01732 759725
48
Q&A
View from the channel
Q:
What are your customers most
interested in?
A:
With the current climate, the biggest
interest for our clients is how to protect
themselves. Many of them see this from a
technical perspective and focus mainly on
trying to secure networks and not so much
on documents and print; one of the biggest
weaknesses to a business.
Q:
Do clients have the same
understanding of industry terms, such
as BYOD, MPS or MDS, as we do?
A:
The terms BYOD and MPS were
around in the industry long before I
joined and are commonly used when
talking with businesses. MDS is where
it gets interesting. Even though many
businesses believe they have a grasp on
their documents and how to manage
them, many are still using traditional
filing cabinets or sub-folders within their
network. Not many have processes and
workflows in place to manage them
properly and ensure compliance with
relevant legislation in their industry.
Q:
Where are you seeing most
traction at the moment, are there
any verticals that are particularly
strong?
A:
Currently, we are seeing greater interest
in document management from the
manufacturing sector, where trying to find
relevant information for queries and audits
is taking up precious time and resources.
Also, businesses that have a lot of people
working outside the office are looking into
how they securely and effectively manage
their documents through secure mobile
solutions that are capable of version control.
Q:
When selling MFPs, what are the
most popular software solutions you
provide and why?
A:
We look to help our clients utilise
their print fleet as much as possible
whilst controlling what is printed. Print
management software and intelligent
scanning software reduce not only our
clients’ volumes but also the amount of
time they spend processing information.
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:
We spend a lot of time with our
partners looking into current trends and
new advancements for our clients. Being in
a very competitive market means we need
to stay ahead of the curve. Working closely
with our partners and doing our own
Cameron Arnold,
Sales Manager,
Woodbank Office Solutions
research are critical to ensuring we provide
the best service for our clients.
Q:
Is your patch particularly
competitive – is it national or local
competition that you face?
A:
I look after Greater Manchester. We
have a number of local and national
competitors in every opportunity we see.
It’s very competitive! Focusing on making
sure we get the solution and service right
for our clients is key to maintaining our
growth.
Q:
How do you spend your week –
time on phone, face to face meetings
with customers etc.?
A:
The week starts off with a sales team
de-brief and review of the coming week.
Then there’s a lot of time on the phone,
with networking events thrown in the mix.
We look to find the right mix of activity to
utilise our sales teams’ strengths.
Q:
What would make your job easier?
A:
Unfortunately, due to the history of
our industry, it’s a difficult career for
enthusiastic sales people to succeed in.
Many businesses still have a negative
opinion of the managed print service
provider despite the number of excellent
providers focused on client service before
maximising profit. A change in how
businesses view our industry would be a
great start.
Businesses
that have a
lot of people
working
outside the
office are
looking into
how they
securely and
effectively
manage their
documents
