Print.IT Reseller - issue 59

PRINT IT RESELLER.UK DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION 33 Continued... In order to thrive and survive in the DX economy, MPS vendors should be looking to build dedicated scanners and capture software into existing and new MPS engagements Digital transformation is big business Leaving money on the table Gerry Kelliher, General Manager, EMEA Region at Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business, argues that resellers are leaving money on the table by leaving scanners out of MPS deals. “Over and above the opportunity for incremental revenue that standalone scanners and capture software offer the channel, MPS providers with customers using their MFPs to digitise documents could in fact be losing money,” he said. “MPS customers typically lease hardware for a fixed monthly fee and pay per page for print-outs, however scanning volumes are not charged for on a cost per page basis,” Kelliher explained. “But maintaining the scanning component of an MFP is part and parcel of the resellers’ service support and the cost of handling scanner-related service calls and sending an engineer on-site to fix can very quickly add up,” he warned. James Pittick, Director of B2B Indirect Sales, Canon UK, agrees that scanning solutions can also bring practical benefits for partners. “There is typically less service downtime as the end-user can replace scanner rollers themselves without a dedicated technician. Increased use of scanners also results in less wear and tear on the MFP units which lessens the need for technical support. All in all, this leads to cost and labour savings for the partner,” he said. Kelliher acknowledges that MFPs offer scan functionality in addition to core print, copy and fax functions, but, he cautioned: “It’s not always a case of one- size-box-fits-all. Scanners and capture software solutions are designed to support digital transformation strategies and have the potential to address many print-related customer concerns including streamlining business processes, automating workflows and ensuring the security of information.” He continued: “For example, MFPs and scanners have different features on saving scanned images – entry- level MFPs offer basic send-to options, while others enable documents to be directly scanned into applications such as SharePoint. Alaris scanners come with standard drivers and software to integrate with Windows, MAC and LINUX environments, and as such offer direct integration with all leading document solutions, enabling the seamless execution of more complex workflows.” Dedicated scanners “Professional document scanners are manufactured with quality, efficiency and access requirements in mind,” said Brian Fortune, General Manager Sales at PFU (EMEA), adding: “This is exactly why traditional print resellers should introduce their customers to dedicated scanners. “Firstly scanners are designed to handle documents that can quite often be in a poor state, whether they have been folded, posted, annotated, damaged or have become fragile due to general wear. A good quality scanner can The pace of change in the print industry continues to accelerate – print volumes are in decline, hardware is becoming commoditised and margins are shrinking. Digital transformation presents a huge opportunity for the channel to enjoy business growth. IDC predicts that by the end of 2019, DX spending will reach $1.7 trillion worldwide, a 42 per cent increase from 2017. Quocirca also contends that continued print and digital convergence presents a significant opportunity for MPS providers to articulate a clear proposition around integrated paper and digital workflow services. The time to act is now. In many organisations, the digitisation journey will have already begun – 62 per cent of respondents to the 2018 Gartner CIO Survey said they have a management initiative or transformation programme to make their business more digital. However, successful digital transformation begins with information capture and is reliant on utilising the right technologies. Hassan Masaud, Product Manager, Brother UK says that the primary focus of consultation around MPS solutions is on the print needs of a business and how this impacts the efficiency and productivity of the organisation. “But, as businesses increasingly see the value in digitising paper documents, there is a real opportunity for partners to also consider how scan solutions may support their customers,” he said. “Rather than focusing solely on print, work with customers to understand how they use documents – in both digital and paper format – throughout the business,” Masaud counselled, adding: “This will give a clear picture of their document management and processes and may open up new opportunities for resellers to sell scan solutions alongside MPS contracts, as well as ensure optimum efficiency for document management throughout the business.” Hassan Masaud, Brother UK Gerry Kelliher, Alaris James Pittick, Canon UK Brian Fortune, PFU (EMEA)