Does Your MPS stand for "Maybe, Probably, Sometimes?" or Does it Just Suck?

2/2010

What's new in MPS?

Xerox, HP, Ricoh, and Canon have MPS programs now. I believe at the last count, there are no less than 11 major MPS Programs available for providers and clients.

Is IKON done hiring MPS people yet?

Dealer infrastructure has been built, and the tools are in place.

But why are there still the same old questions?

How is it that LinkedIn is filled with "MPS Definition" debates and some of the best MPS questions are coming from OfficeMax and Staples?

Or better yet, where's all that promised Gold?

It's been over two years, at least, since this new iteration of Managed Print Services hit the streets.

Apart from HP and Xerox pumping the media with announcements of incredible, gargantuan, installs and sponsoring their way into the magical, "upper right" corner, what is going on in the real world?

How is the independent dealer fairing in this new, partnership-based selling cycle?

Is there really a "new" breed of Selling Professionals taking advantage of MPS?

Are there any Hybrids out here? (not the iTex version)

Granted, there are successes in the MPS Ecosystem.  But with an estimated 7,000 dealers jumping into MPS, one would figure everybody would be out in the field, assessing, presenting, and engaging.

Yet the MPS Sales training classrooms are filled, the consultants remain on retainer and owners are frustrated.

I get emails every week that begins with,

"...I've been doing this for over "x" decades, sent my team to "fill in the blank" MPS training, attend the weekly, "manufacturer de jour" dealer's con-call, and still, my team doesn't implement.

"...WHAT PLANET do those "advisors" reside - can you translate what they say into everyday, applicable examples?..." - huh.

What gives?

Managed Print Services, real MPS, is difficult to do. This stuff is hard.

For copier dealers, MPS may have been thought to be just another way to place gear. The "sharper" copier folks saw early on that MPS really looked like CPC for printers - simple. How's that working out for ya?

Toner guys looked at MPS and thought, "Hell, we've been doing CPC on printers for over 150 years!" That's Toner Management Services, TMS; not MPS.

Computer VARs looked at MPS as just another monitoring service, "Service printers? no problem, we can image 250 laptops in 3 hours, we have 25 technicians, how hard can it be to service printers? MFP's? What's the difference?" There is a difference between onsite and depot.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Meter reads aren't enough, and remote monitoring, monthly invoicing, assessments, and Data Collection Agents, aren't enough.

What is needed is EVERYTHING. And the kitchen sink.

You need Selling Professionals who can truly put together a complicated project, marshal the resources of your company, price, and package, and present this unique proposition, to your prospect, in a simple manner.

And not take forever.

You need service folks who understand selling, you need warehouse people who can think through your system.

And you need to talk to people who have already made the same, MPS mistakes you are going to make - not successful ex-copier dealers who cashed in and now want to tell you how they did it, ten years ago.

Here's a list of Ten Reasons your MPS Practice Sucks(there are many more reasons)as mentioned to me, by DOTC readers:

1. You have no clue what you are doing, but you think that you do
2. Ownership/Executive management finally admits MPS isn't really, in the core
3. You have no clear, concise, fair sales compensation plan
4. You haven't taken the time to put together a CPI price sheet
5. You hired "consultants" whose only concern is the monthly retainer
6. You listen to and believe in the same, old skool, copier consultants
7. Your internal process is cumbersome and designed around Transactional sales
8. Your company leadership has no vision
9. You are trying to convert Copier reps into Solution Experts
10. You are trying to boil down MPS into CPC

If you are an MPS Selling Professional and you see some of the above at your practice, be alarmed. Pay special attention to #2 and #8 and brush up on the resume.

Do you want the answers to the challenges posed above?

Break out the American Express and email me.


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Managed Print Services: The Numbers of Impact

I really don't want to and Xerox sure as heck doesn't need me to promote them, but this little video is just about palatable.

100% acceptable and completley adequate.

The numbers are right on and illuminating, and there really isn't any advertising until the very end.

Check it out



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IBM and Ricoh Managed Print Services via Tivoli

As first mentioned on DOTC back in April of 2009 here and here, IBM and Ricoh are working together to give clients complete control of their output devices along side their PC's, servers and network appliances.

Today announcing, "...they have developed an advanced device and printing management system which infuses office devices with real-time tracking and monitoring to help firms significantly reduce their print-related costs, improve service and cut back on carbon footprints..."

"IBM's design collaboration with Ricoh on this initiative demonstrates how we are bringing a new level of 'smart' to offices, and significant operational savings for the customer," said Bruce Anderson, general manager, IBM Electronics Industry. "As CIOs work to drive down costs, printers and other office devices offer an attractive target for improvement."

What does this mean? The enterprise MPS niche just got a little bit more competitive.


It's a "see I told ya so" moment.

Press Release:

IBM and Ricoh Deliver Intelligent Print Monitoring and Management System

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PULSE -- IBM ( IBM) and Ricoh today announced they have developed an advanced device and printing management system which infuses office devices with real-time tracking and monitoring to help firms significantly reduce their print-related costs, improve service and cut back on carbon footprints

Through an Application Specific Licensing agreement with IBM, Ricoh will bundle the new system, which is based on IBM Tivoli software, with its multi-function products (MFPs) making the new systems available for enterprise clients.

While IT services have become more managed and optimized, most businesses still do not have enough insight into and control of their printing devices' use and costs. These costs extend beyond the hardware and printers to include consumables, labor for repairs and system updates as well as the high cost of energy and resulting carbon footprint. Underscoring the need for better print-related cost controls is recent Gartner research data which indicates that organizations that manage their printer, copier and fax fleets can save between 10-30 percent of their print costs.

"This new, enterprise-class system will give our global customers complete visibility across their fleet of printers and MFP devices, helping them to better manage and optimize printing as an office function," said Hede Nonaka, executive vice president, Marketing & Document Solutions and Services Division, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "The solution will also be a core technology for our Managed Document Services (MDS) offering."

Tivoli software can manage a range of assets beyond the datacenter including office equipment such as printers, office MFPs and production printing machines. Tivoli technology manages policies to control end-user printing features and tracks energy usage and carbon footprint for print services, reporting at the device, department and individual level.

In addition to print management and monitoring carbon footprints, the new system can identify service issues with devices and automatically route alerts to local service desks for remediation before service is affected. It will also capture and manage assets and supplies information, improving accounting processes.

"IBM's design collaboration with Ricoh on this initiative demonstrates how we are bringing a new level of 'smart' to offices, and significant operational savings for the customer," said Bruce Anderson, general manager, IBM Electronics Industry. "As CIOs work to drive down costs, printers and other office devices offer an attractive target for improvement."

The Death of Managed Print Services : Photizo Identifies The Fourth Horseman

HP, Xerox, Ricoh and Dell: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Ricoh and IBM Alliance:The Shape of Things to Come

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