A true managed print service (MPS) can help companies optimise their print environment, reduce print related expenditure and increase efficiency.
To enable customers to take advantage of the significant benefits of a Xerox MPS solution, Bytes Documents Solutions (BDS) recently hosted a week-long MPS workshop at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg. 33 delegates from 16 Xerox partner organisations from South Africa and other African countries covered by BDS, were taken through the many benefits of MPS and how to support and deliver a fully-fledged Xerox MPS solution.
The intensive workshop sees partners undergoing sales and technical training, followed by 1:1 coaching and forms the first part of a strictly controlled accreditation process that enables them to sell and support Xerox MPS solutions.
Training was facilitated by Xerox MPS specialists Adrian Cheney, Mohamad Mounir and Stephen Archer supported by the local BDS team. Cheney and is the MPS sales manager for Africa and the Mediterranean Islands, and is responsible for the development of MPS services across 61 countries with appointed Xerox partners.
Mounir is the MPS Marketing Manager covering the same territories as well as the Middle East, and is responsible for the promotion and support of the MPS program across this vast geography.
Archer is the MPS technology development manager, at Xerox Corporation. He is responsible for the deployment of all solution components required to support and expand the MPS offering in the channel environment.
“Xerox has been positioned as the global leader in MPS by all leading industry analysts including Gartner, who publish the Magic Quadrant for Managed Print and Content Services,” says James Kelly, MPS manager at Bytes Document Solutions. “Among MPS providers, Xerox is positioned highest in ability to execute, and furthest for completeness of vision. The workshop was well received by our partners and they go away excited about how MPS will now be their lead offer to customers, and with a good understanding of how a Xerox MPS solution, based on the proven foundation of Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodology, can help customers reduce costs and improve productivity and efficiency.”
Those who attended learnt about how the Xerox MPS service offering begins with a detailed assessment, using specially designed tools and processes, allowing them to understand total cost of ownership (TCO), current document related issues and their impact on the customer’s business.
This is followed by an ideal future state design based on an agreed print policy to address current business needs, and provides a roadmap for ongoing optimisation and future needs.
The third stage they looked at was the implementation stage, which covers the project management aspects of moving from the current to the future state and includes change management initiatives to help the organisation adopt the new solution seamlessly and effectively.
Following implementation, during the manage stage, all devices are monitored and both consumables and service are delivered proactively. The proactive monitoring significantly reduces the need for customer intervention and onsite support, and in most cases customers are not even aware of issues as they are resolved before there is any business impact.
The Xerox MPS system also provides a significant number of reports and statistics which are consulted regularly during the ongoing review process, and these provide fact-based data upon which effective business decisions can be made. All these critical elements of the industry-leading Xerox MPS offering were covered at length during the workshop.
“MPS starts with cost-saving and device optimisation, then Xerox extend MPS capabilities, innovation and automation for better document security, productivity and sustainability. Our assessment and MPS management tools allow our clients to identify hidden costs of equipment, archiving and business processes to enable transformation of their document environments,” says Cheney.
Archer noted that MPS services are being extended to digital content as Xerox seeks to further enrich its partnerships with distributors. “There is still a huge demand for paper in the office, but we are geared up to take on the digital world too. The primary goal of the training programme is to use it as an opportunity to strengthen our partnerships and develop more Bytes Documents Solutions’ MPS partners across the continent.”
The training is part of Xerox’s drive to ensure that the MPS programme is consistent throughout the world. At present BDS have 12 accredited Xerox MPS partners in Africa. The goal is to grow this to 20 by the end of 2016.
“Our value proposition is stronger than ever, given the current state of the global economy,” says Kelly. “Xerox customers are striving to improve productivity and reduce costs. Our aim is to help clients focus on their core business while we take care of those two imperatives.”
