Managed Print Services Selling in One Week, Three different Cycles, Three different Results

April 16, 2009

For your consideration, three, real-world situations:

1. Business Owner - 3 machines, 23 employees. After 3 week evaluation, MPS documents were signed and Level 1 MPS was engaged. Competitive landscape, typical copier Sales person pitching reducing costs with all-in-one functionality.

2. IT Director - 114+ single-function units, 15 copiers, 150 employees. One appointment/week in the past three weeks. Copier and MFP fleet separation achieved, MPS project moving forward; copiers to be dealt with upon lease termination, 12 months out. Executive Management wants the project to provide clear, verifiable, Green friendly results.

3. Purchasing Agent - 98, single-function machines, 14 copiers, 200 employees. After two meetings, multiple emails, and 2 direct phone calls; no forward movement. Competitive landscape, Xerox partner pitching MPS/PagePack.

Can you guess the details of each Selling Situation?

More Crime - Office Depot Alleged to have Over Charged us, the US citizen, by 100 Million

I first caught this story over at the AnswerCo | Office Products and Printer Supplies Cross Reference Guide about how a disgruntled employee is claiming Office Depot had been overcharging the Detroit Public School system for supplies.

Of course, I figured it was just another angry, laid-off, red apron wearing, part time clerk, working the system for some extra attention or cash - I was wrong, way wrong.

From the Detroit News:

"...David Sherwin, a former senior account manager with Office Depot, alleges that the company manipulated pricing on products that government agencies bought through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.

"Nationally, the overcharging amounts are somewhere in the range of $100 million annually to between 4,000 and 5,000 agencies around the country," Sherwin said..."

This accusation is not being leveled by some part-timer, he was a senior account manager, and according to reports, attempted time and time again to alert the authorities to O.D.'s activity. Finally, this whistle-blower, committed professional Hari Kari dispatching a terse communique to Office Depot CEO.

The story could end there in Detroit - but it doesn't.

Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska, Missouri and California all have cases, investigations or are expecting refunds from Office Depot.

California received 2.5 million back.

At issue, is Office Depot charging more than what was agreed to, on a national basis.

Apparently, this was easily done when government agencies and non-prof's ordered supplies via the Office Deport web site.

An Office Depot spokesman said the Detroit Public Schools has been buying supplies through the program since 2003.

"We are not aware of any complaints from Detroit Public Schools regarding overcharging," Jason Shockley an Office Depot spokesman said, denying the allegations.

Fact is scarier than fiction.

$100,000,000.00


UPDATE:

Apparently, the accuser threatened the CEO via email, while drunk. He has since gone through re-hab. I hate quitters.

Great read, here.

2009:First Annual Managed Print Services Conference and Association - Oh What a Difference a Year Makes!

4/2009-

The conference is fast approaching. We have had many "Go To Meeting" meetings. The awards have just about been determined, trophy's await the engraver.

I wrote my first article about Ed and the gang, April 15, 2008, one year ago, today.

They were the only ones out there talking about MPS - other than myself and a close circle of colleagues.

In that article, I quoted Ed, "“...It is important to note that the decision making process is less collaborative than might be expected. The market is shifting to an IT-controlled, printer-based MFP-centric environment, and study results indicate that IT is winning the battle to make the MPS decision for the entire fleet, including printers, MFPs and copiers..." - spot on.

In the beginning, there was no Xerox sponsorship, no special announcement from Samsung, no MPM (see the cool video, here.) And the idea of an association was months away.

Back then, HP sold Managed Print, Edgeline was "on fire" and IKON was, well, still IKON.

Today, MPS is just entering the "Trough of Disillusionment" on it's way to the "slope of enlightenment" - for reference, Confidential Printing is at the back end, on the Plateau of Productivity. If you don't know what the heck I am talking about, hit me up on email, I will share.

So it seems, today, there are dozens of MPS experts, hundreds of MPS providers and a growing number of consultants, advisers, mentors, blah, blah, blah - I know the real deal.

If you haven't got your seat, go register - it is going to be stellar.

I can say I was there, almost in the beginning.

Check this link.

Purchasers: You Wanna Know How to Work With Them? Read Their Book!

4/2009

In the movie Paton, the good General has read Rommel's book, 'Infantry Attacks' and in doing so, is able to anticipate and defeat the German in a key battle.

As Rommel's tanks retreat, the classic quote goes something like, "...Rommel, you magnificent b*stard, I read your book!"

As far as I am concerned, the Purchaser is the absolute LAST person you want to see, if at all, in the selling cycle.

But, for those of you who insist, I recommend you read their book. Find out what it takes to become a CPM and what exactly Strategic Purchasing means.

In this spirit, I submit to you an article written by Nancy Hitchcock over at Purchasing.com, New MFPs help meet cost-reduction goals and Green concerns.

Ricoh, Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Xerox and Sharp get good coverage - all A4 exposure and the article will give you a flavor for what some Purchasers may find important when considering MFPs.

Take for instance this passage: "...As companies strive to improve efficiencies and cut costs in this economy, office products buyers are taking a closer look at capabilities of new multifunction products (MFPs) which combine printing, copying, scanning and faxing in one device..." - Could this statement be any more "dated" ? Hello, the 2001 called, they want their copier brochure back.

Also:

"..In response to buyer demand, manufacturers of MFPs are designing systems that maximize workflow efficiency by offering faster print/copy speeds and making the systems easier to operate. They are also enabling organizations to add high-quality color to their documents at an affordable price to reduce the time and expense of outsourcing print jobs. High-performance products are packaged in smaller, more affordable machines. More advanced features enable users to automate workflow by distributing scanned documents to e-mail, FTP sites, archived folders and document management applications, for instance..." - Visionary, truly stunning...

Enjoy here:







Click to email me.

Ricoh can monitor Copier Power using IBM software

TOKYO, Apr 13, 2009 -- Japan's Ricoh Co. said Thursday that it has developed a system that can be used to monitor copy machines' power consumption in real time, managing multiple copiers simultaneously via a network to help a company save energy and cut costs.

This system uses Tivoli system management software from IBM Corp. and is the first fruit of the agreement forged by two firms in December to cooperate in information technology systems. Ricoh and IBM agreed to work together in development of products and services and to share global sales networks.

With the new system, the IT manager can use Tivoli to monitor all copiers connected to the network and remotely adjust the usage parameters for each machine in order to help the company meet its cost-cutting goals.

Ricoh said it plans to commercialize the system sometime this fiscal year.
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DOTC - The IT guys are taking MPS.

Click to email me.

Xerox - Contracted Employee Stole Ink. Sold It on EBay

"Xerox Corporation, at its Wilsonville location initiated an investigation into the apparent theft of solid ink sticks.

The Xerox Corporate Security team cooperated with the Washington County Sheriff's Office in this investigation, which concluded today with the arrest of occasional contract worker Ayad Al-Musawi."- Xerox

In reports from news media in Oregon, Xerox has been the victim of an inside job.

Ayad Al-Masawi, 42, a contract employee of Xerox was arrested Thursday.

He had nearly 10,000 ink sticks at his home and was selling it on EBay, under the pseudonym, “dodo_6666".

He reportedly sold over $150,000.00 worth of ink over the past year or so.

News report here.

Ricoh Hot Spot Printer - Art Post "hips" me to this one...

Ricoh is pleased to announce the introduction of the new Ricoh Aficio SP C420DN-KP HotSpot Printer. The SP C420DN-KP replaces the SP C410DN-KP.

What is a HotSpot Printer?

A Ricoh HotSpot Printer allows users to print documents securely simply by emailing the file they wish to print to a HotSpot Printer or loading the file to the HotSpot Printer’s webpage. Any user with an Internet-enabled PC, laptop, PDA, or cell phone can use a HotSpot Printer. With HotSpot printing, there is no need for Drivers, additional Software or access to the network hosting the printer!

Printing to a HotSpot Printer is incredibly easy. Each HotSpot Printer has a unique URL (web address) and E-mail Address.



1. Upload files to the printer’s webpage (URL), or forward E-mails – with or without attachments – directly to the printer’s E-mail address.
2. Receives a unique Release Code for each print job.
3. Enter the secure Release Code at the printer and retrieve print job.

HotSpot printing is convenient, secure, and easy-to-use.

Thanks Art...original here.