Print.IT Reseller - issue 79

01732 759725 44 VOX POP form but still there none the less. www.officefox.co.uk Steven Hastings, Channel Consultant, Armor Print Solutions I feel that the impact on print volumes during 2020 and the changes in working practices caused by the migration from the office will continue to force the evolution in the solutions and services we offer. In particular, the printer hardware-led strategy that has been at the core of traditional managed print services for vendors and dealers, will become less and less effective as businesses will not be prepared to be investing in new hardware fleets until absolutely necessary. Additionally companies and organisations will need more flexibility and less stricture in their contracts during ongoing uncertainty. What this will mean will include the need for shorter term contracts, more flexible ‘as a service’ offers with a mix of new, remanufactured and refurbished devices, extended service warranties offerings as companies will require to keep their printer fleets active for longer but will still need them maintaining and managed print solutions that allow for a blended fleet of multiple manufacturers that can be managed securely across a less centralised and more distributed workforce. In addition to the obvious cost and value considerations, environmental issues and sustainability will increasingly become a priority for organisations when selecting their suppliers, the technology they choose, and who they partner with to source their services. Offering reduced waste to landfill and recycling programmes is already an expected requirement of any product-led solution and the necessity to provide sustainable solutions will only increase. Not a single business will be untouched by the environment in the coming years and climate change will take an increasing toll on operational resilience. As such, environmental matters will continue to move up the agenda as businesses must take ownership of their impact and will be expected to play a more involved role in wider efforts to reduce carbon emissions. In the face of such a massive challenge, and as consumers grow more concerned about the environment, organisations and suppliers both small and large must start to adopt a more sustainable business model. I am extremely confident that our industry will continue to evolve to meet these new demands during 2021 and beyond. www.armor-group.com Al Coyne, General Manager, Print, Exertis I believe that 2021 will continue to see more challenges and opportunities for the print market as we start to recover from the impacts of COVID which has seen a reduction in sales across the board in 2020 as well as stock shortages. I think we will continue to see an increase in sales via e-tail platforms for consumer/SOHO products which end-users are using more of due to agile working conditions. Customers will also look closer at the TCO messaging as opposed to perhaps the initial up-front cost on the printer as more people work remotely. Our vendor partners are bringing out many new products and schemes to enable more efficient working and we are also seeing products being targeted around new markets such as personalisation and customisation which generates new revenues. As a business we are continually focusing on where we can add value and we will be adding more services to our product portfolio to enable more resellers to offer services outside of simply product supply. I also believe that different David Warrington, Client Services Director, Office Fox COVID has undoubtedly changed the way forward within the channel in a number of ways. I am seeing a significant rise in home working being a permanent change rather than a temporary one as first thought. The knock on to this being increased A4 sales over the traditional workgroup A3. The decentralised approach to print hasn’t necessarily reduced print/ scan volumes it’s just shifted. 2021 will certainly be the rise of the home worker and the challenge for business and the channel is to find a way to manage the expense and accountability as easily as a traditional office environment. We will be seeing more subscription and dare I say it consumer style agreements that allow more flexibility than ever before. Remote staff will need all the technology that was available to them in the workplace but at home – this also brings in additional questions; who pays for the additional power needs? Home office set-ups? Document security (particularly those with a heavy GDPR responsibility)? For those offices still running in the pre-COVID way I also believe a decentralised approach will come into play. The old images of groups of employees chatting round the MFP will more than likely be a thing of the past. I see more self-contained working bubbles taking their place, so the larger 70-80+ workhorse machines will be replaced with more portable 20-30 devices strategically located within those bubbles. The positives for MPS is that it has always been a dynamic and commercially aware channel. For those that see the opportunities for growth, I firmly believe profitable and sustainable business is out there, maybe in a new Not a single business will be untouched by the environment in the coming years and climate change will take an increasing toll on operational resilience ...continued David Warrington Al Coyne Steven Hastings