Eakes Office Solutions

While we wrap up July’s State of the Industry report on artificial intelligence (AI), this is only the beginning of what promises to be an amazing, exciting and somewhat nerve-wracking journey. Speaking of which, earlier this week OpenAI revealed that an autonomous agent it Read More

Do you remember your first encounter with the World Wide Web? It was an exciting time for many people who were itching to “go online” and do some exploring. From my POV, the introduction occurred sometime during 1997. The publishing company I’d then toiled for had the internet Read More

Even while it’s been around for years in various forms, artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the shiny, new thing in the eyes of many, a byproduct of the numerous platforms (Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) that have emerged. Its potential is beyond exciting, both from a Read More

Two things are clearly obvious when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by businesses. One, few areas within an operation wouldn’t benefit from some flavor of AI application. Two, there are a few areas within an operation where a company absolutely will not allow Read More

The wonderful thing about advice is it’s free. As in, you’re free to heed it or free to ignore it. Unsolicited input generally falls on deaf ears. But in our case, we’ve asked and some of the biggest names in our industry have delivered some absolute gems of advice. That, Read More

There are no guarantees in business. Given the lack of certainties, most business owners try to position themselves to experience optimal outcomes. This takes on many forms: investing in people and equipment. Adding products or services that can be introduced to current clients Read More

It is the dawn of a new year. Whether 2026 offers its share of surprises, such as tariffs proved to be in 2025, or is a carbon copy of its predecessor, remains to be seen. Fortunately, the trends of the past can provide a roadmap to the future. It may not be a linear path, but it Read More

Not all challenges are created equal, and this is certainly true for the office technology dealer space. There are the sobering variety, such as the loss of longtime customers or star team members. Those never have easy solutions. They keep dealer execs awake at night, repeatedly Read More

Success in business is not always about coming up with new ideas for selling beyond-the-ordinary products and services. As we’ve seen over and over, it’s about reading the room that is your end-user client base and studying the markets you serve for potential offerings. You’re Read More

It’s time that ancillary offerings get their just due as a primary talking point when dealer reps are discussing how they can provide additive solutions to their clients. But are we kidding ourselves? The term, by its definition, would suggest otherwise. Ancillary, as an Read More

Ordinarily, when office technology dealers are in the market for a vendor who can provide them with A3 or A4 units, there are numerous household names from which to choose. Oftentimes, the OEMs are known qualities with established track records in a given discipline. Industry Read More

This week’s installment of the most significant challenges facing our 2022 Elite Dealer class turns its attention to another issue that has vexed the office technology sector, particularly during the past three years: hiring and retention. Recruiting and poaching (depending on Read More

The Great Resignation has been one of the most cited repercussions from the trail of destruction COVID-19 continues to leave across the global business network. The term is largely attributed to Texas A&M University Professor Anthony Klotz, who predicted that a large wave of Read More

Being a few ticks north of the mid-century mark, this reporter clearly remembers the time when the previous generation removed its graduation cap and gown—or mustered out of the service—then picked up a hard hat and lunch pail, which were to become constant companions for the Read More

Now, perhaps more than ever in the last 10 years, is the best time to be in the market for a new job. Not only is unemployment nearing historic lows across much of the nation, but wage growth has been improving. According to Trading Economics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Read More