{"id":1184,"date":"2011-09-22T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2011-09-22T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theweekinimaging.com\/?p=1184"},"modified":"2011-09-22T12:00:22","modified_gmt":"2011-09-22T12:00:22","slug":"cloud-control-fraser-information-systems-supports-customers-through-the-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2011\/09\/cloud-control-fraser-information-systems-supports-customers-through-the-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Cloud Control: Fraser Information Systems Supports Customers through the Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Monitoring Activity in the Global Support Center. <\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t seen nothing yet.\u201d Both Al Jolson and Bachman Turner Overdrive said that. Actually one said it, the other sang it. And that\u2019s what I have to say after seeing the Global Support Center at Fraser Information Systems in West Reading, Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fraser\u2019s Global Support Center is a prime example of what happens when a dealership takes service to the next level with that level being the cloud.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Global Support Center didn\u2019t come cheap; Fraser invested more than $2-million in it. That investment covered the technology and the team of specialists that remotely monitor thousands of client\u2019s devices while proactively dispatching Fraser field technicians for service calls via G.E.T. (Global Engineering Tracker) Support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

G.E.T. Support allows Fraser\u2019s Global Support Center staff to track and verify the location of every field tech via GPS and dispatch them to a customer location as necessary. By knowing the exact whereabouts of those technicians, the Fraser support team can provide customers with an estimated arrival time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ramping up the quality and the accuracy of its service operation is one of the primary benefits of G.E.T. It\u2019s also an integral component of Fraser\u2019s green initiative. This proactive approach to service along with the remote monitoring capabilities allows the Global Support Center to reduce device downtime while reducing Fraser\u2019s carbon footprint since many service issues are now resolved via the cloud.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re already reducing the calls of the technicians by 8 percent,\u201d notes Bill Fraser, owner and president. \u201cIf you do the math, whoever is going to win in this business is going to be the low-cost service provider and be able to do it seamlessly and through the cloud.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whenever a device has an issue, the Global Support Center is sent an e-mail and is usually aware of it well before the customer. If a Global Support Center team member cannot fix the problem remotely a tech is dispatched. This truly is the future of copier service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Global Support Center plays a huge role in Fraser\u2019s managed services initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do managed print, but managed services is the end game,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cThese small and medium size dealerships, if they\u2019re still doing break fix, that\u2019s a brutal model to be in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Inside Fraser's Global Support Center. <\/p><\/div>\n

The Global Support Center is currently monitoring more than a thousand copiers and printers for about 100 customers. The goal is to grow the current 8 percent to 10 percent, and from there keep growing and growing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A team of three specialists were manning Fraser\u2019s Global Support Center during my visit, monitoring customer\u2019s devices via their computers and fielding phone calls although the number of calls was minimal. Eight different software packages run in the background and form the backbone of what Fraser is doing from a cloud technology perspective. Some of those programs include OMD, MWAi, Enable, ConnectWise, and AutoTask.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Large overhead screens allow the support staff to view the exact location of technicians who are tracked via their Blackberries. Because support staff can view the daily trends in the device population, techs are better equipped with parts and prospective fixes before they hit the road each day. Additionally by seeing where techs are at any given time staff can provide them with the best routing in the event of traffic issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Techs are expected to make five calls a day and those that do earn a bonus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want them hitting a bonus,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cSo if they\u2019re in accounts longer then the outcome is, we give them more training because we have to get it fixed when we get there instead of the old story, \u2018I didn\u2019t have the part.\u2019 Well you didn\u2019t have the part because you didn\u2019t fix it the first time and you didn\u2019t have the skills and knowledge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Large display screens present the big picture of what's going on in Fraser's customer's worlds. <\/p><\/div>\n

The system currently monitors 45 techs. Techs have been mostly receptive to this strategic initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technician\u2019s life fixing the equipment is better and they\u2019re now more prepared, have the right parts and the right software, and more confidence,\u201d says Fraser.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a huge differentiator and he\u2019s not aware of any of his competitors doing anything similar. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The system is smart as a whip. For example, when the waste toner receptacle in a monitored device is nearly full the Global Support Center receives an e-mail alert which goes directly into Outlook. A notification is then e-mailed to the customer and the team can watch in real time as the customer swaps it out. The system also provides notifications of paper jams, open trays, and open covers and virtually anything having to do with the device\u2019s operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCustomers don\u2019t place a phone call,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cSometimes they do, but overall we\u2019ll know the problem before they do. It\u2019s a proactive approach.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Information on device history and the various alerts has also been useful for account reviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWherever you see a dot up there [He points to a map on a large TV screen in the Global Support Center] that\u2019s the location of all your assets. And these assets have a tendency of moving. We\u2019re coming back every quarter and giving them a snapshot of their assets, where they are, the activity, anything to do with it. We can dial right down and identify where the problem area is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At all times the customer knows the exact location of all their devices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people don\u2019t have a clue,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cAnd these printers come and go\u2026you talk about being out of control.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tracking supplies levels is a big part of a managed services operations and the system does this too. Fraser\u2019s supply department receives an alert when a device\u2019s toner level hits 25 percent, which allows them to ship toner for that specific device to the customer on an as-needed basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey never have to worry about running out,\u201d states Fraser.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He hopes this reduces supply consumption as well as toner theft. Fraser had one large client who discovered one of their employees was selling the toner on eBay, costing the employer nearly a million dollars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey caught the guy and solved the problem,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cThat toner, that\u2019s our cash out there. We get it to them just in time. And they don\u2019t get six cartridges, they get one and we monitor and tell them when they\u2019re due for replenishment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The system also allows Fraser to service customers who have locations outside of Fraser\u2019s traditional service territory. One account has nearly 100 machines throughout the U.S. Because many of those locations are spread throughout the U.S., Fraser contracts service out to dealers in that market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gives us the ability to monitor the dealer and see what type of service they\u2019re providing,\u201d reports Fraser.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this situation alerts come to the Global Support Center and when a service call is required, they contact the servicing dealer to set up the call.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom an account management standpoint, this is fantastic,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cEverything is monitored by us, which ensures the servicing dealer is doing their part.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is this an easy concept to sell a customer on? If his sales reps can get customers into the Global Support Center for a demo Fraser says it\u2019s often an easy sell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next big level of service that will be handled through the cloud is remote installs, which is turning the whole connectivity experience into a plug and play one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re eliminating waiting for a connectivity technician when installing new equipment,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cIt\u2019s done through the cloud and we work with the customer\u2019s IT person and all we\u2019re doing is one way out\u2026we\u2019re not coming in. Any of your address books, drivers, anything you need to know about is preloaded.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a huge time saver too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Everything is preprogrammed at the dealership and when the device reaches the customer it now takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes until somebody is printing. That\u2019s a big difference from the days when customers were waiting two to four hours for somebody to do this. It\u2019s also a big difference because Fraser\u2019s sales reps are slowly but surely getting over their fear of the IT people. Of course bonuses for signing up new customers for remote monitoring and installs are an important part of that equation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNot many of our competitors talk about that,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cWe just need to continue to drive that delivery cost down. The real \u2018Aha\u2019 moment on this whole deal is now that I\u2019ve got the sales reps over to the IT guy and all of a sudden IT loves us because we\u2019re doing all the dirty work for them and they can get back to doing all that other stuff. \u2018And by the way, if you run into any major projects you don\u2019t have the time for, you can outsource it to us.\u2019 We finally got this link with the IT people we did not have before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime Fraser is hoping to create a user\u2019s group and bring more customers through the Global Support Center to see first-hand what it can do for them. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy belief is whoever gets out on that server first is probably going to reside there,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cUnless you really screw up you should be there for a long time and not be commoditized. That\u2019s the strategy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Center seems to be paying for itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it didn\u2019t pay for itself, from an advertising, marketing and sales support, to get our sales people into the IT people, it\u2019s working,\u201d concludes Fraser.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fraser isn\u2019t scrimping on the marketing of its Global Support Center either and they\u2019ve come up with an array of marketing materials, handouts, and videos that succinctly spell out the benefits of the Center as well as their 24\/7 cloud support. The message to customers and prospects encompasses proactive maintenance service, customer support, and technical support; faster response time, real-time 24\/7 remote monitoring that frees up a client\u2019s IT staff to focus on their business; automatic meter reads and supply level monitoring; more accurate billing; reducing printing costs; reduced downtime; enhanced security; and the ability to support any device connected to the customer\u2019s network.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This message seems to be resonating with Fraser\u2019s clients. Since launching the Global Support Center less than a year ago, Fraser has been adding customers and devices. Additional techs will soon be hired to staff the center as the number of customers and monitored devices grows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Fraser Information Systems is doing with their Global Support Center is the future of copier service and for their customers that future is here now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou ain\u2019t seen nothing yet.\u201d Both Al Jolson and Bachman Turner Overdrive said that. Actually one said it, the other sang it. And that\u2019s what I have to say after seeing the Global Support Center at Fraser Information Systems in West Reading, Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Fraser\u2019s Global Support Center is a prime example of what happens when a dealership takes service to the next level with that level being the cloud.\u00a0 The Global Support Center didn\u2019t come cheap; Fraser invested more than $2-million in it. That investment covered the technology and the team of specialists that remotely monitor thousands of client\u2019s devices while proactively dispatching Fraser field technicians for service calls via G.E.T. (Global Engineering Tracker) Support.\u00a0 G.E.T. Support allows Fraser\u2019s Global Support Center staff to track and verify the location of every field tech via GPS and dispatch them to a customer location as necessary. By knowing the exact whereabouts of those technicians, the Fraser support team can provide customers with an estimated arrival time.\u00a0 Ramping up the quality and the accuracy of its service operation is one of the primary benefits of G.E.T. It\u2019s also an integral component of Fraser\u2019s green initiative. This proactive approach to service along with the remote monitoring capabilities allows the Global Support Center to reduce device downtime while reducing Fraser\u2019s carbon footprint since many service issues are now resolved via the cloud.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re already reducing the calls of the technicians by 8 percent,\u201d notes Bill Fraser, owner and president. \u201cIf you do the math, whoever is going to win in this business is going to be the low-cost service provider and be able to do it seamlessly and through the cloud.\u201d\u00a0 Whenever a device has an issue, the Global Support Center is sent an e-mail and is usually aware of it well before the customer. If a Global Support Center team member cannot fix the problem remotely a tech is dispatched. This truly is the future of copier service.\u00a0 The Global Support Center plays a huge role in Fraser\u2019s managed services initiative.\u00a0 \u201cWe do managed print, but managed services is the end game,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cThese small and medium size dealerships, if they\u2019re still doing break fix, that\u2019s a brutal model to be in.\u201d\u00a0 The Global Support Center is currently monitoring more than a thousand copiers and printers for about 100 customers. The goal is to grow the current 8 percent to 10 percent, and from there keep growing and growing.\u00a0\u00a0 A team of three specialists were manning Fraser\u2019s Global Support Center during my visit, monitoring customer\u2019s devices via their computers and fielding phone calls although the number of calls was minimal. Eight different software packages run in the background and form the backbone of what Fraser is doing from a cloud technology perspective. Some of those programs include OMD, MWAi, Enable, ConnectWise, and AutoTask.\u00a0 Large overhead screens allow the support staff to view the exact location of technicians who are tracked via their Blackberries. Because support staff can view the daily trends in the device population, techs are better equipped with parts and prospective fixes before they hit the road each day. Additionally by seeing where techs are at any given time staff can provide them with the best routing in the event of traffic issues.\u00a0 Techs are expected to make five calls a day and those that do earn a bonus.\u00a0 \u201cWe want them hitting a bonus,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cSo if they\u2019re in accounts longer then the outcome is, we give them more training because we have to get it fixed when we get there instead of the old story, \u2018I didn\u2019t have the part.\u2019 Well you didn\u2019t have the part because you didn\u2019t fix it the first time and you didn\u2019t have the skills and knowledge.\u201d\u00a0 The system currently monitors 45 techs. Techs have been mostly receptive to this strategic initiative.\u00a0 \u201cThe technician\u2019s life fixing the equipment is better and they\u2019re now more prepared, have the right parts and the right software, and more confidence,\u201d says Fraser.\u00a0 This is a huge differentiator and he\u2019s not aware of any of his competitors doing anything similar. \u00a0\u00a0 The system is smart as a whip. For example, when the waste toner receptacle in a monitored device is nearly full the Global Support Center receives an e-mail alert which goes directly into Outlook. A notification is then e-mailed to the customer and the team can watch in real time as the customer swaps it out. The system also provides notifications of paper jams, open trays, and open covers and virtually anything having to do with the device\u2019s operation.\u00a0 \u201cCustomers don\u2019t place a phone call,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cSometimes they do, but overall we\u2019ll know the problem before they do. It\u2019s a proactive approach.\u201d\u00a0 Information on device history and the various alerts has also been useful for account reviews.\u00a0 \u201cWherever you see a dot up there [He points to a map on a large TV screen in the Global Support Center] that\u2019s the location of all your assets. And these assets have a tendency of moving. We\u2019re coming back every quarter and giving them a snapshot of their assets, where they are, the activity, anything to do with it. We can dial right down and identify where the problem area is.\u201d\u00a0 At all times the customer knows the exact location of all their devices.\u00a0 \u201cMost people don\u2019t have a clue,\u201d says Fraser. \u201cAnd these printers come and go\u2026you talk about being out of control.\u201d\u00a0 Tracking supplies levels is a big part of a managed services operations and the system does this too. Fraser\u2019s supply department receives an alert when a device\u2019s toner level hits 25 percent, which allows them to ship toner for that specific device to the customer on an as-needed basis.\u00a0 \u201cThey never have to worry about running out,\u201d states Fraser.\u00a0 He hopes this reduces supply consumption as well as toner theft. Fraser had one large client who discovered one of their employees was selling the toner on eBay, costing the employer nearly a million dollars.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[82],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}