Selling MPS: This is Why Managed Print Services Providers COULD Have an Edge Over IT.

The title of the post grabbed my attention:

"Why there should be no such thing as an IT project."

"IT is not an island: CIOs reveal the secrets to successful business projects..."

ANALYSIS
How is it that pure IT projects seem destined to fail, and yet technology is clearly key to business?

Mark Samuels canvasses a group CIOs for their views on what barriers there are to IT project success.
"IT projects never really work," says Mike Day, CIO at fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. That seems like negative talk from a technology chief but there is sound method in the apparent madness..."-----------------------

Madness? Yes.

I can count more EDM and FaxServer projects that ended up on "eternal roll-out" because of the reasons mentioned in this article - so to finally see somebody within the IT world recognize this, I was taken back.

Well, as you know, MPS is simply Business Process Optimization - say it with me, "MPS is BPO...MPS is BPO...MPS is BPO..."

But as long as we can use our laptops out by the pool, I am fine with IT projects, really, I am.

The BBB doesn't Like Office Depot: Takes away Membership and Gives them a "Badge of Shame"

Office Depot is in very hot water, again.

The Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida has revoked its membership.

Seems you can't be in the BBB with too many government investigations occurring - huh.

An investigation revealed that ODepot allegedly switched local government agencies and nonprof's "from one pricing plan to another without their full understanding or knowledge..."

Let's throw away the key, shall we?

Wow.

The Interview I know You Can't Pass Up: Adventures in Office Imaging Queries DOTC

Nathan has moved back to Blogger - and so has THE Interview.

Enjoy, here.

Oh, and enjoy a bit of the Gypsy - in honor of AIOI's travels.

Grrr Baby Grrr...

It's a Double Dip Recession, Which is really a Depression - Are You Ready To Make an MPS Stand?

7/13/2010 

Companies are reporting "better days". IT budgets are loosening up. But, aren't the copier companies comparing this year's numbers to last year's numbers?

And weren't some numbers last year down as much as 62%?

So, like, if I lost 10 machines last year, but sold 1 machine this year, is that good?

Let me ask you this...are you finding it easier to get leasing for your SMB prospects?

Are the business parks just as empty today, as they were this time last year?

Hell, mine out here in SoCali have TUMBLE WEEDS rolling through the parking lots!

I ain't kidding, I've seen this with my own eyes.

How many homes in your neighborhood are still for sale? After a year?

When was the last time your company ADDED to the employee rolls? Additional salespeople? Additional service technicians?

How's all that "hope and change" working out for you?

The banks have been "rescued", 2 out of three of the Big Three automakers are no longer American owned, un-enjoyment has gone UP, there are no such things as "green jobs", our debt is now 62% of our GDP, the United States of America has bowed to the Saudi's and the Chinese.

And France is giving US economic advice.

There is still a hole where the Towers once stood; a Mosque, feet from Ground Zero, will be built before any structure replaces our fallen structures.

And we can't get a copier lease approved for a church in Cleveland.

Huh, ain't this some sh*t?

As MPS providers, we often tout "30% cost reductions..." or "59% equipment reduction and 1000% reduction in your carbon footprint"

Carbon Footprint? Save the trees? Do the trees have bills to pay?

How about saving somebody's job?

Sure, printing and printers are not as sexy as Quad-Core thing-a-ma-jobs and nifty blade server-things.

And "the Cloud" sounds really cool - Can the cloud save Sally's job in shipping?

Can a quad-core watchma-whosit sell more widgets? Well, ok maybe they can, but that's not important.

Here's where I am going with this - on your report to the CFO, after performing the exhaustive study, are you mentioning how many jobs can be saved by moving to MPS?

In addition to how many trees were rescued, how much carbon was reduced, and how many barbecue propane tanks worth of energy were conserved, do you have a column for cube-rat jobs preserved?

Can you figure that one out? Sure you can. Add it to your ROI.

That's right - add "Number of Positions Saved".

Ahhhh...makes you nervous, doesn't it?

I mean, how in the world can you approach this subject with the director of IT? The office manager? The Head of Purchasing, Mr. CPM?

YOU CAN'T.

Sure, the IT Director might find it nifty and pitch the fact that 50 propane tanks will be saved by moving to duplex, but FTE's ? No way.

I know you're asking, "But Mr. DOTC-Dude, how can I find out how much they're paying Sally in Shipping?"

"Are you kidding me?" is my reply.

True, you won't find this data by digging through "last year's toner spend" with Staples.

And, it is unlikely to jump out at you, reviewing Toshiba copier lease "expiration dates".

How about if you, let's say just for shits and giggles, want to find out how much time and the cost is invested by your prospect when processing those incoming shipments of toner from Staples?

I don't know, call me crazy, but do you think you could get a "burden" for a shipping clerk in say, Detroit? (or accounting or HR...)

How cool will it look when you're the only one to propose "saving jobs", when the rest of them, even the "big boys" are still pitching "lowest CPI and lowest TCO"?

Yeah, you can.

I dare you. Double-dog-dare you.






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ACS, A Xerox Company, Helps Michigan Lower Costs, Improve Services

See Your Future, Be Your Future - From "paper food vouchers...to EBT magnetic stripe card..."

I noticed this press release, illustrating, once again, the IT integrators and MSP's will be in "our" space.

And, of course, reminding us all that print is dying.

08/07/2010 15:30

The FINANCIAL -- The State of Michigan’s program that provides Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits is saving more than 25 percent in processing costs by moving from paper-based food vouchers to an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system provided by Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS), A Xerox Company (NYSE: XRX).

Michigan’s WIC program provides nutritious foods and nutrition education for approximately half the infants born in the state. Moving to EBT, the state went from issuing more than 10 million paper food vouchers annually to providing recipients with an EBT magnetic stripe card for use at point-of-service terminals at retailers.

The List - First Published, Feb 2008

The List has been around well before it was ever posted.

The List has gone through many edits, additions, and removals.

The List has grown, blossomed, and matured.

It is a living document, a bevy of beauties.

Friday is Funday: The Globe of Light - Another form of Documents. Oh, and Ozzy!

MPSA Task Force Brings Meaning to Managed Print Services

"Managed print services is the active management and optimization of document output devices and related business processes." - MPSA, 2010 DOTC 

Reflection - This was a very difficult task. One which Joe and Matt struggle with for months. A task that created a lot of dynamics within the MPSA Board. Joe and Matt came through and the board unanimously(yes, including me) approved. 

I like that the definition can be applied to both MPS provider and a self-implemented MPS engagement, like Nationwide Insurance. It's a good base, a solid foundation to build upon. And something easily Incorporated into multiple MPS talk-tracks for your prospects and clients. 

Good Form! 

PRESS RELEASE: New MPS definition helps end-users and providers standardize services, expectations 

Mount Laurel, NJ – July 8, 2010 – As the managed print services juggernaut rolls on to its projected $60 billion market size by 2013, one thing has been missing – a definition of this amazing segment. Just what exactly do we mean by “managed print services”? 

Background: The Emergence of Managed Print Services Over the past 10 years, the traditional copier and printer industries have converged, especially with the introduction of multifunction peripherals (MFPs). With the blending of these two hardware-focused industry segments, their products became commoditized. 

At the same time, users need more help managing their output devices, so a managed services approach to output emerged. Managed print services (MPS) grew as a business model revolving around servicing end-users’ output needs, not focused on a specific hardware manufacturer. The true MPS provider is a new breed: vendor agnostic and customer-focused. 

Ultimately they are paid for their consulting value, in addition to the tangible products that fulfill the consultation. Defining a New Business Model Until now, MPS has gone undefined, but thanks to the efforts of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA), the market (worth over $25 billion globally) has a focus. 

According to the MPSA, "Managed print services is the active management and optimization of document output devices and related business processes."

Johan Kosters Elected to Managed Print Services Association Board of Directors

Document industry veteran pledges focus on MPS business benefits for both end users and service providers.

Mount Laurel, NJ – July 1, 2010 – Johan Kosters has been elected to the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) Board of Directors representing the Independent Consultant segment. MPSA members and current board members took part in the vote.

“On behalf of the MPSA, we are excited to have Johan Kosters participate in a leadership role as a member of the board of directors. It was a tough race among 13 very qualified candidates representing six countries. It demonstrates the international nature of the MPS industry and of MPSA. In fact, over 40 percent of our membership is international,” said MPSA president Jim Fitzpatrick.

On a Balance of Interests

“Managed Print Services will challenge the imaging and printing playing field in the upcoming years. MPS engagements will need to serve dynamic end-user needs for a high performing infrastructure to align their business processes and customer communication. Providers must concentrate on improving customer business processes and creating value through innovative infrastructure and services. As an MPSA board member, I will work to balance the interests of both end users and providers for healthy development of the MPS business,” said Kosters.

How To Sell Managed Print Services: A Great Question From LinkedIn

Well, the newbs are coming out, again.

Not to worry, the industry can always use new blood. But I do find the questions and the simplistic pontification tedious and fatiguing.

A new to the MPS World sales rep(I can't call him a MPS Selling Professional yet)asked a great question,

"I sold copiers and printers for a while. I recently got into MPS. No longer am I wasting time on the same accounts.

What tips are out there to be a successful MPS professional. How do we get people excited about MPS???"

Answers:

Reading on an iPad, Kindle or good ole Paper: Which is faster?

7/2010 

A study has been conducted: What's better to read on, an electronic device or paper?

"Summary:

... people reading long-form text on tablets find higher reading speeds than in the past, but they're still slower than reading print..."

Uh oh...maybe Print Isn't Dead, yet...

This study looked at 32 participants, each reading an article that on average required 17 minutes, 20 seconds to read - a Hemingway short.

The media included an iPad, Kindle, PC monitor, and a printed book.

I have cut and pasted right out of the article by, Jakob Nielsen.

"Results: Books Faster Than Tablets

The iPad measured at 6.2% lower reading speed than the printed book, whereas the Kindle measured at 10.7% slower than print. However, the difference between the two devices was not statistically significant because of the data's fairly high variability.

Thus, the only fair conclusion is that we can't say for sure which device offers the fastest reading speed. In any case, the difference would be so small that it wouldn't be a reason to buy one over the other.

But we can say that tablets still haven't beaten the printed book: the difference between Kindle and the book was significant at the p<.01 level, and the difference between iPad and the book was marginally significant at p=.06.

User Satisfaction: iPad Loved, PCs Hated After using each device, we asked users to rate their satisfaction on a 1–7 scale, with 7 being the best score. iPad, Kindle, and the printed book all scored fairly high at 5.8, 5.7, and 5.6, respectively. The PC, however, scored an abysmal 3.6. Most of the users' free-form comments were predictable.

For example, they disliked that the iPad was so heavy and that the Kindle featured less-crisp gray-on-gray letters. People also disliked the lack of true pagination and preferred the way the iPad (actually, the iBook app) indicated the amount of text left in a chapter. Less predictable comments: Users felt that reading the printed book was more relaxing than using electronic devices. And they felt uncomfortable with the PC because it reminded them of work.

This study is promising for the future of e-readers and tablet computers.

We can expect higher-quality screens in the future, as indicated by the recent release of the iPhone 4 with a 326 dpi display. But even the current generation is almost as good as print in formal performance metrics — and actually scores slightly higher in user satisfaction..."

See the study here.

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DOTC's ReCharger2010 Pre-Show Review: Who To See

January 1, 2010, I was given the honor of trying to pull a messed up, terribly run, unprofitable MPS Practice out of the fire - Operation Phoenix.

It is true that I have been involved, writing about, evaluating, talking, being sold and advised on all things MPS. Not only therotically, but in practice.

What I know about MPS is both utilized and enhanced by my "day job" - I talk the talk, and sell the dream.

There is nothing anybody can say to me now, that I haven't heard or recognized about MPS.

For example, I could go back to articles I created almost two years ago, and repost as new, the content is still, if not more, relevant today.

Since the show in May, I have been inundated with many vendor programs, MPS software, assessment training and "How to" webinars/seminars, they are starting to look alike - not just because of plagiarism.

I think I may be the only person in the world who has seen under the hood of both Canon and Ricoh's MDS programs; evaluated PrintAudit, FMAudit, and PrintFleet - two and three times over the past 3 years and utilize some of the best HP tools ever created.

I have witnessed PagePack evolve from version 1.0 to 3.0(there never was a PPack 2.0). I know the difference between Cabon 6 and Axess; CompTIA and Your MPSA - I remember when Great America was simply a "leasing company" and barrister meant "lawyer".

I am on Managed Print Services 'overload'.

Enter, Recharger 2010, next week in Vegas.

For me, what could be better? Vegas, a scant four hour drive, and Managed Print Services - booze, pole dancing BlackJack and output Geeks - Nirvana.

Next week, during the show, I will be out of cell range, off the grid. No laptop, no phone and barely any GPS and no MPS.

Into the Sierra Nevada's - almost 100 miles of 4x4 only trails behind me.

But - I can't leave without a few words regarding the 2010 Recharger Expo.