Do you use PrintFleet or FM Audit? Here’s how to turn these systems from a cost center to a revenue generator.
Most office imaging dealers have recognized, over the past decade, that the most obvious source of revenue growth in their business is all of the unmanaged devices that live on their customers’ networks. If your 2019 plan requires a revenue increase, it makes sense to harvest the lowest hanging fruit:unmanaged devices. Here’s how.
Despite all the excitement and conversation surrounding MPS, the reality is that most devices and most customers are not on MPS contracts. It is probably a safe bet that if they have not migrated to MPS over the past decade of sales efforts, they likely never will. Most businesses, continue to buy supplies and service the old fashioned way—placing an order when they need it. In a recent conversation with a large dealer administrator, he estimated over 40% of the devices he was monitoring were not under any contract. What an opportunity!
Ordering supplies was once a complicated process:
- Matching the device and location with the supply
- Deciding on OEM, compatible, high-yield or regular yield
- Deciding when it’s the right time to order each supply
Supplies-only resellers, or even supply specialists at a help desk, added some value to help navigate this process. That worked for a time, but like most things, that process has been automated. Office Depot, CDW and Amazon have all figured out ways to let customers “self-service” supply ordering online.
In most cases, all you need to do is enter a device model into a website and you are provided with supply options and an order button. That’s way easier than a call or an email. I would even argue that supplies management is/was the traditional driver of MPS, but e-commerce ordering systems make MPS even harder to sell.
Here’s the good news though, you can now link your RMS system (PrintFleet or FM Audit) to your e-commerce site. We call it the MPSToolbox Supply Cupboard. Why is that better?
The Supply Cupboard:
- Shows supply levels, coverage percentages, and page usage.
- Shows device data – location, serial number, IP address.
- Shows ALL devices and orders them by urgency.
- Tracks when a supply was last ordered for each device.
- Can manage contracted devices and transactional devices on the same page.
Are you tired of playing catch up with the online merchant giants like Amazon? Supply Cupboard leapfrogs them, increases your sales, and keeps your customers tied to you for ordering.Click here to arrange a demo.
