Hardware Highlights: Opportunities Abound for Non-MFP Equipment

It’s November already. Between late-year vacations, wrapping up month-end and year-end orders, finishing the year on a high note and mapping out 2024, there’s no lack of tasks to occupy dealers’ time. Here at the offices of ENX, we’re planning our 2024 calendar and putting the finishing touches on our annual Elite Dealers December issue.

From an editorial standpoint, we want to give MFPs a break this month. They’ve done a yeoman’s job of being the centerpiece of many major takedowns. As much as we gripe about declining volumes, A3s and A4s are still the lifeblood of our industry. They’ve positioned many of our dealer friends in the upper echelon of the Elite Dealer catalog, and while managed services and product diversification are the trendy topics, the humble MFP is (as one dealer aptly put it) what pays the electric bill. And we haven’t forgotten that. Hats off to the boxes!

So, as the MFP kicks back and relaxes this month, we’re going to take a look at some of the other hardware elements our trusty dealer panel has relied on to garner a larger share of the customer wallet. These hardware options may ride the coattails of the MFP, but many can provide stand-alone opportunities and open the door for future MFP penetrations for those accounts still under lease with another provider.

Heat Seeker

When’s the best time to speak with a client? Is it when their lease is on the verge of coming up? If that’s the case, Lauren Hanna believes you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to have a wider discussion about a client’s or prospect’s overall business needs.

Hanna, the vice president of sales for Cleveland-based Blue Technologies, certainly wants a crack at the MFP opportunity. But in the meantime, when there are other hardware options that can be a potential fit in a given vertical, the time to jump on a call is now. Blue Technologies has been offering MOBOTIX camera systems (courtesy of Konica Minolta) for about 18 months, and it’s opened a world of potential independent of the MFP. From manufacturing concerns to automotive dealerships and educational institutions—not to mention churches—the MOBOTIX cameras and workflow solutions can provide that initial foray into an account.

MOBOTIX is ideal, she said, because it meets the Department of Defense standards, as its chips aren’t manufactured in China. The beauty of the system is that it provides a proactive, not reactive, approach to scanning and monitoring. The system has thermal scanning, which furnishes real-time information such as intruders on premises, and it can also alert users to factory equipment overheating in a manufacturing environment.

Blue Technologies has had several installations of the system, including one at an automotive dealership. The client can rely on the system to indicate if customers or intruders are still on premises at closing time, as few auto dealers have the resources to check every vehicle for people hiding. The client’s previous solution only recorded activity at the site, which was later reviewed after a break-in or robbery. MOBOTIX captures and reports suspicious activity as it’s happening, feeding the information to the primary surveillance display in the general manager’s office.

It’s more than the cameras, there’s a whole workflow wrapped around it. We can take the data it’s capturing and create rules that would trigger next steps in the workflow.

– Lauren Hanna, Blue Technologies

“The system can trigger a workflow that sends an email or calls the GM to let them know of the suspicious activity,” Hanna said. “It’s more than the cameras, there’s a whole workflow wrapped around it. We can take the data it’s capturing and create rules that would trigger next steps in the workflow.”

In this case, Blue Technologies’ rep started by calling on the client for MFP needs, but after discovering its lease wasn’t coming up, pivoted to learn more about their overall needs via a full analysis. With MOBOTIX in place and the customer happy with its early results, the account’s MFP needs will be upgraded earlier by Blue.

“With their old camera system, they had to log in to three different cameras to do checks, but it’s all centralized now,” she added. “They’re having a lot of success because they’re able to tweak their workflows, switch camera angles and control things a little differently. It’s a simple product that has a quick turnaround on the scoping process. It’s easy to manage and service. It’s been a very positive experience and a smooth transition for the client, and working with us left a good taste in their mouth. That leads to more business.”

Door Opener

Security protocols continue to be a prime avenue for dealers in providing not just surveillance solutions, but also quality access systems in a number of environments. DocuGraphics of Charleston, South Carolina, found an ideal fit for its client base with the Verkada security platform. One customer in particular, a substance abuse rehabilitation and counseling center, recently took delivery of the system as it dovetailed with the organization’s needs for heightened measures for unauthorized people exiting the detox area or encroaching on medication storage facilities.

The strength of the Verkada system is its use of facial recognition technology. It matches an access device with assigned users, provides alert notifications when a door remains open for a specified period and tracks the areas entered by specific visitors. It also provides notifications when suspicious individuals return on-site.

Addiction and rehabilitation centers, by virtue of their need to monitor patient activity within a facility, are an optimal fit for the Verkada system, according to DocuGraphics CEO Thomas Fimian. The nature of the sale and its cycle dictate that DocuGraphics take a narrower view as to the customer types.

“Since this is a very time-consuming and complex sales process, we’re focusing on organizations that are seeing the value of a premium access control system and the heightened security it provides compared to the run-of-the-mill security cameras out there,” Fimian said.

The Verkada line, as well as unified communications, came to DocuGraphics courtesy of its acquisition of Custom Cloud Solutions in March. The rehab facility opportunity arose out of a client review, where it was learned they were in the market for a more robust solution than the mature cameras they were employing.

Since this is a very time-consuming and complex sales process, we’re focusing on organizations that are seeing the value of a premium access control system and the heightened security it provides compared to the run-of-the-mill security cameras out there.

– Thomas Fimian, DocuGraphics

In addition to the facial recognition, the Verkada system includes sensors that can pick up vaping discharges, which also makes it ideal for school placements. K-12 environments have banned vaping, and since they’re not allowed to have cameras in restrooms, it’s usually the ideal place for students to sneak a flavored puff. The Verkada sensors can thwart the illicit attempts and connect the alert with cameras positioned just outside of the bathrooms, thus nabbing the offending person.

“The cameras are storing all this data and it’s in the cloud, making it very user-friendly and accessible,” Fimian noted. “It’s a hot-ticket item for a school. It can also alert school personnel when a fight appears to be breaking out so they can get there sooner and maybe prevent it.”

DocuGraphics partners with a third-party firm that handles the structured wiring process, but the dealer tends to the balance of the installation. Fimian said his company is pondering the addition of its own crew to tackle the wiring, which could entail acquiring another company or hiring electricians individually.

Double Barrel

An expansive hardware portfolio can certainly increase the odds of success for dealers, and that’s the case with EDGE Business Systems in suburban Atlanta. Among the dealer’s offerings are the Clear Touch interactive display panels and mailing gear from FP Mailing Solutions. It’s an eclectic combination with rich and varied customer segments.

According to Josh Salkin, a partner with EDGE, these offerings had vastly different journeys into the dealer’s catalog, and both have been offered for about five years. Clear Touch has been nothing short of a “game changer,” while EDGE’s mailing proposition was given a significant boost with the acquisition of Mailing Systems of Georgia.

The interactive display boards are a nice conversation starter. “Oftentimes, this is a great way to begin a relationship with a new client when copier leases aren’t expired,” Salkin explained. “So many businesses today are looking to collaborate more efficiently, and this is a great way to address that.”

By bringing on Mailing Systems of Georgia, EDGE was also able to fortify its depth of mailing expertise. Salkin pointed out that the acquired team members have extensive experience and have been critical in educating not only the dealer’s sales reps, but also clients when it comes to providing insights into the latest advances in mailing systems.

Oftentimes, this is a great way to begin a relationship with a new client when copier leases aren’t expired. So many businesses today are looking to collaborate more efficiently, and this is a great way to address that.

– Josh Salkin, EDGE Business Systems

“Both of these products have countless success stories,” Salkin said. “From winning new clients by replacing Quadient and Pitney Bowes with an FP solution to numerous hardware clients who added a fleet of interactive display boards, EDGE’s philosophy of measure/simplify/manage/secure is optimized by these enhanced product offerings.”

One of the most effective sales enablement vehicles is the technology showcase studio in each of the dealer’s offices. EDGE made significant investments in its showrooms to invite clients for VIP demos. According to Salkin, it’s the best route to ensuring a sale.

“We want to be a competitive resource for all organizations when these types of decisions are being made,” he said. “We have a high closing rate when we can get clients to come in the office and showcase these solutions.”

Stamp of Approval

The beauty of acquisitions is their ability to furnish a brand-new list of clients a dealer can sell into with technologies beyond the scope of the original owners. Conversely, there’s an opportunity for the acquiring company to either onboard a technology that it doesn’t carry or furnish a new line from another manufacturer. That was the case with UTEC of Ann Arbor, Michigan, when it obtained Innovative Mailing Solutions in 2018.

Certainly, this wasn’t UTEC’s first mailing equipment rodeo. The dealer had been offering Formax Finishing Solutions for several years prior to the deal. In addition to the 500 Innovative clients that UTEC could now penetrate with copiers and printers—according to Director of Digital Marketing Christine Liphardt, there was just a 1% crossover of existing MFP clients—Innovative was also an FP Mailing Solutions authorized dealer. That opened the door to possibilities for UTEC to address the needs of high-volume mailers to their current MFP clients with folder inserter models such as the FPi 2700, 4800 and 7500.

The folder inserters are ideal for environments including financial institutions, insurance companies, law firms, collection agencies and even school districts. In one case, UTEC sold an FPi 5700 to a local oil company that sends out thousands of invoices per month. The software in the unit allows it to accurately fold and insert the proper invoice pages and orders them by location, making it easier for the USPS to deliver the mail, which provides the client with a postal discount.

“Previously, the client needed to have people physically fold and insert the invoices,” Liphardt noted. “The folder inserter knows how many pages are to be inserted and collates them correctly. It saves the customer time and money; they don’t need to dedicate mailroom personnel to a laborious process.”

The folder inserter knows how many pages are to be inserted and collates them correctly. It saves the customer time and money; they don’t need to dedicate mailroom personnel to a laborious process.

– Christine Liphardt, UTEC

The software initially proved to be a challenge for the client in mapping out the invoices so they could be read by the machine. Since the initial hiccups, the customer has enjoyed much success with the FPi 5700.

“While we haven’t had a lot of placements, we’ve done a few pretty significant deals,” Liphardt added. “The machine works fantastically.”

Legal Ease

When a hardware offering meshes with a client’s need for MFPs, it becomes a slam-dunk choice as a catalog offering. That certainly rang true for Stone’s Office Equipment in Richmond, Virginia, and its foray into display boards, courtesy of Sharp. Not only is it a multi-billion dollar industry, observes Sam Stone, company president, it would be difficult to find a client that didn’t have the need for interactive displays. What might not be known, he added, is that Stone’s Office Equipment carries them, but the firm’s sales team is working diligently toward customer enlightenment.

Stone’s carries a trio of Sharp’s ubiquitous AQUOS BOARD displays—the 55” 4W-B55FT5U, the 64.5” 4W-B65FT5U and the 75” 4W-B75FT5U. In terms of commercial displays, the dealer can outfit a client with the 70” 4T-B70CJ1U and the 86” 4P-B86EJ2U models, both of which are 4K.

Customer walkthroughs are generally a prime opportunity for Stone’s reps to identify needs that can be addressed with its full catalog complement. Such was the case with a law firm account the dealer recently procured. During a tour of its offices, Stone’s rep noted it had a television in its conference room.

How will this help them? What are you bringing to the game? Start with your customers, then create a game plan to go after the industries they compete with.

– Sam Stone, Stone’s Office Equipment

“We asked some questions, which led to placing three 75” display boards in their conference rooms and a 55” display in their lunch room,” Stone said. “If you don’t ask, you don’t know. The client loves their new space and the content management software that allows them to share across all screens.”

While education and legal are two of the more obvious vertical placements, Stone believes it requires a bit of imagination when conferring with clients to ferret out potential needs. “How will this help them?” he posed. “What are you bringing to the game? Start with your customers, then create a game plan to go after the industries they compete with.”