{"id":1477,"date":"2011-12-08T15:06:50","date_gmt":"2011-12-08T15:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theweekinimaging.com\/?p=1477"},"modified":"2011-12-08T15:06:50","modified_gmt":"2011-12-08T15:06:50","slug":"a-peek-inside-okis-total-managed-print-portal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2011\/12\/a-peek-inside-okis-total-managed-print-portal\/","title":{"rendered":"A Peek Inside OKI\u2019s Total Managed Print Portal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Tim Brien<\/p><\/div>\n

Sometimes you just need to go where nobody has gone before and that\u2019s what OKI Data Americas has done with their Total Managed Print (TMP) Web Portal that expands their existing MPS program and is available at no cost to OKI channel partners. The cloud-based TMP portal offers a suite of nine brand agnostic services that can expand and augment a dealer\u2019s new or existing MPS model. Because it\u2019s a modular and scalable solution, OKI channel partners can leverage all nine modules of the Portal, or pick and choose which components best meet their requirements.<\/p>\n

The TMP Portal provides a comprehensive toolkit, including best practice methods for assessing, monitoring, and optimizing fleet management for organizations of all sizes. It also automates processes that many dealers currently perform manually, provides unbiased recommendations for print optimization across all brands and technologies, and offers a simple, step-by-step process with online support to maximize a dealer\u2019s managed print engagement. The Portal supports a variety of data capture formats from vendors such as PrintFleet, FMAudit, and Print Audit, and is designed as a modular and flexible solution for dealers who are already well versed in MPS as well as those just starting to market MPS.<\/p>\n

\u201cOKI has developed a program, which allows you to go from the start, which is capturing data and take you all the way through to finalizing an MPS engagement and managing an MPS engagement,\u201d explains Tim Brien, director of MPS for OKI. \u201cThe great thing about this is that it\u2019s a completely agnostic system, which is also extremely modular. It allows all of our dealers to choose the different options they want to have in house or the functions they want to outsource to OKI\u2019s Total Management Print program.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Jim Fitzpatrick, manager of MPS at OKI, this is not a new system. OKI\u2019s analysts have been using it internally for the last eight years and to date have performed more than 800 assessments with it.<\/p>\n

Web-Based Interface<\/strong><\/p>\n

TMP\u2019s Web-based interface makes it easy for dealers to get up and running on the portal. \u00a0All they need to do is a log into OKI\u2019s BPX (Business Partner Exchange) system, which is available to all OKI dealers. Once they\u2019re in they can go directly into OKI\u2019s data analysis, which is a proprietary analytic engine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a key function that really differentiates OKI\u2019s Total Managed Print program from a lot of the others on the market,\u201d says Brien. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve done is taken all the data people are putting in the system, and because the system was designed to be utilized by companies already having existing MPS knowledge or infrastructure, up to those with no MPS knowledge or infrastructure, we\u2019re basically taking all the guess work out of creating a managed print services engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

All data and logistics captured by the system can be provided to the dealer sales rep who exports this into a proposal generator, developed internally by OKI, and create a proposal that shows the customer an optimized, vendor-neutral environment. The proposal generator can be custom branded with the dealer\u2019s logo. Although this is a vendor-neutral system, it can<\/em> suggest OKI replacement devices if the dealer prefers to program it that way.<\/p>\n

In the proposal stage the system provides the capability for several different closing options, such as TMP or with their own external program if, for example, they were a Kyocera dealer or if their leasing partner was USBank. The system can also support customers who prefer to make a capital purchase.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a vendor neutral system and allows the dealer to interject different types of hardware if they happen to be an HP, Canon, or Kyocera dealer as well as take all those additional devices that aren\u2019t going to be replaced and place them under a managed print services engagement along with their costs and substituting any of the features they already have,\u201d explains Brien. \u201cIf they already have their own servicing entity, their own supplies they\u2019re going to fulfill, they can select which pieces they currently supply themselves or which pieces they\u2019d like to outsource from the TMP program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the Portal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Data capture is an important element of the system, and besides the flexibility of allowing copier dealers to capture information using data collection technology from a range of vendors, those in the IT world can take advantage of data collection and analysis tools from Level Platforms, EnABLE Technologies, and other vendors.<\/p>\n

The system typically supports three different types of users\u2014the administrator who loads products and administers the entire portal, the owner\/manager of the dealership, and the sales rep. The administrator is usually the first person to access the system and can set basic information such as the name of the dealer\u2019s MPS program. Note that this is not branded as Total Managed Print and administrator\u2019s can also add their dealership\u2019s logo, so in the customer\u2019s eyes, this is a program branded and administered exclusively by the dealer. The administrator can also set minimum margins on hardware, service, and supplies that sales reps aren\u2019t allowed to go below unless they ask for and receive an override from the owner\/manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to recommending devices, the system evaluates the dealer\u2019s device offerings and identifies the best device by price, utilization, size and fit for each customer. If everything is even, the system selects the device recommended by the dealer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, the administrator might enter OKI, HP, and Kyocera devices, accessories, service plans, and consumables into the system. They can load their own pricing into the system as well. There\u2019s also a default way to load OKI products which will save the administrator a fair amount of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dealer has full control of the products loaded in the system and the products that are automatically picked by the system,\u201d says Fitzpatrick. \u201cWe were very careful to make this system as flexible as possible for dealers to load their own products and do it in such a way that they could use price lists from other places and load those into the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

OKI subscribes to a back-end service from GAP Intelligence, which provides OKI with data on more than 10,000 products on a weekly basis, including new products as well as street pricing and competitive specs. This is a particularly useful feature, especially since many dealers typically don\u2019t invest in this type of service. The ability to quickly access this information can save a dealer hundreds of hours compared to tracking this information down on their own, according to Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we talk to our partners in the field, this is a key area that they find beneficial,\u201d notes Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n

Flexible Acquisition Options<\/strong><\/p>\n

OKI\u2019s program also provides dealers with flexible acquisition options, including different ways to acquire hardware and different ways to process CPC (cost-per-copy) pricing. OKI also provides full implementation services nationwide, allowing dealers who operate regionally to capture and manage MPS engagements outside of their region.<\/p>\n

While OKI has invested in a variety of remote monitoring tools, PrintFleet is its core remote monitoring tool for processing toner orders, meter reads, and services requests and other elements that need to be audited within the MPS engagement. It\u2019s available to OKI dealers free of charge. The remote monitoring system is integrated with a personalized supplies fulfillment component.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe great thing about personalized supplies fulfillment is the fact that as you turn around and look at what dealers are requiring, people are looking less and less to stock internally,\u201d says Brien. \u201cThe entire market is moving towards just-in-time inventory fulfillment and that\u2019s one of the benefits of managed print services. You\u2019re looking to take things off the customer\u2019s hands and this does that.\u201d<\/p>\n

All toner ships directly to the customer\u2019s location and can be directed to a specific department or location within that organization. This component of OKI\u2019s TMP portal is proactive in that it consolidates shipments, shipping the customer the toner they need today along with what they\u2019ll be needing for the next several days.<\/p>\n

Back-end Processing and Billing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back-end processing and billing is another key component of OKI\u2019s program. For some of the more copier-centric dealers who have a CPC program in place, the program allows them to use their existing CPC infrastructure. For organizations without that infrastructure, OKI supplies complete back-end processing and billing along with integration into back-end solutions such as ConnectWise and Autotask.<\/p>\n

Continuous fleet optimization and reporting is described by Brien as one of the most important elements of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we look at TMP and managed print services in general, one of the things people forget to do on a long-term basis is managed the customer\u2019s environment,\u201d he says. \u201cThey come in, initially propose a new scenario, turn around and bring the customer onboard, but there\u2019s nothing in their constant reporting mechanisms and the customer goes into this stage of focusing on how [their environment] is producing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because OKI has found that sales reps typically don\u2019t check back on their MPS customers on a regular basis, they\u2019ve created a process in which the OKI system automatically looks at all the customer data through the remote monitoring system whether it\u2019s monitored by the dealer or via OKI\u2019s TMP remote monitoring system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can look at all those devices on a regular basis then take that information and automatically send reports to the end users or sales reps telling them this account is falling off from an optimized state and these are the devices that need to be changed out,\u201d explains Brien.<\/p>\n

This capability not only provides the customer or sales rep with this information, but also automatically creates a proposal for them as well as all their lease documents with automatic notifications and paperwork filled in and sent in an e-mail with their dealership\u2019s logo on it.<\/p>\n

Summing Up the TMP Portal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most printer and MFP vendors have already introduced a managed print services program, but no one seems to have taken the approach that OKI has with its TMP portal. It\u2019s most definitely new, different, and offers dealers the utmost in flexibility. What\u2019s particularly brilliant about this introduction is that dealers can pick and choose the components they want to use and don\u2019t have to completely abandon their existing MPS programs whether it\u2019s their own, from their device vendor, or some other MPS solutions provider.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes you just need to go where nobody has gone before and that\u2019s what OKI Data Americas has done with their Total Managed Print (TMP) Web Portal that expands their existing MPS program and is available at no cost to OKI channel partners. The cloud-based TMP portal offers a suite of nine brand agnostic services that can expand and augment a dealer\u2019s new or existing MPS model. Because it\u2019s a modular and scalable solution, OKI channel partners can leverage all nine modules of the Portal, or pick and choose which components best meet their requirements. The TMP Portal provides a comprehensive toolkit, including best practice methods for assessing, monitoring, and optimizing fleet management for organizations of all sizes. It also automates processes that many dealers currently perform manually, provides unbiased recommendations for print optimization across all brands and technologies, and offers a simple, step-by-step process with online support to maximize a dealer\u2019s managed print engagement. The Portal supports a variety of data capture formats from vendors such as PrintFleet, FMAudit, and Print Audit, and is designed as a modular and flexible solution for dealers who are already well versed in MPS as well as those just starting to market MPS. \u201cOKI has developed a program, which allows you to go from the start, which is capturing data and take you all the way through to finalizing an MPS engagement and managing an MPS engagement,\u201d explains Tim Brien, director of MPS for OKI. \u201cThe great thing about this is that it\u2019s a completely agnostic system, which is also extremely modular. It allows all of our dealers to choose the different options they want to have in house or the functions they want to outsource to OKI\u2019s Total Management Print program.\u201d According to Jim Fitzpatrick, manager of MPS at OKI, this is not a new system. OKI\u2019s analysts have been using it internally for the last eight years and to date have performed more than 800 assessments with it. Web-Based Interface TMP\u2019s Web-based interface makes it easy for dealers to get up and running on the portal. \u00a0All they need to do is a log into OKI\u2019s BPX (Business Partner Exchange) system, which is available to all OKI dealers. Once they\u2019re in they can go directly into OKI\u2019s data analysis, which is a proprietary analytic engine. \u201cThis is a key function that really differentiates OKI\u2019s Total Managed Print program from a lot of the others on the market,\u201d says Brien. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve done is taken all the data people are putting in the system, and because the system was designed to be utilized by companies already having existing MPS knowledge or infrastructure, up to those with no MPS knowledge or infrastructure, we\u2019re basically taking all the guess work out of creating a managed print services engagement.\u201d All data and logistics captured by the system can be provided to the dealer sales rep who exports this into a proposal generator, developed internally by OKI, and create a proposal that shows the customer an optimized, vendor-neutral environment. The proposal generator can be custom branded with the dealer\u2019s logo. Although this is a vendor-neutral system, it can suggest OKI replacement devices if the dealer prefers to program it that way. In the proposal stage the system provides the capability for several different closing options, such as TMP or with their own external program if, for example, they were a Kyocera dealer or if their leasing partner was USBank. The system can also support customers who prefer to make a capital purchase. \u201cThis is a vendor neutral system and allows the dealer to interject different types of hardware if they happen to be an HP, Canon, or Kyocera dealer as well as take all those additional devices that aren\u2019t going to be replaced and place them under a managed print services engagement along with their costs and substituting any of the features they already have,\u201d explains Brien. \u201cIf they already have their own servicing entity, their own supplies they\u2019re going to fulfill, they can select which pieces they currently supply themselves or which pieces they\u2019d like to outsource from the TMP program.\u201d Inside the Portal Data capture is an important element of the system, and besides the flexibility of allowing copier dealers to capture information using data collection technology from a range of vendors, those in the IT world can take advantage of data collection and analysis tools from Level Platforms, EnABLE Technologies, and other vendors. The system typically supports three different types of users\u2014the administrator who loads products and administers the entire portal, the owner\/manager of the dealership, and the sales rep. The administrator is usually the first person to access the system and can set basic information such as the name of the dealer\u2019s MPS program. Note that this is not branded as Total Managed Print and administrator\u2019s can also add their dealership\u2019s logo, so in the customer\u2019s eyes, this is a program branded and administered exclusively by the dealer. The administrator can also set minimum margins on hardware, service, and supplies that sales reps aren\u2019t allowed to go below unless they ask for and receive an override from the owner\/manager.\u00a0 In addition to recommending devices, the system evaluates the dealer\u2019s device offerings and identifies the best device by price, utilization, size and fit for each customer. If everything is even, the system selects the device recommended by the dealer.\u00a0\u00a0 For example, the administrator might enter OKI, HP, and Kyocera devices, accessories, service plans, and consumables into the system. They can load their own pricing into the system as well. There\u2019s also a default way to load OKI products which will save the administrator a fair amount of time. \u201cThe dealer has full control of the products loaded in the system and the products that are automatically picked by the system,\u201d says Fitzpatrick. \u201cWe were very careful to make this system as flexible as possible for dealers to load their own products and do it in such a way that they could use price […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[82,85],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1477"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1477\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}