01732 759725
48
Q&A
View from the channel
Q:
What are your customers most
interested in?
A:
Print mobility seems to be the most
important factor from a user point of view,
they want to be able to get their prints
fast and without having to move very far.
However, due to education from people
like ourselves, management are starting
to wake up to the importance of keeping
their data protected. We wipe hard drives
and supply equipment that can completely
delete cached data on the fly.
BYOD isn’t anything new, people have
been using their own devices for a long
time in their organisations, however, BYOD
outside of your own organisation is getting
more popular. For example, the ability to
go to an airport and print your boarding
passes from your phone to the airport’s
printer.
Q:
Do clients have the same
understanding of industry terms such
as BYOD, MPS or MDS, as we do?
A:
This depends to whom you speak to
and the type of organisation. IT staff and
senior management are normally okay
with these terms. If you were to use these
abbreviations in the primary education
sector for example, most times they
wouldn’t know what you were talking
about.
Q:
Where are you seeing most
traction at the moment, are there
any verticals that are particularly
strong?
A:
Cloud services are definitely showing
the biggest growth, as broadband has
gotten faster and more reliable. More and
more people are releasing their tight grip
on in-house equipment and storage.
I wouldn’t say this was in any particular
market place, but across all organisations.
Q:
When selling MFPs, what are the
most popular software solutions you
provide and why?
A:
PaperCut is by far the most popular
solution sale with MFPs. Organisations
have switched on to the fact that if
their staff are accountable for their print
budgets, they are much more likely to
waste less print. Other services that come
bundled in with the software are very
useful too including follow me print, print
redirection and many many more!
Stuart Carruthers,
Technology Sales Manager,
Midshire Business Systems Northern
Q:
Where do you get information on
the latest products and solutions,
and do you feel that the OEMs are
doing enough to educate their
channel partners?
A:
Suppliers and distribution channels are
an excellent source of up-to-date product
information and the latest offerings. One
of the factors in the process for choosing
new suppliers and partners is the way they
communicate information like this.
You can have the best products in the
world, but if no one knows about them
it matters not. I personally spend a lot of
time on the web, looking for innovative
ideas and new solutions that I can take to
market.
Q:
Is your patch particularly
competitive – is it national or local
competition that you face?
A:
The industry is fiercely competitive, with
companies constantly finding new ways
of making bad deals look attractive. We
know what to look for when we come
across such offerings. I personally tend
to compete against local suppliers rather
than national suppliers. I am in a fortunate
position as Midshire is small enough not to
be a faceless organisation, but big enough
to command excellent pricing, which we
pass on to our customers.
Q:
How do you spend your week –
time on phone, face to face meetings
with customers etc.?
A:
I try to spend as much time in front of
customers as possible. This business is built
on good strong relationships and I have a
lot of customers that I have dealt with for a
long time. I’m also lucky to have built some
great relationships with referees who are
an important part of my success.
Q:
What would make your job easier?
A:
Other than a magic wand, I don’t think
anything could make my job easier!!!
More and
more people
are releasing
their tight
grip on
in-house
equipment
and storage
The industry is fiercely competitive, with companies constantly
finding new ways of making bad deals look attractive
