Another great article reflecting the growing opportunity for robots in office technology.
David Sweetnam asks the right questions about how our little niche might take advantage of robotics to increase revenue, reduce costs, grow profits, attract great talent, and secure the legacy. Five of many planks in The Continuum Platform.
They are questions The Cricket Continuum started addressing almost two years ago.
From the article:
“Could you sell it? Who would buy it? What problem would it solve? How well does it actually perform? Can your organization support it? And would you be comfortable putting your company’s reputation behind it?”
We have answers.
“Could you sell it?”
Yes.
We have dealers doing it right now, today. They are taking robots into customer accounts, conducting demonstrations, identifying applications, building proposals, and starting the same conversations they have had around technology for decades.
“Who would buy it?”
The cheeky answer?
Only your customers who have floors.
Cleaning, delivery, internal transport, hospitality, healthcare, education, facilities and light warehousing all give dealers places to start. In many cases, you already have the customer relationship. You simply need to walk farther into the building, including and beyond finding the copiers, printers, and supply room.
“What problem would it solve?”
Save labor hours and make jobs less miserable.
Walking the same route 40 times a day, pushing a cart from one end of a building to another, scrubbing thousands of square feet of floor, moving supplies, delivering food or carrying materials are all necessary jobs.
They do not all require a person to perform every step.
“How well does it actually perform?”
We have seen the answer in the field.
At ECS, two of our robots operated throughout the show, cleaning and moving through crowds while people, tables and carts constantly changed the environment around them.
That is considerably more useful than watching a robot run a perfect route inside a controlled demonstration area.
“Can your organization support it?”
We believe office technology dealers are unusually well suited for this.
You already support complicated electromechanical equipment in customer environments every day. You dispatch technicians, manage parts, handle service calls, maintain contracts and explain problems to customers.
Compared with supporting a device built around the seven-step xerographic process, a machine using LIDAR, cameras, batteries, software and wheels is not an alien concept for a competent service organization.
Your technicians have learned harder things.
“Would you be comfortable putting your company’s reputation behind it?”
You do this everyday, already.
Copiers. Document management. Managed print. Managed IT. Cybersecurity. Water. EV Stations. You’re not afraid of risks, and you KNOW what your clients expect and need.
You’re not going to make a bad decision, especially with office ready robots.
There is not another emerging demand curve that so naturally fits the way we have done business since before the computer, laser printer and fax machine. All the way back to the typewriter - we’ve been solving business problems and prospering.
Robots are next.
Six Questions, Six Answers: Just the Beginning
The Cricket Continuum started building the supporting infrastructure because the questions were obvious early on:
how are the robot manufacturers going to market? The Continuum.
is there a market, can we sell, support and service AND make money? The Continuum.
even with our industry matching and leading the way, what do we need to thrive and secure legacies beyond marks on paper? The Continuum.
Anyone can ask questions and raise doubts. That part is easy.
The Continuum has answers and a path forward.
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