Throughout the pandemic, developing and maintaining strong relationships with manufacturers, suppliers and related vendors has been stressed as a key to dealers working through the myriad of challenges presented during this unprecedented period.
It’s hardly shocking that office equipment dealers have leveraged much of the down time created by COVID-19’s deleterious impact to brush up on training in every aspect of operations. Technical service, which is this month’s State of the Industry focus, is an area of significant interest for many dealers seeking to augment their techs’ proficiency and knowledge base, and is where manufacturers can help elevate their game. On-site classroom instruction has given way to virtual education, and many OEMs have tweaked their curriculums to maximize the training experience.
If you, as a dealer, have not yet availed yourself of the virtual technical service training offerings provided by manufacturers to their authorized dealers, now is the time to ensure you’re providing your tech crew with the necessary tools to remain at the fore of service excellence. What follows is a sampling of manufacturer programs available.
Virtual Virtuosos
Introducing virtual, hands-on service training was one of the priorities established by Epson America at the onset of the pandemic, as the OEM believed live, instructor-led training would be an effective complement to self-guided learning. The hands-on format is conducted through a conferencing platform that sees live instructors guide dealers through disassembly, reassembly and flagging of product differences from one generation to the next, notes Joseph Contreras, commercial marketing executive, Office Solutions.
“With our limited ability to travel and the goal of limiting technicians’ exposure to others, the virtual, hands-on training series has resonated with dealers and technicians,” Contreras said. “Our partners appreciate that technicians no longer need to be removed from the field and sent to another region or state to receive training.”
Contreras added that social distancing protocols (check-ins, temperature measures and questionnaires) have added, on average, 20 minutes to service calls. Thus, a schedule of three service calls in one day can effectively consume an hour from the tech’s daily schedule, limiting the number of calls that can be completed and impacting labor costs.
One of the elements working in favor of Epson’s flagship WorkForce Enterprise line is its mean copies between service visits, which is approximately three and a half times greater than competitive laser products. As a result, dealers with WorkForce Enterprise MIF need to dispatch service techs far less frequently, bolstering service costs and profitability. It also has a salutary impact on the end-user experience, particularly during this period, when clients are loathe to introduce outside people to their work environments.
“It is not about reducing service revenue or head count, it’s about being more efficient and productive,” Contreras pointed out. “Any given technician can now manage a larger fleet of devices because there are fewer service calls that are going to be needed on the Epson products versus the competing products they will be servicing.”
Improving the collective reseller and client experience through best-in-class instruction and training has long been a hallmark for Toshiba America Business Solutions, which trained more than 2,800 service technicians through the first 11 months of 2020. The manufacturer provides online, instructor-led courses online and in real time, including ones covering the art and science of troubleshooting, according to Kenny Hiteman, vice president services and support—Americas.
Reseller partner service techs can avail themselves of more than 100 other recently produced how-to videos. Toshiba’s latest online training and communication programs bolster technician proficiency with the company’s products and services, at their leisure.
“Our monthly conference calls provide technicians with a live forum to enhance training while educating them on Toshiba’s suite of technical innovations, including our cloud-based e-BRIDGE CloudConnect platform, which increases service scheduling efficiencies while better managing parts inventories,” Hiteman said. “Toshiba also holds regular one-on-one meetings with dealer service leadership for reviewing technical as well as service training topics.”
OEM Adaptation
Ricoh USA conducts periodic reviews with its dealer partners to help them expand their portfolios. Given the evolving needs of dealers eager to keep in front of their clients, the OEM has adapted to best serve their needs, according to Jim Coriddi, vice president, dealer division.
“From blended offerings that address our ‘new normal’ to virtual technology seminars and telepresence tools, we collaborated with our dealer partners to find new, effective ways to grow business,” Coriddi said. “When dealers are looking to expand into new areas—technical support, for instance—our training provides intelligence, talk tracks and sales resources that go beyond traditional materials to offer the needed toolsets and expertise to be their customers’ go-to call. We have the resources to help them do that.”
The Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America technical service portfolio has witnessed major changes since 2014, when it embarked on online training instruction in earnest, using a newer learning management system (LMS). The addition of its production studio enabled Sharp to record all of its product installation, maintenance, troubleshooting and operating procedures, according to John Menzzasalma, senior learning development and support manager.
In addition, Sharp is able to broadcast live product demos from its studio, and more than 1,200 participants attended a series of live events during a three-month span. Menzzasalma points out traditional methods of classroom training couldn’t reach that broad of an audience in such a condensed timeframe. And while he doesn’t see it being a full replacement for hands-on, in-person instruction, online training yields an audience that otherwise might not be able to attend, even during normal times.
“As time moved forward, we created a learning path for each technician, whether they are new or have been in the industry for years,” he said. “This path builds on a series of three core competencies reinforcing learning as they progress through the courses. Once the core courses have been successfully completed, the technician can move on to product-specific training.”
Sharp’s early migration made it easier to transition to a completely remote instruction format once the pandemic hit. In fact, participation has been brisk: since April 2020, there have been more than 19,000 enrollments and 12,000-plus course completions (Sharp offers 16 different courses). As a global site, Sharp has more than 5,000 technicians accessing content at a time. Dealers and service managers can also track their techs’ progress via a dashboard app. In addition, a 3T (Train the Trainer) program enables dealers to use the online content in their classroom to instruct technicians.
Comprehensive Courses
Like many manufacturers, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, U.S.A., Inc. sought to expand its virtual learning platform. Its technical education team has transitioned 34 technical training courses into an online, instructor-led (vILT) format. Its course content includes office products, production print, wide-format printers, print controllers and solutions products. A majority of the courses incorporate virtual machines, allowing students to access software applications without a license.
According to Kevin Streuli, vice president, Solutions Support Division (with input from division members Bob Coder, Bret Bachman and Russell Anselmo), Konica Minolta has performed ad hoc, dealer-specific training on an ongoing basis. Through Dec. 1, 2020, the manufacturer’s virtual instruction has resulted in:
- 233 vILT technical training courses conducted
- 1,463 student completions
- 2,478 Technical Tips webinar completions
- 101,116 web-based product training completions
In addition, Konica Minolta has created 367 technical videos for service representatives in the field, according to Streuli. “These videos are used as just-in-time learning and as post-training performance support,” he said. “Service management and student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of participants commenting how similar the training is to actually being in a face-to-face session.”
Acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all training method has its limitations, Kyocera used input from its dealer network to develop a multipronged approach for creating a technical education platform. It entails self-paced online classes, in-person instruction and live-streamed, instructor-led sessions, notes Thomas General, distance learning supervisor with the Kyocera National Training Center.
On MyKyocera.com, the OEM maintains a comprehensive catalog of self-paced online courses, including basic machine troubleshooting, network connectivity, software installation and configuration. Classes are validated through question-and-answer tests, with results tracked online. General points out that dealers are not allowed to order equipment or supplies from the OEM until a technician has successfully completed the required training.
In normal times, Kyocera’s regional technical representatives routinely travel to dealer locations to provide technical training packages and information-sharing roundtables. In light of the pandemic, the manufacturer added instructor-led livestreaming classes, along with an array of livestreaming machine, network and software learning sessions that can also be accessed on demand. To maximize content, Kyocera repackaged existing training videos and livestreaming sessions into short videos that touch on configuration, repair and installation procedures.
“We use professional HD and 4K video, lighting and editing equipment typically used in television studios,” General noted. “This ensures we provide the best quality instructional videos for technical use.”
Appreciating production values, the OEM takes a humorous tone in developing short videos with practical tech tips, with titles such as “Picking the Right Screwdriver” to “Dealing with Difficult Customers.” Kyocera relies on its global tech force to come up with practical information rarely included in formal training classes.
Augmented Reality
Canon U.S.A. offers a variety of user-friendly training sessions and remote service applications. Its Customer Solutions Center provides resources such as e-support, a bulletin on tools and best practices, and a technical publication detailing device cleaning procedures. Advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, remote diagnostics, virtual communication, proactive and predictive maintenance, as well as an escalation to its virtual presence tools, allow technicians to quickly assist with service and support.
“Leveraging augmented reality, these tools allow Canon’s support specialist experts to use their mobile devices to virtually reach out and touch what the field technician is working on, resulting in faster solutions and improved device uptime through a more efficient and productive support experience,” notes Leroy Farrell, vice president and general manager, Engineering Service and Solutions for Canon U.S.A.
The OEM is also providing virtual technology sessions to supplement training, with an emphasis on three areas: cloud security solutions, leveraging technology and collaboration in the future of work, and diversifying and expanding business offerings. Canon also furnishes virtual education formats—including assisted e-learning, technology events and customized training—to support requirements necessary to meet product authorization. Since March alone, Canon has delivered more than 700 seminars for authorized dealers.
The support and remote service instruction seems to have resonated with authorized dealers, including Toty Salinas, vice president of San Juan, Puerto Rico-based Systronics. “To Systronics, service is the main focus,” Salinas said. “Despite the challenges thrown our way, virtual training offerings have provided great insights and tools to help us stay productive and efficient. These have helped us tremendously as we continue to navigate through the hybrid work environment.”
