Being Heard: Just How Much Input do Dealers Have in Future OEM Technology?

There are myriad variables that weigh into new technologies or future generations of existing solutions. How much will it cost, and is there tangible ROI to justify the higher price tag? Does it anticipate future needs, or leave the door open to the possibility? It stands to reason that a new solution should solve an existing problem, and an updated version should have enough value to support an upgrade.

We’re being a bit nebulous here without a particular technology to ponder. Certainly, manufacturers rely on the feedback of their dealer resellers, direct operations and end-user clients to inform future developments and improvements. Just how much impact the input from a dealer has on the OEM’s blueprint is debatable. But rather than speculate, we kick off the October State of the Industry report on manufacturer dealer advisory councils (DACs) by putting the question to our dealer panel.

It should be obvious, right? After all, it’s the “A” in DAC. But are dealer partners truly being heard?

The depth to which a manufacturer picks the brains of its resellers is proof positive that the feedback is taken to heart. For Repeat Business Systems of Albany, New York, a visit from Ricoh and its team from Japan to speak with President Dawn Abbuhl and one of her key customers crystallized the input relevance in her mind.

The visit was part of a discovery tour, so to speak, that Ricoh took to several key accounts. The OEM was vetting the interest in a meter reading service and wanted viability feedback.

“We spent hours with the customer, going through everything from a technology perspective, from a user and cost perspective,” Abbuhl said. “Then Ricoh beta tested it with that account. I’m sure they did that across the country. The product was later rolled out. It was fun watching it come to fruition.”

Heeding Suggestions

Another example, cited by Dean Swenson, president and CEO of The Swenson Group in Livermore, California, exemplified how Konica Minolta values dealer feedback. One area the OEM has championed is remote service tools.

“We’ve beta tested a host of different things over the years and have given honest feedback on what’s working, what’s not and any suggested improvements,” he said. “They’ve always been open to that input. When we speak with them, they have their service and development teams there, and I love that collaborative approach.”

It behooves OEMs to take input to heart considering they receive real-world feedback from customers, along with their sales and service teams, notes Robert Woodhull, president of Woodhull LLC in Springboro, Ohio.  He points out that a manufacturer can develop a product, program or technology that makes sense from an engineering or corporate perspective. But it’s the dealer that can spot practical challenges surrounding implementation, integration, serviceability or how customers will actually use it, he added.

“For example, dealer feedback might identify that a workflow has too many steps, that a particular integration is critical to winning business, or that something that looks good on paper creates friction for the customer or the dealer’s service organization, Woodhull said. “Bringing that feedback into the process earlier can lead to a better end product.”

Carter Hertzberg, the president of Nauticon Office Solutions in Gaithersburg, Maryland, sees Toshiba’s Elevate Sky platform as a prime example of the value of feedback, particularly when it comes to the Elevate Sky Print Management solution. He felt the OEM was particularly prudent in its timing for bringing that product to market when it was truly ready for client consumption, as opposed to rushing it out.

“It’s certainly been well received at Nauticon, more than a lot of other software products or ancillary products, and I’m not just talking about Toshiba technologies,” he said.