood.

Seven points of lights in a crowded, cluster of normalcy.

###

There you have it.  I may not be a 'difference maker' in 2017...but, I'm good not being on a list.

Click to email me. 

Managed print services, per seat billing. "I have two guns, one for each of you."

It's time to chime in on a subject that's been part of my Mps discussion since 2008 - per seat billing for toner and supplies fulfillment.

By now you've been reading or have heard the buzz around the idea; instead of billing in a 'usage model' or per click, we bill monthly for the number of users.  Benefits for the customer are about the same: supplies and service inclusive. For providers a steady revenue stream, regardless of decreasing print volumes.

Not a bad bargain.

"...that's the rumor..."

I've been a proponent of per-seat billing since 2008 when I was cutting my MPS teeth with Edgeline, inside a VAR.  Billing help desk and other services on a per-user basis was the norm.  Back then, I thought that someday, managing print devices would fall into the same scheme.

Of course, this hasn't happened.

"...that's just my game..."

Two sides of the same coin, arguments for and against, with no clear winner, I put together three reasons 'against' and three reasons 'for'.  Enjoy.

Against:

1. Risk Avoidance - Assessments may be more important than ever, adding another 30 days to the cycle.  It is difficult to convert CPI or toner out costs into a per seat figure.
2. Implementation - Can your system bill per seat?  How about three different types of seats? Who will handle adds and deletes?
3. Ignorance - If you're doing Mps, by optimizing a 1:1 scheme, delivering toner/service only, there is little chance you'll understand the complexities and nuances of presenting to an IT professional.  Don't try per seat billing.

"...you're a Daisy if you do..."

For:

1. Easier to bill - Once you determine the SKU(gag), billing is simple.  No meter reads.
2. Easy to understand - Again, simple billing is a value.  So is an easy-to-understand pricing structure.
3. Your customer does not care - And your client doesn't care how you bill.

"...I'll be your huckleberry..."

My personal belief is that by the time BTA-types figure out how to confront their fears and live outside the shadow of equipment quotas, there won't be any printing - no matter how we bill, per image, per scan, per seat, or per whim - the cheapest image is the one you don't print.  Ever.

"I was just foolin..."
"I wasn't..."

"....poor soul...you were just too high strung..."

Click to email me.

HIMSS 2015 and Print(?)

HIMSS is a national, yearly show promoting technology in healthcare put on by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. One can find providers for everything from hospital beds to billing software; from business intelligence to prescription printing.

When I first heard that my new company was attending the HIMSS conference in Chicago, even though I wasn’t even officially yet a member of the team, I elbowed my way into the fold. It was to be the company’s first appearance, which is both odd and timely. You see, we specialize in healthcare and have built solid book of business and stellar reputation in the niche, so it seemed a natural occurrence.

This year, the show hosted thousands of exhibitors and many thousands of attendees – at times it seemed every bus, taxi and hotel in Chicago was inhabited with HIMSS people. The locals were at a loss to explain the sudden spike in population. It gave me great pleasure to explain the show over deep-dish and beer — how every healthcare technology provider in the realm, from software to beds and nursing stations was planting a stake in the ground.

I expected HIMSS to deliver more than any of the shows I typically attend — which it did. If I combine the shows I’ve attended over the past 36 months, HIMSS blows them all away. In scope, in depth and scale of solutions, the event is a tidal wave of technology goodness.

The biggest draws were the software providers, yet a small contingent of managed print services providers managed to land a spot or two.

I knew PrinterLogic was attending and figured the OEMs would be there plying their solutions, but didn’t expect to see any more of the usual suspects. This expectation was proven correct with one surprising exception: FlexPrint.

Who was at HIMSS:

Xerox, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Canon, Samsung and HP were displaying workflow, scanning, and mobile print. Only Lexmark placed “MPS” on their marquee, but even they had to track down the MPS person.

Konica Minolta has a nifty, Troy-like prescription print solution. Samsung had copiers, scanning, and with the help of Ringdale, follow-me print.

Biggest impressions:

IBM

It’s no wonder Big Blue commands attention. The booth was always filled and comprised of multiple solutions — not a printer in sight. The future is all about intelligence and healthcare presents an almost insurmountable amount of raw data. Churning through streams of live metrics and discerning a plan of action is front and center of IBM’s strategy.

Imaging OEMs

Lexmark, Xerox, HP, and Ricoh have sizable portfolios of healthcare solutions. Primarily supported by their direct teams, each is betting heavily on healthcare as a growth area.

FlexPrint

I was surprised to hear that FlexPrint was exhibiting – a familiar entity in a sea of strangeness. The ladies of the booth were amicable, posing for pictures and everything, although they saw me as a competitor.

They were there representing the copier niche as a national provider of managed print services. Commendable.

PrinterLogic

Over the past 12 months, I have shared all I know about this company. I’ve banged the drum and tried to explain to copier dealers the overwhelming significance of this specific offering within an advanced MpS practice. No takers. It is my contention that this sophisticated and elegant solution neutralizes one of the most frustrating managerial issues IT departments face. My opinion isn’t based on a training session or marketing material – paying clients, more than one, have expressed this to me. Enough said. If you’re interested, googlitize PrinterLogic.

What can we learn - three things:

1. In healthcare, print isn’t the most crucial issue, but it is important. For most, finding ways to eliminate inefficient paper-based processes is primary.

2. Our OEMs are small players in this ecosystem.

3. There is little room for an indirect channel. The expertise required is deeper than equipment surveys and toner delivery. Basic MPS engagements in healthcare are living on borrowed time.

Personal Observations:

When I think about MPS practices and copier dealers selling into the healthcare niche, I am concerned. For all the training and customized solutions the OEMs bring to the channel, they seem to barely simply scratch the surface – the print environment is more that simply print servers and cues. There is a world of CITRIX print

Print is a topic of discussion - it was odd, most of our OEMs were talking about digital workflow while the rest of the vendors were talking follow-me print. I spoke with more than a few attendees about follow-me/PIN/cloud/mobile print solutions. Other than access to the network, the biggest concern I heard was errant print jobs remaining, unclaimed, in the output tray. They were shocked to hear this solution has been around since the early 2000s.

Without ringing the doom and gloom bell, again, I’ve seen a slice of the healthcare universe the indirect channel doesn’t know about. I was completely overwhelmed by the relatively insignificant position our OEMs hold – they aren’t the “big boys” in this field.

The opportunity is huge, but the commitment is bigger – three days of technical training and a day of sales classes will not prepare you for the multi-faceted, extremely dynamic nature in healthcare.

My recommendation is to secure as many contracts as possible with clinics, hospitals and networks providing toner and service only. Don’t try to play in the software arena – the existing providers are seasoned, clients savvy and you’ll find yourself competing with your OEM. Get in there and grab the clicks for as long as you can.

Original post, here.

Never Go Out of Style: Managed print Services Inside a VAR

"You come and pick me up, no headlights

A long drive,

Could end in burning flames or paradise..." - T. Swift 

Mps Practice Managers, salespeople, BDMs, specialists, consultants, experts, evangelists, directors, principals, planning managers, and vice-presidents - I got a question for you:

If you had the chance to build an MPS practice, today, from scratch, inside a VAR,  how would you do it?

Where would you start?  Building a team? Compensation plans?  Assessment tools and DCAs?

What's your visionary statement?  Would you put together another, two-dimensional, old-school, top-down, business plan?  Really?

What about legacy accounting systems, dispatch, vendor relationships, existing BDM mentality, corporate philosophy/culture,  probes, NOC, SLAs, BDR, MS, and customer transformation off paper?  Can you lead or will past mistakes haunt you like the phantoms of Macbeth?

Inside this turbulence,  I'm sure some ask,

Building an Managed print Services Practice: LA to Oconomowoc #MPS #copiers

By David Cameron; CEO, Cameron Consulting Group, March 27th, 2012

Greg Walters is a well-known blogger, rebel, truth-seeker, and now a consultant in the managed services field for print and IT.

This article focuses on his leadership and—at times—exasperating experiences in building an MPS practice inside a large West Coast VAR. Adding managed print services (MPS) was an uneasy fit that didn’t demonstrate its value until after Walters took over. As the MPS practice grew more than $1 million, the plan shifted and the practice was folded into the much larger managed services group to leverage common processes and resources. It is an open question whether the MPS practice will retain its edgy personality and strong growth rate as it goes mainstream as part of the VAR services portfolio.

Greg Walters took over the immature managed print services practice

Build a SuperTeam for Managed Print Services - 2013

First posted, 2013, here.

I’ve spoken to many successful managed print services providers over the past few months who have said that commitment is the key to success in MPS.

As a foundational step, I agree.

Yet to fully achieve that, organizations need a team of MPS specialists, which may either be created outright or grown organically out of necessity. Today, I outline six basic players in a successful MPS SuperTeam:

“The Hub” – This person is all-knowing, all-seeing. She understands vendor relations, sales, dispatch, warranty, invoicing, meter reads, monitoring, technicians—and can manage them all. She handles customers, runs the books and knows CRM inside and out. She works within the rules, but is not afraid to stretch them.

“The Face” – This is the internal MPS evangelist. A true believer, he sees the value of MPS in his world and in the customers’ realm. He typically does not “throw all the services against the wall” in an effort to see what sticks. He can carry an MPS conversation almost up to business process outsourcing and knows how to gracefully bring in The Knight.

“The Knight” – This team member knows more about MPS than anyone else. He understands the corporate MPS vision because he helped create it and continues to support it. The Knight could sell MPS on his own and one day just might. But he is a team player and knows his position on the field. When the practice makes money, presents a 48 percent GP/19 percent in Net Income, he credits everyone else. When the practice burns a slow, terrible, painful death he alone takes responsibility and the long walk.

“The Master Mechanic” – The ultimate technician; a tech’s tech. He knows how to handle EVERYTHING and keep the promises made by The Face. Experienced, tested and seasoned, this person is customer-centric, not afraid to learn the new technology and can dissect an old Konica blindfolded. The “Master Mechanic” can show a rookie how to install fusers or remove misfeeds. He is the rare technician. We all know one.

“The Majordomo” – This person is part of executive management and an MPS believer. He understands the impact of MPS on the entire organization in all areas: gross profit, service revenue and customer retention. This person will sell internally and run interference when ownership wants to “improve” the MPS process or assimilate the practice into the “bigger picture.” He’s a straight shooter who knows what battles to fight and how to address the King.

“The King” – This is the one person who can defy logic. It is his vision that “your” practice supports. If he feels MPS no longer fits the vision, you’re out. No matter the margin, market, or how much blood you’ve put in, it is his decision. He can say “yes” or “no” all on his own.

In my opinion, these are the primary positions. You will certainly have more than one tech, and you will engage a team of salespeople; possibly midlevel management, department heads and fellow practice managers. Your team is the core of the practice.

Managed print services in 2017: PSO is the New Mps

"Pro-actively optimize devices and processes associated with presenting information in the form of documents, regardless of medium." - GRW

If you understand the above definition, you quickly see the traditional MPS definition as stunted, restrictive.

I submit to you, the active MPS practitioner, a vision, philosophy, strategy and tactic that will expand your horizon beyond toner and service.  Print Server Optimization(PSO).

Stated simply, PSO delves into:

• End user data - you remember them, right?
• Less network traffic - compression, encryption and the like...
• Mobile print - like anyone really prints reams from their phone/tablet/LT
• Secure/pull/follow you print - 'nuf said
• Optimized print driver management - look into this...
• Fewer print servers - NO NOT A UNIVERSAL PRINT DRIVER
• Easy to execute, end-user installations - with maps n stuff that show what printers are available
• and more...

I double-dog-dare you...I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU...to call your best IT contact(you have one of those, right?) and ask him how he feels about managing print servers.

Go ahead, ask.  Ask him what happens when a print server blinks out.  Ask him how long it takes to manage all the print drivers on his network and if the automatic configuration of printers would be a good thing.

Here's a delicious suggestion, find a prospect with a print policy designed by your competitor(you have one of those, right?) and ask him why they didn't include print server optimization.

Go ahead. Ask.

I've gotten behind a few programs in the last seven years or so, this one - the reduction of print servers - I see as the next big wave to hit not just our niche, but the entire technology landscape.  Why not get into the movement today and leverage the talk track into a deeper IT relationship?

Would you like to know more? greg@grwalters.com

This is a wave we can celebrate.

ITEX 2015: Copierville is a Fireball

"Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back" - BS

"Mr. Worldwide to infinity
You know the roof on fire..." - Pit

This year's ITEX show was one of the more interesting versions.   Fewer attendees?  I don't know the numbers, but maybe.

Was business conducted?  Yes.  Was the location right?  Yes.  Did the sessions stir thought and impart ideas? Yes.

Was it obvious that Managed print services as an offering, is waning. Yup.

This time around, I was fortunate to help the good people at ITEX  document the show through video.  If you were there, you probably some guy walking around with a mic and a video guys in tow - asking all the 'tough' questions.

I talked with many and worked the floor an entire day - booth to booth, person to person - and in those travels, I was able to glean some interesting thoughts and hear directly how some in the industry feel the niche is transforming.

Change is constant, here are some of my observations

1. Less toner focus but the big guys are marketing.
2. IT services providers are solid with an entire row dedicated to managed services
3. New Hardware announcements and products were on parade but it just doesn't matter and that's a good thing.  Consumers of devices care less about logo's and ink versus toner than we.  

Conclusion:

The ubiquity of Managed print services is about as exciting as wallpaper.

If you're truly ready to venture out into the IT realm, Mps is your gateway. Connectivity, conversations with IT departments and relieving them of a headache issue, are all part and parcel of a visionary Mps.

Companies like PrintFleet(Artificial Intelligence), Print Audit(Per Seat billing), MWAi(real, copier based accounting systems) and AVG(flexible, proven, managed services offering) offers opportunities beyond the pubescent toner and machine management.

There are dealers making the visionary decisions and moving beyond OEM, MPS, and quotas

"We love the show, this is our second time and we are definitely coming back next year..."

Every show attracts criticism - it is a tradition. This year, the negative observations say less about show content, venue and PowerHours and more about the niche.  Our relatively small industry is contracting not expanding - the most revered and longest running conference(Itex) is reflecting these changes, not projecting: another Sign.

Itex will be back next year at the same venue, but will copiers survive beyond 2016? Sure, of course.  At this very moment, somebody, somewhere is manufacturing and selling buggy whips.

Eight Characteristics of a Growing Managed Print Services Practice

2015

After five years of managed print services, one would imagine a standard set of MPS rules would rise out of the fog.  And yet there is still debate over what exactly MPS stands for — not the acronym, but the vision and real value of managed print services.

I remember the great device-to-technician-ratio discussion of 2008.

The Stealth Sale: Print Server Elimination. Why don't you understand?

Managed print services was suppose to be about helping clients reduce the number devices and printed documents, saving them "30%".

Although clients are indeed reducing their numbers, it's had little to do with our hardware quotas; their reducing all by themselves.

1. Eliminate headache and costs - ask your IT how much time they spend managing print servers.  I dare you.  I can tell you, they hate it.
2. Acquire end-user, print behavior patterns - DCA's collect machine data, server elimination software organically collects user data.  Figure it out.
3. Raise the level of conversation - stop talking about toner, but if you must discuss hardware, why not discuss print servers.

Like 'plastics' in the 50's and 60's, print server elimination is the next big thing. But like our stealth bomber few see it coming.

Can you?  Need help?  Reach out to me.

The B2 flying towards the Rose Bowl, 2015

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If I Had a Heart: Drop the "Print" from Managed print services. The World According to Greg

March 2015 

Heartbreak and glory - the times are changing universally. One turn in my personal metamorphosis is stepping down as President of the Managed Print Services Association.

My involvement with the MPSA started at the very beginning, back when a room full of folks voted to form the association at  Photizo 1.  I am honored to have served and proud of all the accomplishments we've achieved - it has been a great time.

Congratulations to the new Managed Print Services Associations executive board:

President: Kevin DeYoung, Qualpath - owner, managed print services visionary, leader
Vice President: Doug Bies, Canon USA - new, passionate, cutting edge philosophy
Secretary: Sarah Henderson, West Point Products/Clover Technologies - stalwart, foundational, dedicated
Treasurer: Lou Stricklin, Muratec America - solid, fresh, tactician

Today, as I exit the Oval Office,  relegated to a Board of Director, I am free from the yoke of compliance, broken are the shackles of other's stunted and spun opinion, open to express my opinions based on observed behavior, not Survey Monkey or the corporate drawer statement.

I am unencumbered by concerns about how a potential sponsor or customer might feel. 

Free to ignore conversations geared around the ROI of donating $10,000.00 for a corporate membership.  

We were not lying when we said your ROI is measured by your contribution to the industry, not shelf space, or tossing our membership into your sales funnel.

The shackles of self-censorship have fallen away...

UNLEASHED...

My managed print services observations or better yet:

The World According to Greg

Managed print services is Dead and the OEMs killed it -

That's what I said.  

It was called 'managed print services' not 'managing printers & service'.  Leveraging the 'services' model to increase MIF is disingenuous and prospects see right through the scam.

Customers do not care -

Speaking of customers, they don't give a rip about the toner remanufacturing process.  They don't care about the seven steps of xerography, and their eyes gloss when you speak of ink vs. toner; color vs. B/W, or mobile print.  Stop doing that.

Find something else to talk about - say business-oriented, like employee morale, the impact of BYOD, and managing print servers.

My advice to the incoming MPSA Executive Board - 

1. Change the definition of managed print services and the direction of the MPSA.  Move away from toner, printer, and hardware - to a "Managed Services Association".  Expand the horizons, and blow the minds of millions.
2. Do not fall victim to the procedure, meeting paralysis, Roberts Rules of Order planning on how to do something without ever doing anything.
3. Once a member proclaims, "...that's not the way I operate..." they've volunteered.  The association, like our industry, is at a crossroads.  Like times in the past, both glory and ruination await.

Ideas are bulletproof -

Not only is the world on a path to less paper, but the new world will be populated with self-healing devices - no need for as many service technicians.

Managing services for your clients is the future.  This core idea is unflappable in a turbulent sea of rhetoric, incorrect research, and marketing talk.

The world of MPS, like life,  holds promise and doom - fortune, glory, and tragedy.  False promises? Yes.  Self-interest? Of course.

When haven't we experienced both?

To make a move, a real move, we've got to take that leap of faith...again and again, and again.  Heartbreak, then Glory.  Glory, then heartbreak.

Always.  All ways.

Click to email me.

"Managed Print Services? Never heard of it. I sell machines and disaster recovery..."

pariah |pəˈrīə|
noun
1 an outcast: they were treated as social pariahs.
2 historical a member of a low caste in southern India.

It wasn't long ago, the darling of the dance, managed print services, was filled with wonder and promise. Like Carrie's senior prom, that bucket of toner came crashing down spoiling mood and prom dress alike.

Yes, it is true - managed print services has become the industry pariah - oh how the mighty have fallen. Supplanted by help desk, email, and disaster recovery the lowly printer has left the stage.

Managed print services has ended up meaning little more than service and toner delivery leveraged to lock customers in, expand shelf space and drop more machines in field. But that wasn't what MPS should have been.

It had the potential for so, so much more but we couldn't handle it.  True mps is huge, expansive and all inclusive; a concept including printers and wireless routers, scanning, digital workflow, and the paperless life.

Too Big for Most People's Mind -

They invited managed print to the prom, put her on stage. Then, in a pre-planned scheme, they attempted to shame and belittle.  Unlike Carrie's story, the devious ones here understood the overwhelming power of a new business model.  Instead of simply embarrassing the concept, the sought to destroy it.  They've succeeded.

Self-centered.

"...And the raven was called sin..."

The prom is over.  But there is always another dance, another Carrie.

Let's try something that isn't tied to OEM hardware. Indeed, let's start proposing and selling ideas that ROMOVE hardware from the equation(one possibility derived from mps). The scary truth is your prospects and customers are doing it right now, with or without you.

Would you like to learn more about how your business could move away from OEM driven quotas?

Reach out to me.

Equipment Quota's: This Far. No Further!

"We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats.
They invade our space and we fall back. 
They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. 
Not again. 
The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!"

Captain Picard's, "White Whale" speech refers to a relentless invading force moving forward, overtaking more and more.  Equipment quotas are like this - they never decrease, they are automatic, ubiquitous, and numerically exponential.

This was the way of the past - mass production distributed costs across a huge number of like identical products supported through mass marketing -

"you can order any color you like, as long as it's black..." Hank Ford.

The machine quota-driven, customer service experience is being recognized as an oxymoron by the very people you're trying to sell:  the prospect.

The End of Device quotas are Near

1. Product will be ordered custom 1:1- the end of commodity devices
2. Production costs will approach zero - 3D manufacturing
3. Time to market will be measured in hours
4. All equipment-based transactions will be direct - a myriad strong channel consisting of, specialized providers will service on an ad-hoc basis.

You can start now.  The biggest battle goes on between your ears and in your heart.  If you search yourself, you know real customer service has nothing to do with your 30 equipment forecast.

"When you sell hammers, everybody is a nail."

The day is coming, some owners have already crossed the Rubicon, refusing to play the OEM quota game. Some manufacturers no longer enforce equipment quotas and more will follow or get left on the wrong side of history.

Our niche will be transformed forever; your customer's world is changing too.  Do you have the eyes to see, or are you a modern-day Ahab?

Click to email me.

Managed print Services Truth #5 & #6 - Be a Leader, Be Open

Titles don't make leaders.  Cutting your own trail doesn't make you a leader - but you sure won't be a follower.

5. Be a leader

If you’re employed at a dealership that promotes MPS but the guy at the top doesn’t know the difference between remote monitoring and remote machine management, quit. It’s time for executive management and ownership to climb down off the ivory tower and get dirty. The good ones will; the leaders already have.

If you are ownership, get out and explain to your team how you’re going to move the company forward, and then do it — every day. Reach out into the trenches, deliver equipment, make sales presentations and take service calls.

If you’re in sales, put together your plan for success and present it to your fellow team members on Monday morning. Don’t ask your manager if you can; tell him that you are. If you get push-back, quit.

Now is the time — if you decide to stay in this industry — to ride out the storm. Let it all hang out. It won’t be easy; there will be doubters and naysayers. Stay the course. If the system is gamed against you, get out.

Leadership comes from all levels, and vision leads to profit. It’s not the other way around.

6. Be open

Educate yourself about everything other than print. You probably know more than you need to about copying. What about telephony and tablets? What about asset management and PC support? Rack versus blades? Would you be surprised to find out that some customers who utilize managed services are happy to simply receive a phone call telling them that one of their servers is broken? A phone call.

Do you know how naive you sound when you say you’re in MNS versus managed services? What’s your level of comfort with RMM or the difference between copier service SLAs and managed services SLAs? Why are you compensating copier service differently than MPS engagements? Plug into some new LinkedIn groups or subscribe to print magazines from outside the industry. Tweet, for goodness’ sake. Be open to new ideas. Get to know whatever it is you need to know.

#3 & #4 Managed Print Services Truths: Be a Partner, Be Lean "Come With Me Now"

Continuing our journey into the 10 Truths of MPS we look now to partnerships and overhead.

3. Be a partner

The tough times are making everybody re-evaluate their position in the ecosystem, and the best way to survive is to gather together with like-minded people. Partnerships open up your services portfolio; good partnerships bring with them even more connections and synergy. Isolation leads to desperation. Partner with your clients, toner provider(s), OEMs and fellow employees. If HP can work with third-party toner suppliers, why can’t you partner with a managed services provider? Or better yet, how hard can it be to become a tablet reseller? Today, it is all about partnerships and teams. Build a team that includes players from all over — from network infrastructure experts, software application specialists, property managers, bankers and shop owners. Full press your personal network and choose those you deem worthy.

4. Be lean

Tough decisions are coming, if they haven’t already. The economy is making a rebound unlike any other time in history, and the recovery will not include a spike in manufacturing jobs or employment. Look to reduce your overhead.

Do you really require a demo floor? Really? No, really? It may look nice, but ... really? Is it a stipulation of your dealer agreement? If so, throw that Lyra chart in front of them and push back. Nobody holds inventory anymore, so why are you? How tight are you on trunk stock and warranty exchanges? How many service calls have you made over the past 12 months on your fleet of laser/cartridge-based devices compared to your traditional copiers? Do you need so many technicians? Do you need three dispatchers? How many people in accounting?

I am not recommending you fire everyone in sight. I am recommending you look at the costs that could be reduced or shifted over to some of your partners and possibly move traditional infrastructure talent into your sales team.

For example, in my practice, I did not want to stock toner, take orders or coordinate the shipment of and maintain an inventory of toner cartridges. I did not want to — nor did I believe I should have to — bear the overhead cost. I evaluated every single fulfillment program out at the time from front to back. I looked at their process and the infrastructure the value-add provided and talked with the people on the ground.

I made the shift and demanded much from my new, integral partner — from delivery and customer relations to report generation. When I found somebody I could work with, that company became a full-fledged member of my team. It worked and reduced my overhead immensely. Lean, agile, clear.

Talk Managed Services - "Lost Stars"

November 2011.

This article is over three years old but the concepts and ideas prevail.  Not simply for the new people in the industry, but for all of us.  Gearing toward the IT world seems to be a universal attempt that never ends.  We keep going through the same scenario, altering and adjusting as we go. It isn't insanity, it's evolution.

Enjoy.

GRW

Would you like to sell more MPS? Start talking “Managed Services” not “Managed Print Services.”

Thinking the magic is in the “P” deserves a deeper look. Like it or not, the service we are offering for printing—the marking of paper with toner—is simply a symptom of our client's business process, an afterthought.

The “P” is an unsustainable aspect of the ecosystem dwindling with each passing day. Managed services are growing. Think I’m wrong? Take a look at the latest news from the IT side of the world.

Look up companies like ConnectWise, LabTech, Level Platforms—companies that provide client support and remote monitoring products to VARs and managed service providers. For them, managed-print services are the buzz, that Hot New Thing, just like it was for us—four years ago.

When companies like these finally see recurring revenue can be had at a 42 percent margin, how long before they add toner delivery and on-site support to their standard service level agreements?

And what will happen when they figure out, for instance, how to craft a 36-month, 90-day deferred, FMV (Fair Market Value)/dollar out, with a buy-out leasing deal—working with more than Cisco Capital Finance and Hewlett-Packard Financial Services?

They’ve heard our racket—living in a world of run rates, volume discounts, and five-point margins; MPS looks pretty good from their vantage point.

The battle lines are drawn. MPS is out of the corporate backwaters. All the noise we’ve made over here, in our small pond, is attracting the attention of some pretty big players. Remember the phrase, “…own the network, own the account…?”

These guys invented, installed, and support the network.

True, they loathe printers and copiers, recoiling at the thought of talking with “copier people.” They underestimate us.

Our edge is—or at least it should be—in vision, flexibility, and deal crafting.

Big thing is they see us coming.

10 Timeless Managed Print Services Truths - "I Wanna Get Better"

This piece first appeared in December of 2014, on The Imaging Channel.

After five years of managed print services, one would imagine a standard set of MPS rules would rise out of the fog. (I know, you’ve been doing MPS for 25,000 years) The debate over what exactly MPS stands for — not the acronym, but the vision and real value of managed print services - rages on.

Do you remember the great device-to-technician-ratio discussion of 2008?

Copier dealers had well-established ideas developed and honed for decades, but they didn’t apply in MPS. There are a number of “rules” associated with toner yields as well, but have they made you money or did they cost the last MPS manager his job? It is easier to see guidelines take shape rather than hard rules. Benchmarks are almost the same: MPS benchmarks are difficult to establish, and best practices simply hold us accountable to somebody else's model.

Four years later, at the 2012 Lyra Imaging Symposium, vendor scorecards showed lower profits and a majority of the industry OEMs have been utilizing the same rules since 1979. Today, they find themselves 41 percent behind Q4 2007 numbers. Stunning, isn’t it? What’s it called when one plays by the same rules expecting different results?

Roll in the evolution of less print: From 1991 to 2001, printing paper shipments increased 27 percent, but from 2000 to 2009, they decreased 27 percent; it is not that difficult to see.

MPS contributes to shrinking print and copy volumes, which in turn reduces the prospects’ need to buy OEM toner, parts, and machines, resulting in fewer printed pages, fewer printers, fewer copiers, and fewer virgin cores.

This has been and remains the biggest Catch-22 with MPS — the one issue OEMs can’t seem to get their minds around quickly enough: MPS contributes to the reduction of machines in the field, yet every single OEM has an MPS program in hopes of reducing the other OEMs’ machines in the field. Suicidal? No. Madness? Indeed. Transformative? Absolutely.

MPS moves fast

Time is accelerating as well. Yesterday’s enterprise was about print, copy, 60-month leases, CPC contracts, locking customers in, flexing, selling more capabilities for the same price, auto-renewals and built-in obsolescence — and that was less than 36 months ago.

Back in 2013, World Expo presented managed print services to a hungry audience. We were re-exposed to the MPS basics of toner, service, remote monitoring, and cost-per-image billing. Back then, discussing VARs and "managed network services" was fresh and new.

MnS is nothing more than managed services.

Technology evolves faster than we comprehend. It took a decade for everyone in America to have a car, a phone, and indoor plumbing. In only 12 months, back in 2010, Apple sold 14.8 million tablets and then matched that entire year in one quarter on the way to 40 million units in 2011 — which already seems a decade ago.

Everything converges and accelerates into the future at a dizzying pace.

There is barely enough time to breathe, let alone establish a set of rules. The good news is there are natural laws that — when recognized — can help us keep our bearings as we boldly move through this unexplored space.

Consider the following a few suggested guideposts along your MPS journey and business transformation.


1. Be aware
2. Be adaptable
3. Be a partner
4. Be lean
5. Be a leader
6. Be open
7. Be defiant
8. Be basic
9. Be the ruler

10. Stand or fall


1. Be aware

The first rule is simple: Know who you are, your world, and your place in it. Self-awareness is the foundation of all change. For example, if you are strong when it comes to delivering toner, use this as a foundation to grow on.

When you look at your client base and see a vertical, use that information as an additive to your business personality and value proposition. Take a deep dive and perform an assessment of your entire business operation.

Are you flexible, open, and adaptable enough to look at how you have been running your business and then change it?

Caution is recommended here; there are just a few full-scale business assessments in our industry. “Full-scale” refers to every facet of your business: finance, sales, inventory, infrastructure, partnerships — everything. This is different than the standard “How are you selling?” and “How does your service desk work?” evaluations.

This transformation from copiers to MPS to managed services is a magnifying glass. If your current systems are flawed, adding a new process will turn cracks into crevasses.

Also, get to know your customer’s environment outside of printing. Look at the workflows, recognizing choke points and other areas for improvement from a business perspective — not a toner, services, or print perspective.

• Are they looking to move to IP phones or tablets? 
• Check to see if they are outsourcing their IT support today and how much they pay. 
• Do they feel the money is well-spent? 
• Do your customers use Twitter? 
• Do they write or read blogs? 
• Be aware of your world and the world around you. Open your eyes.

2. Be adaptable

The days of churn and burn are nearly at an end; this option is a dead end, but that doesn’t mean doom and gloom. The opportunities and directions are endless, but flexibility in all phases is necessary to survive and thrive. Compensation, for instance, has been reasonably stable over the decades.

Can you look at paying for performance differently? Are you flexible, open, and adaptable enough to look at how you have been running your business and then change it? For instance, if you are under the traditional toner supply model with notifications coming directly to you, consider and be open to a different model. If you see more documents heading toward screens instead of paper, would you consider reselling or partnering with a tablet's OEM? Adapt or die.

Join us over the coming weeks as we review the remaining "Timeless Truths".  Oh, the fun we will have.