Learning on the Fly: Dealers Share Production Print Lessons

The production print business carries with it some of the same trappings as managed IT. It’s not simplistic technology; it requires a great deal of knowledge and experience to be proficient as a dealer. The technical service component can make or break a relationship; extended down time can leave a customer on life support. Clients need to be assured that you are guiding them properly.

Production print is a long-term commitment, and consistency of sales and service is necessary to forge extended relationships with customers. This week’s focus on the State of the Industry report chronicles some of the lessons learned by veteran production dealers that have helped them foster a reputation for being a quality provider.

The root of all success with production print lies in the ability to deliver unmatched service, according to Jeff Presnall, production specialist for Datamax of Texas and Arkansas. It ensures your dealership will be best positioned to grow the relationship when the client has the resources and need to add or replace equipment. It’s a subject he frequently broaches with sales teams.

“Most of them remember what it was like having a lower level of service [with another provider] and they don’t want to go back,” Presnall noted. “Integration with other systems is a key as well. Having a successful solution based on software that is integrated with their presses, etc., makes customers much less likely to seek a different provider if there is any way to grow the relationship instead.”

True Goals

One of the key takeaways gleaned by Deb Dellaposta, president and CEO of Doing Better Business of Altoona, Pennsylvania, is the fundamental principle that customers buy technology in order to solve a business problem, not for the sake of adding new gear. Equipment is not the conversation catalyst; she preaches understanding how the customer works, where it’s struggling and what they seek to accomplish.

“I’ve also learned that the sale is just the beginning of the relationship,” Dellaposta noted. “Some of our strongest customer relationships have lasted decades because we continue showing up after the installation. We review their environment, look for opportunities to improve workflows, help them adapt as their business changes, and continue earning their trust year after year.

She’s another exec who firmly believes the foundation of the dealer-client relationship is grounded in service. “Technology will continue to evolve. AI will continue to evolve. Production equipment will continue to evolve,” Dellaposta said. “But I’m convinced customers still choose to do business with people they trust. The companies that invest in relationships, expertise and service will be the ones customers rely on for the long haul.”

Paying attention to detail goes a long way in fostering strong relationships with clients, notes Ray Bullins, vice president of sales for Systel Business Equipment in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He cited examples that underscore the importance of ensuring equipment sold to a client can perform a requested function that was promised. A missing (and costly) piece of equipment necessary to deliver on that promise could bite a dealer in its purse.

Expertise can work to a dealer’s advantage in more ways than one. “Clients will say they wish they could do a certain function with their current equipment, but when you look at the technology another vendor sold them, they actually could do that function,” Bullins noted. “They just haven’t been educated on how to do it. It all goes back to being a good partner and having the knowledge base to do it.”

Locking it Down

There are fundamentals that enable dealers like Advanced Imaging Solutions of Minnetonka, Minnesota, to thrive in production print over the long haul. Stephanie Keating Phillips, director of production print and solutions, cites proper production-level training as one key. Partnering with an OEM that has a program that allows a dealer to graduate from working on MFPs to the production units is vital, and having a strong support team to guide customers is another must. Clients who work in the production realm are in high-stress, high-volume environments; it’s a much bigger deal if one of these units go down as opposed to a law office losing one of its five MFPs, she noted.

Given the stress, this client set needs to be reassured that your service crew can swiftly assess and correct issues that are preventing machine operation. “Ensure that your techs are talking with one another before sharing what the issue is with the client,” Phillips said. “Make sure that whoever takes charge of that gets a resolution quickly and works with the tech to fully educate the client on what’s going on. You need to set expectations and not promise a time to be back up and running until you’ve fully investigated it. From a sales perspective, you need to be fully transparent with your client on what the expectation is from your service team.”  

Having the lowest price may work for some providers, but for dealers such as Les Olson IT, it’s not a formula for sustained success. Delivering the best overall experience is priority one for the Salt Lake City dealership, notes owner Troy Olson. As production print is a consultative business, being well-versed with the client’s workflow, identifying improvement opportunities and recommending solutions that support their long-term goals helps solidify a point of differentiation.

“We’ve also learned that service is every bit as important as the equipment itself, Olson added. Fast response times, knowledgeable technicians, ongoing training and proactive customer support are essential. When customers know they can depend on you after the installation, it creates trust that leads to long-term partnerships.”