{"id":13607,"date":"2015-07-21T09:04:28","date_gmt":"2015-07-21T16:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=13607"},"modified":"2016-09-15T09:48:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T16:48:00","slug":"is-managed-services-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/managed-services\/2015\/07\/is-managed-services-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Managed Services Right for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Silhouette-question-mark\"With the amount of hype surrounding Managed Services one might think that it\u2019s the perfect panacea for all the ills plaguing the document imaging industry. If you\u2019re a dealer, you\u2019d be a fool to ignore this trend. At least that seems to be the prevailing sentiment throughout the industry. <\/span><\/p>\n

As you probably know by now the primary feature in this month\u2019s print version of ENX is \u201cManaged Services Made Easy<\/a>.\u201d We\u2019ve been supplementing that article with additional Managed Services coverage throughout the month of July here in ENX\/The Week in Imaging. The past two weeks we\u2019ve outlined some of the fears experienced by dealers<\/a> around Managed Services as well as the common mistakes <\/a>made by those who have taken the plunge into the Managed Services pool. This week we complete our coverage by asking the experts whether every dealer or reseller should be offering Managed Services, or if this isn\u2019t the best option for every dealer or reseller?<\/span><\/p>\n

The consensus is that it isn\u2019t for everyone, and there are various reasons why the experts feel that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need the ability to invest enough to move down this path even if you\u2019re partnering with someone, and that\u2019s the ability to invest in at least three or four people dedicated to this initiative,\u201d contends David Pohlman, Office of the President\/COO, GreatAmerica Financial Services Corp. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t do that, he says, this may not be the right direction for your dealership.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another indicator that this isn\u2019t the right place to be is if you\u2019re struggling in your core business as measured by the Johnson model, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTaking on a new business you know less about is not likely to give you any gain,\u201d states Pohlman. \u201cIt might actually be the boat anchor that takes you down. Improve on that first, then this is the next logical step.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Britt Siedentopf, managed services manager, Leapfrog Managed Services by Muratec, also finds the financial factor critical for deciding whether you should do it. \u201cIt comes down to capital investment,\u201d he says, \u201cyou\u2019re either all the way in or all the way out, there\u2019s no dipping your toes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind he adds, \u201cIf you have money to invest and are willing to commit it could be right for any dealer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t