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17
Optimised business processes
Business process improvement is the
fourth pillar of a Lexmark MPS after
fleet optimisation, improved device
and supplies management and the
implementation of more efficient
document output strategies to reduce
waste.
In the last two years, Lexmark has
significantly enhanced its capabilities in
this area, notably with the acquisition of
enterprise content management (ECM)
specialist Perceptive Software in May
2010, which has enabled it to provide
efficient document management and
end-to-end electronic workflow solutions
fully integrated with ERP and other
enterprise applications.
In October 2011, Lexmark built
on this platform, by buying Pallas
Athena, a provider of business process
management, document output
management and process mapping
software and consultancy. Run as
part of Perceptive Software, it adds
significant new capabilities, especially in
the areas of customer communications
management and business process
optimisation. For example, its software
can be used to delineate a business’s
existing processes, identify bottlenecks,
conduct what-if scenarios, design new
workflows and then enforce adherence
across an enterprise.
Global reach
Another key trend that plays to
Lexmark’s strengths, says Pate, is
growing demand for international MPS
engagements.
“The rate of global and multinational
deals being done is increasing.
Organisations expect MPS providers to
deliver in multiple countries: they want
pricing agreements across multiple
countries and they want the same fleets,
the same standards of service and the
same processes in all regions,” he said.
“Lexmark has the global scale to
successfully deliver MPS to far-flung
locations that many others would not
attempt to reach. Our MPS toolset
and single global infrastructure is like
a telephone exchange, rather than
a collection of mobile phones. All
intelligence is held centrally: all we need
to deliver MPS is network connectivity.
We then have people who sit behind that
and work with a worldwide network of
partners, distributors and suppliers to
deliver toner and service locally.”
Because data is held centrally rather
than in a collection of local hubs and
accessible via the web-based Lexmark
Global Service Portal, a multinational
customer can at any time view
printing activity on a global level
or drill down and view data or
run reports on a local level, right
down to individual devices or
departments.
Lexmark’s ability to deliver
end-to-end services globally is
enhanced by the fact that it owns
and manufactures its own technology.
This, Pate explains, gives it a clear
advantage over IT services companies
that are starting to develop their own
managed print services.
“If you’re not a manufacturer and
you don’t make printers and toner, you
can’t have an integrated system,” he said.
“Owning the technology end-to-end
gives us a huge advantage. For example,
we have features in our firmware that
are specially designed to suit the way
we manage consumables and hook into
the supplies management system. Other
providers have to plug into hardware
that they don’t own, so it becomes less
seamless. In fact, Lexmark also features
in the Leaders quadrant of the
Gartner
Magic Quadrant: MFPs & Printers
Worldwide
report for 20112.”
According to Pate, the advantages of
doing this become clear when customers
start to address business processes and
workflows. “People talk about multi-
vendor platforms, but if you are going
to have thousands of devices across an
estate being used by tens of thousands
of employees and you decide to bring in
a workflow solution, such as the scanning
of expenses to a central location for
cheaper processing in another country,
users are going to have to learn how to
operate the scanner and interact with
MFPs. How many devices are they going
to have to learn to use? If you are going
to bring workflow processes to the
scanner, you need a standardised user
interface and that means having a single
vendor,” he said.
Having said that, it should be pointed
out that Lexmark does manage some
multi-vendor fleets, for example if a
particular device is needed for a specific
application or if a customer wants
to see a return on a recent hardware
investment.
Lexmark’s approach to MPS is proving
popular with businesses that, in ever
greater numbers, are putting their trust
in Lexmark to guide them from wasteful,
paper-intensive print environments to
the lean, efficient electronic workflows of
the future.
“When a business goes through a
selection process,” says Pate, “I believe
they are picking a partner to go on a
journey with, because with MPS the job
is never done – it’s an ongoing process.”
With a global customer retention rate of
over 90%, Lexmark is clearly the perfect
travelling companion.
www.lexmark.co.uk
www.perceptivesoftware.com
The perfect platform for
MPS: Lexmark also features
in the Leaders quadrant of
the
Gartner Magic Quadrant:
MFPs & Printers Worldwide
report for 2012.
Phil Pate,
enterprise
sales director,
Lexmark
Owning the
technology
end-to-
end gives
us a huge
advantage