Notable Trends in Print Management and MPS - The Cannata Report and Me.

Greg's Words

Scott was the first writer, a real writer, to interview me back in 2009ish.

This piece is an accumulation of interviews by Scott, outlining a good, collection of views and trends within the managed print services niche.

Managed print Services 'died' the day the OEMs reanimated MpS in their own likeness. 

"What is dead, may never die."  The most notable trend in Managed print Services is that it is alive and kicking.

Check it out.

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Harnessing AI: A Game-Changer for Managed Print Services

Where AI meets ink – redefining the print management landscape.

Key Highlights:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds the potential to revolutionize print management and Managed Print Services (MPS), adding efficiency, security, and advanced features.
2. AI can enhance print security by providing forensic accounting and intrusion prevention, bolstering the overall cybersecurity profile of the MPS landscape.
3. Intelligent document processing (IDP), a new AI-powered technology, promises to streamline the handling of unstructured data, improving workflow accuracy and efficiency.

Greg's Words

No matter what the innovation, we are always left with a final statement and question:  "This is great technology and really interesting ideas - but, how can I generate revenue, today, with this?"  

With Artificial Intelligence, most of the financial impact is on the cost reduction, and increased productivity side of the equation.  Sure, we can reduce the cost of doing work with AI.  We can interface with prospects and customers with AI ChatBots, with no problem.  The cost benefits are obvious.  But putting together a product based on AI, for my existing Office Technology clients, is a major challenge.

AI is considered a process-enhancing solution.

It's like the inventors of refrigeration - they didn't get rich, but the companies that used refrigeration, like Coke, did.

We need to find that "Coke".

Meanwhile, folks in our niche are beginning to see, and talk about how AI will 'impact' managed print services, and to be frank, it is not new. it's just faster.

I have no doubt that we will see AI 'products' on the market within the next few months, before the end of the year.

We've put together a quick synopsis of the current outlook for MpS as the waves of AI wash onto our shores.

Enjoy.

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Selling Copiers in the Big City - Don't Mind the Maggots

Is there a better picture illustrating NYC's struggles?

Greg's Words

Not to kick someone when they are down, but NYC is in bad shape with crime is a symptom of failed, short-sighted, agenda-driven, and ignorant policies.  

The exodus, the move to remote work, and the hollow, transparent arguments from the mayor to return to the cubicle combined with a deep seeded sense of victimhood, conscious bias, and entitlement, swirl together in a rank, putrid, oozing sense of doom.

Why would ANYONE want to put themselves through this gauntlet, just to 'collaborate in person'?

New York City was on my list of Greg's Top Ten cities in the US - New York, San Fransisco, Seattle, Chicago, Portland, Las Vegas, Laguna Beach, San Diego, South Beach(Miami), and Scottsdale.

Honorable mention: Milwaukee, and Detroit which are dangerous, but manageable.

The sun goes down

The night rolls in

You can feel it

Starting all over again

The moon comes up

And the music calls...

Here's the rub - As you(we) sell and support Office Technology within the city limits, the number of prospects in those cities has tumbled with no possible increase for the foreseeable future.

How are you going to continue to grow and build your book of office technology business when employees don't want to come to an office?  Crime, or the PERCEPTION of possible harm, not only hurts the image of once great(the return to greatness will happen) cities but degrades the opportunity for you to sell more copiers, IT services, managed print, scanners, document management software, etc.

It's just one more 'thing'.  There are great people in Chicago, New York, San Fransisco, and all the other cities on the path Detroit has been traveling since the 70s - they will come back, better, stronger and different.

In the meantime, those who stay may be Champions.  You love The City, your city, "It's in your moves

It's in your blood".  

Hang in there, everything changes.

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Artificial Intelligence in Education: ChatGPT Brings One-on-One Teaching to Scale

Title: "Khan Academy is using ChatGPT to bring one-on-one teaching to scale."

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Date: May 21, 2023

Greg's Words

We're still looking for AI's impact on revenue while it starts to penetrate the cost reduction side of the balance sheet.  

Meanwhile, on the education front, fear is giving way to innovation.  One school is utilizing ChatGPT to enhance its educational journey.

Selling technology to education is a pain - isn't it?  Bids, low technical skill, and no business acumen in the decision-making process make the effort singularly based on price, not results.

It's a tough gig, but every now and then, an innovative project comes up overcoming systemic fear and the 'cover your ass' mentality.  

This may be one such event.

 Key highlights:

• Khan Academy is developing an artificial intelligence-based tool, "Khanmigo," aiming to personalize and revolutionize education by integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT.
• Khanmigo enables students to ask questions during lessons or videos, offering personalized and contextually aware responses.
• Khan Academy launched a limited rollout of Khanmigo in March 2023, with wider availability planned for June 15.

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Bud Light - Marketing is Overpowering the Act of Selling

In casting an accusing gaze, one cannot help but point a finger at the masterfully produced drama series, "Mad Men." Our present-day fascination and subsequent overvaluation of marketers find its root in the series' enthralling depiction of the golden era of Madison Avenue.

With the phrase "demand generation" gaining popularity, I must admit I remain at odds with its premise. I maintain that demand is not a construct, rather it's something to be unearthed. If anything, demand should be drawn in, courted even, not relentlessly pursued with aggressive targeting. Yes, I confess, I may be leaning toward the idealistic end of the spectrum.

Has Marketing turned demographics into stereotypes or were they the same thing all along?

I blame one of the best shows ever, Madmen. 

Marketers have been given too much credit and now too much power.

I never agreed with the phrase, "demand generation".  In my mind, one does not create demand, one discovers demand; at the very best demand is attracted not targeted.  Idealistic, I know.

This Bud Light thing is dumb.  The Sports Illustrated thing is dumb.  The NFL thing is dumb.

Nobody is stopping anybody from buying Bud Light, there is no evil force that excludes folks from any planet from attending a football or basketball game.

Get it?  The World, at least here, includes EVERYONE.

Cyber CEOs: The Rise of AI-Assisted Leadership

From scheduling to drafting emails, artificial intelligence is reshaping the corporate world and executive support roles.

Greg's Words

It's happening right now.  AI is eating the world, one process at a time, millions of times a second.

The C-Suite understands that data, reports, and scheduling can be accomplished by the great AI in the Sky.  The administration position is on the path to obscurity. Once the AI in the sky connects with airline, travel, and hotel apps(and the millions of other kinetic applications) the circle will be complete:

Everything from ordering lunch, delivering groceries, booking flights, and getting tickets for the play/game/concert will be handled by our unique and personal assistant - The AI.

Imagine the myriad of other jobs and positions that will disintegrate - office jobs.  Jobs that once typed documents, then printed, copied, digitized, stored, and moved data by "hand".  Gone.

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