Cloud Control: Fraser Information Systems Supports Customers through the Cloud

Monitoring Activity in the Global Support Center.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Both Al Jolson and Bachman Turner Overdrive said that. Actually one said it, the other sang it. And that’s what I have to say after seeing the Global Support Center at Fraser Information Systems in West Reading, Pennsylvania. 

Fraser’s Global Support Center is a prime example of what happens when a dealership takes service to the next level with that level being the cloud. 

The Global Support Center didn’t come cheap; Fraser invested more than $2-million in it. That investment covered the technology and the team of specialists that remotely monitor thousands of client’s devices while proactively dispatching Fraser field technicians for service calls via G.E.T. (Global Engineering Tracker) Support. 

G.E.T. Support allows Fraser’s Global Support Center staff to track and verify the location of every field tech via GPS and dispatch them to a customer location as necessary. By knowing the exact whereabouts of those technicians, the Fraser support team can provide customers with an estimated arrival time. 

Ramping up the quality and the accuracy of its service operation is one of the primary benefits of G.E.T. It’s also an integral component of Fraser’s green initiative. This proactive approach to service along with the remote monitoring capabilities allows the Global Support Center to reduce device downtime while reducing Fraser’s carbon footprint since many service issues are now resolved via the cloud. 

“We’re already reducing the calls of the technicians by 8 percent,” notes Bill Fraser, owner and president. “If you do the math, whoever is going to win in this business is going to be the low-cost service provider and be able to do it seamlessly and through the cloud.” 

Whenever a device has an issue, the Global Support Center is sent an e-mail and is usually aware of it well before the customer. If a Global Support Center team member cannot fix the problem remotely a tech is dispatched. This truly is the future of copier service. 

The Global Support Center plays a huge role in Fraser’s managed services initiative. 

“We do managed print, but managed services is the end game,” says Fraser. “These small and medium size dealerships, if they’re still doing break fix, that’s a brutal model to be in.” 

Inside Fraser's Global Support Center.

The Global Support Center is currently monitoring more than a thousand copiers and printers for about 100 customers. The goal is to grow the current 8 percent to 10 percent, and from there keep growing and growing.  

A team of three specialists were manning Fraser’s Global Support Center during my visit, monitoring customer’s devices via their computers and fielding phone calls although the number of calls was minimal. Eight different software packages run in the background and form the backbone of what Fraser is doing from a cloud technology perspective. Some of those programs include OMD, MWAi, Enable, ConnectWise, and AutoTask. 

Large overhead screens allow the support staff to view the exact location of technicians who are tracked via their Blackberries. Because support staff can view the daily trends in the device population, techs are better equipped with parts and prospective fixes before they hit the road each day. Additionally by seeing where techs are at any given time staff can provide them with the best routing in the event of traffic issues. 

Techs are expected to make five calls a day and those that do earn a bonus. 

“We want them hitting a bonus,” says Fraser. “So if they’re in accounts longer then the outcome is, we give them more training because we have to get it fixed when we get there instead of the old story, ‘I didn’t have the part.’ Well you didn’t have the part because you didn’t fix it the first time and you didn’t have the skills and knowledge.” 

Large display screens present the big picture of what's going on in Fraser's customer's worlds.

The system currently monitors 45 techs. Techs have been mostly receptive to this strategic initiative. 

“The technician’s life fixing the equipment is better and they’re now more prepared, have the right parts and the right software, and more confidence,” says Fraser. 

This is a huge differentiator and he’s not aware of any of his competitors doing anything similar.   

The system is smart as a whip. For example, when the waste toner receptacle in a monitored device is nearly full the Global Support Center receives an e-mail alert which goes directly into Outlook. A notification is then e-mailed to the customer and the team can watch in real time as the customer swaps it out. The system also provides notifications of paper jams, open trays, and open covers and virtually anything having to do with the device’s operation. 

“Customers don’t place a phone call,” says Fraser. “Sometimes they do, but overall we’ll know the problem before they do. It’s a proactive approach.” 

Information on device history and the various alerts has also been useful for account reviews. 

“Wherever you see a dot up there [He points to a map on a large TV screen in the Global Support Center] that’s the location of all your assets. And these assets have a tendency of moving. We’re coming back every quarter and giving them a snapshot of their assets, where they are, the activity, anything to do with it. We can dial right down and identify where the problem area is.” 

At all times the customer knows the exact location of all their devices. 

“Most people don’t have a clue,” says Fraser. “And these printers come and go…you talk about being out of control.” 

Tracking supplies levels is a big part of a managed services operations and the system does this too. Fraser’s supply department receives an alert when a device’s toner level hits 25 percent, which allows them to ship toner for that specific device to the customer on an as-needed basis. 

“They never have to worry about running out,” states Fraser. 

He hopes this reduces supply consumption as well as toner theft. Fraser had one large client who discovered one of their employees was selling the toner on eBay, costing the employer nearly a million dollars. 

“They caught the guy and solved the problem,” says Fraser. “That toner, that’s our cash out there. We get it to them just in time. And they don’t get six cartridges, they get one and we monitor and tell them when they’re due for replenishment.” 

The system also allows Fraser to service customers who have locations outside of Fraser’s traditional service territory. One account has nearly 100 machines throughout the U.S. Because many of those locations are spread throughout the U.S., Fraser contracts service out to dealers in that market. 

“This gives us the ability to monitor the dealer and see what type of service they’re providing,” reports Fraser. 

In this situation alerts come to the Global Support Center and when a service call is required, they contact the servicing dealer to set up the call.  

“From an account management standpoint, this is fantastic,” says Fraser. “Everything is monitored by us, which ensures the servicing dealer is doing their part.” 

Is this an easy concept to sell a customer on? If his sales reps can get customers into the Global Support Center for a demo Fraser says it’s often an easy sell. 

The next big level of service that will be handled through the cloud is remote installs, which is turning the whole connectivity experience into a plug and play one. 

“We’re eliminating waiting for a connectivity technician when installing new equipment,” says Fraser. “It’s done through the cloud and we work with the customer’s IT person and all we’re doing is one way out…we’re not coming in. Any of your address books, drivers, anything you need to know about is preloaded.” 

This is a huge time saver too. 

Everything is preprogrammed at the dealership and when the device reaches the customer it now takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes until somebody is printing. That’s a big difference from the days when customers were waiting two to four hours for somebody to do this. It’s also a big difference because Fraser’s sales reps are slowly but surely getting over their fear of the IT people. Of course bonuses for signing up new customers for remote monitoring and installs are an important part of that equation. 

“Not many of our competitors talk about that,” says Fraser. “We just need to continue to drive that delivery cost down. The real ‘Aha’ moment on this whole deal is now that I’ve got the sales reps over to the IT guy and all of a sudden IT loves us because we’re doing all the dirty work for them and they can get back to doing all that other stuff. ‘And by the way, if you run into any major projects you don’t have the time for, you can outsource it to us.’ We finally got this link with the IT people we did not have before.” 

In the meantime Fraser is hoping to create a user’s group and bring more customers through the Global Support Center to see first-hand what it can do for them.   

“My belief is whoever gets out on that server first is probably going to reside there,” says Fraser. “Unless you really screw up you should be there for a long time and not be commoditized. That’s the strategy.” 

The Center seems to be paying for itself. 

“Even if it didn’t pay for itself, from an advertising, marketing and sales support, to get our sales people into the IT people, it’s working,” concludes Fraser. 

Fraser isn’t scrimping on the marketing of its Global Support Center either and they’ve come up with an array of marketing materials, handouts, and videos that succinctly spell out the benefits of the Center as well as their 24/7 cloud support. The message to customers and prospects encompasses proactive maintenance service, customer support, and technical support; faster response time, real-time 24/7 remote monitoring that frees up a client’s IT staff to focus on their business; automatic meter reads and supply level monitoring; more accurate billing; reducing printing costs; reduced downtime; enhanced security; and the ability to support any device connected to the customer’s network. 

This message seems to be resonating with Fraser’s clients. Since launching the Global Support Center less than a year ago, Fraser has been adding customers and devices. Additional techs will soon be hired to staff the center as the number of customers and monitored devices grows. 

What Fraser Information Systems is doing with their Global Support Center is the future of copier service and for their customers that future is here now.