Print.IT Reseller - issue 62

01732 759725 MPS 20 ManagedPrintCompare.com is a managed print services comparison platform that allows its customers to search and find MPS in seconds. A unique algorithm means that businesses are able to sift through a range of local and national suppliers and hundreds of makes and models of device to find a service that suits them. Quotes are provided with no obligation and are tailored to individual needs. ManagedPrintCompare.com was set up with the objective of helping businesses take the hassle out of purchasing a new managed print contract. This eradicates the cowboys of the industry by giving customers quality print contracts, tailored to your business needs. While at the same time, providing MPS suppliers involved with a much more efficient route to market. scanning devices and printers are no longer simply just that these days, they are valued, in-demand business tools that can mean an office functions to its true potential. “There is much talk of paperless offices, but in reality, this simply means paper is being used in different ways. Often the end result, they are now a necessary means to an end. Instead of the laborious time and space- heavy devices of the past (does anyone remember paper filing systems?) they are now essential aids to workflow and business processes,” he said. There is also the buzz around Daas (device as a service) becoming a key proposition for MPS suppliers to pivot to but, says Coulson this is not easily adopted. “While the idea is admirable, Daas will struggle to become commercially accepted as viable for the average SME who will have existing relationships with providers for each of the services which MPS providers are trying to roll up into one. “At the same time, the MPS supplier has to re-educate their sales force to pitch other services which is a big challenge. With the lack of talent coming through, Daas is certainly up against it in terms of implementation,” he said. Coulson says that where there is a will there is a way. “However, a plunge headlong into the future is needed. By diversifying, innovating and taking a forward-thinking approach, MPS has a rosy future, but only if the whole industry works together. We need to place the customer at the centre of the sector and stop seeing them as cash cows there to be taken advantage of. If we look after and nurture our own industry, this will be the future we all deserve. It’s exciting to see what will happen in the upcoming decade. “The time is now to sink or swim, which way are you heading?” he concluded. www.ManagedPrintCompare.com over most elements of the workplace is tech,” Coulson commented. “The research points to social media, connected devices and other tech conveniences being high on many of this generation’s agendas. Therefore there must be an emphasis on updating MPS to cater to this trend. Using cloud technology to administer cost management, up to date monitoring and to utilise electronic document scanning. This is a very important element, with paper records becoming a thing of the past it must be a priority for the MPS industry to drag the overall culture towards the year 2019. To stay back in the dark ages seems more short-sighted than ever. A gap in the sales force “This is also being reflected in the sales force, which at the moment seems to be entering a period of stagnation,” Coulson said, adding: “The immediacy demanded by a younger sales force is not being matched by an industry which may well be falling behind in terms of perception. “Good salespeople have always been hard to find, but it is becoming increasingly hard to recruit salespeople within MPS, especially new business sales. Typically the first question sales staff ask is ‘what is my account base like?’” he said. This, according to Coulson leads to MPS companies really struggling to capture new business and with the lack of new talent entering the industry due to print no longer being a desirable industry or the six-figure sales figures of the past not being immediately achievable. “Graduates are instead looking to software or tech sales which have a definite draw. The simple fact is if you are not innovating, you are dying. Nobody has a 100% business retention rate, but more can be done to make MPS a valid career choice. “Diversification is hard-won and worth it if you can make it work, however too many copier sales reps are stuck in a rut and not open to change. A shift to another kind of ‘sell’ is needed and not before time,” he warned. Coulson points out that photocopiers, ...continued Diversification is hard-won and worth it if you can make it work, however too many copier sales reps are stuck in a rut and not open to change