PRINT
IT
RESELLER.UK
COMMENT
31
the managed print sector.”
“The actual copy function is only one of
many tasks a multifunctional can perform,”
said
Clive Hamilton,
Group Managing
Director,
Pinnacle Complete Office
Solutions
. “These systems now form a
vital bridge between the paper world and
millions of electronic documents that often
reside on document management systems,
on site or in the cloud.
“Modern multifunctionals are the
hub of any organisation for document
workflows and bear more resemblance to
networked computers in terms of security,
productivity and convenience through apps
and workflow automation,” he added.
Service and maintenance
In response to a question asking whether
or not copiers have dozens of replaceable
parts requiring inefficient service and
maintenance agreements, Bowmer said
that the answer depends on which side
of the fence that you are sitting on.
“A straight answer to a straight question
would be: have we seen an increase in the
number of parts that can be replaced by
the end user? The answer is yes. But why is
this?,” he stated.
“The reason is actually to improve
the end user satisfaction and to increase
service delivery. Rather than waiting for an
engineer to turn up, order the parts, then
visit again to fit the parts. The customer
can simply swap out the affected parts and
the device is back up and running. Waiting
upon the engineer who then needs to
order the parts can take 2-3 days versus
2-3 minutes,” he explained.
“The number of replaceable parts
depends on the unit in question,” Griffin
said. “Some of the Samsung units we
supply have as few as seven replaceable
parts so they are very straightforward to
maintain, but we also supply high volume
printers which are naturally a little more
complicated. We’ve invested in staff
training to ensure we’re able to service and
maintain high volume machines and we’re
one of few local suppliers to offer this
service, which certainly gives us an edge
in the niche but profitable high volume
sector.”
Like any reseller, Blackbox offers
service and maintenance agreements
and Griffin argues that they have highly
efficient structures in place to ensure
responsive servicing for all clients. “We’ve
made efforts to automate and streamline
the maintenance and servicing as far as
possible. Our aim is always to provide a
great customer experience and we have a
number of initiatives that give our clients
more control over their service requests
and provide greater transparency and
flexibility,” he explained.
All Blackbox engineers and technicians
have access to a wireless portal, enabling
them to log, track and request parts
and stock in real-time, speeding up
maintenance and repairs and minimising
equipment downtime. And there’s also a
customer servicing app that provides a
range of functionality, such as enabling
customers to order replacement toner
cartridges, request a visit from a service
engineer, or submit their meter readings.
“We’re also soon to launch Service
Accent, a dedicated web portal which
provides a platform to log and track
service jobs,” Griffin said. “Customers
will be able to log all service work and
monitor progress, view service and order
history and raise orders via the internet,
simplifying the current process and giving
our clients control over their business.”
The number of replaceable parts
doesn’t impact on the end user. Stafford
says that a fully managed device offers
fantastic levels of reliability with no user
intervention required. “Our customers
want to focus on their core business and
not have to worry about changing drums,
maintenance kits etc.”
He added: “Our managed print service
offers a four-hour response from a qualified
technician carrying a full stock of parts so
we can effect a timely repair. Devices have
become incredibly reliable and economical
to run, we expect continued improvement
with both for the foreseeable future.”
“Copiers do have a long list of
replaceable parts,” Goodall admitted. “But
by replacing parts individually when they
reach their service limits, the customer
gains full benefit from each part, which
again keeps costs low,” he said.
“Printer style solutions often require
you to maintain a stock of cartridges and
items in your office meaning that in most
cases you have paid for your prints and
copies before you have even made them
...continued
Colin Griffin,
Managing Director,
Blackbox Solutions
Kevin Tunley,
Sales Director,
Midshire Group
We find that
most customers
appreciate the
preventative
calls and these
dramatically
reduce the
occurrence of
breakdown calls
