Like many companies, we initially fell into the trap of \u201csolution shopping\u201d\u2014buying shiny AI tools without fixing the underlying process. We signed year-long licenses for platforms promising instant, game-changing efficiencies in our ability to go to market, provide white-glove customer support and improve service delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet by week three, the tools sat untouched on the shelf. No clear use case, no specific problem to solve and thousands of dollars down the drain. Morale sank as teams wondered what AI could realistically do for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Problem-First Mindset<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With morale at a low point but our pain points crystal clear, we flipped the script: diagnose the bottleneck, then choose the tool. We dove into the workflows slowing us down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After collaborating with leadership to pinpoint problem areas, we went to the source to deeply understand the pain points and kick off solution brainstorming. This involved speaking with service technicians who spent hours hunting error codes in documentation, and with program management, sales and service delivery teams who devoted 15 hours each week to meeting notes and follow-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We identified our highest-impact bottlenecks, then designed targeted AI implementations complete with success metrics and forecasted outcomes before procuring a single license or writing a line of code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enterprise-Wide AI Implementation\u2014Microsoft Copilot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our analysis revealed that administrative tasks were consuming 2\u201315 hours per employee weekly across all departments. Meeting notes, email follow-ups and data analysis were particularly time-intensive, limiting employees\u2019 ability to focus on value-adding activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We took a strategic, data-driven approach, identifying the departments and roles carrying the heaviest administrative workloads that were most likely to benefit from the Copilot\u2019s capabilities. That insight let us target licensing to teams with clear pain points and strong ROI potential rather than risk underutilization through a blanket rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through our tailored Copilot implementation, we were able to directly address these inefficiencies. Copilot empowered key employees to streamline their workflows in several impactful ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By fostering a culture of collaboration and training, we encouraged employees to share best practices for integrating Copilot into their workflows. This approach ensured high adoption rates and measurable returns on investment. The annual impact across all licensed Copilot users equates to over 20,000 reclaimed hours, valued at approximately $1.2 million in productivity gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impact\u2019s Copilot implementation demonstrated that technology alone cannot solve all challenges; it must be integrated thoughtfully into processes that align with specific pain points faced by our people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Copilot isn\u2019t a great fit for your tech stack, you can also check out Enterprise ChatGPT from OpenAI, Claude from Anthropic, and Glean among many other leading AI solutions aimed at increasing productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specialized Technical Support\u2014the Managed Print Services (MPS) Bot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our MPS team identified significant challenges faced by field technicians, ones that directly impact our service quality and operational efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technicians were spending an excessive amount of time each service call searching through SharePoint sites overloaded with documents and folders to locate solutions within service manuals that frequently exceed 1,000 pages. This process took even longer for new technicians, sometimes doubling the resolution time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These inefficiencies directly affected customer satisfaction, increased service delivery costs and contributed directly to annual technician turnover due to frustration with the processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using our problem-first methodology, we developed an AI-powered managed print services (MPS) bot designed to meet technicians where they worked: in the field. We prioritized mobile accessibility through Microsoft Teams, allowing technicians to access solutions without returning to their vehicles or opening laptops in cramped spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We followed an agile development approach, focusing first on the four most common manufacturers whose devices we service. After digitizing and embedding all relevant documentation for these devices, we expanded coverage iteratively while refining the bot\u2019s response accuracy based on technician feedback. While we\u2019re still in the early stages of adoption, the forecasted value of this AI product isn\u2019t something to overlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The MPS bot has been particularly valuable for our managed print business because it bridges the gap between increasingly complex equipment and the challenge of finding and retaining skilled technicians. By democratizing technical knowledge, even less experienced technicians can provide expert-level service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach can be extended to any department that needs a conversational knowledge base, letting users ask questions directly instead of hunting through document hierarchies and version archives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Competitive Advantage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These targeted AI implementations have transformed both our internal operations and customer experiences. By focusing on specific pain points rather than generalized \u201cAI adoption,\u201d we\u2019ve achieved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach has positioned Impact as a forward-thinking partner that can help customers navigate similar challenges in their own operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your Path Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most valuable lesson from our journey is simple: start with the problem, not the technology. AI implementations deliver the greatest value when they address specific operational challenges rather than serving as generalized \u201cinnovation initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re already seeing that the organizations that thrive will be those strategically deploying AI to enhance human capabilities, not those simply adopting the latest technology without clear purpose. By understanding both your current operations and the potential future state with AI enhancement, you can forecast realistic ROI and make technology decisions that deliver meaningful competitive advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The time to begin is now. What specific problem in your organization could targeted AI help solve today?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today\u2019s print and copier industry faces one practical question: where can AI deliver real value? When Impact Networking\u2019s service technicians were spending hours digging through 1,000-page manuals and employees across the organization were burning 15 hours a week on manual tasks, we realized AI may be more than just industry buzz. Here\u2019s the risk: buying AI without having a clear problem to solve is like installing a professional espresso machine when you have stale beans. No matter how fancy it is, you won\u2019t get the results you\u2019re anticipating. Our journey began with two tightly scoped pilots: a Copilot rollout to reclaim admin hours and a mobile-first MPS bot to reduce field service delays. Together, they\u2019ve reclaimed thousands of hours, boosted employee productivity, increased customer satisfaction and earned clear mandates to scale. Here\u2019s how we did it. The Cost of Solution Shopping Like many companies, we initially fell into the trap of \u201csolution shopping\u201d\u2014buying shiny AI tools without fixing the underlying process. We signed year-long licenses for platforms promising instant, game-changing efficiencies in our ability to go to market, provide white-glove customer support and improve service delivery. Yet by week three, the tools sat untouched on the shelf. No clear use case, no specific problem to solve and thousands of dollars down the drain. Morale sank as teams wondered what AI could realistically do for the company. The Problem-First Mindset With morale at a low point but our pain points crystal clear, we flipped the script: diagnose the bottleneck, then choose the tool. We dove into the workflows slowing us down. After collaborating with leadership to pinpoint problem areas, we went to the source to deeply understand the pain points and kick off solution brainstorming. This involved speaking with service technicians who spent hours hunting error codes in documentation, and with program management, sales and service delivery teams who devoted 15 hours each week to meeting notes and follow-ups. We identified our highest-impact bottlenecks, then designed targeted AI implementations complete with success metrics and forecasted outcomes before procuring a single license or writing a line of code. Enterprise-Wide AI Implementation\u2014Microsoft Copilot Our analysis revealed that administrative tasks were consuming 2\u201315 hours per employee weekly across all departments. Meeting notes, email follow-ups and data analysis were particularly time-intensive, limiting employees\u2019 ability to focus on value-adding activities. We took a strategic, data-driven approach, identifying the departments and roles carrying the heaviest administrative workloads that were most likely to benefit from the Copilot\u2019s capabilities. That insight let us target licensing to teams with clear pain points and strong ROI potential rather than risk underutilization through a blanket rollout. Through our tailored Copilot implementation, we were able to directly address these inefficiencies. Copilot empowered key employees to streamline their workflows in several impactful ways: Project management office (PMO): By automating meeting note capture, action item generation and follow-up emails, the team saved significant time and avoided bottlenecks that typically arose from manual efforts. Sales team: Leveraging insights from past meetings and emails enabled the team to accelerate movement through the sales cycle, optimizing their engagement with customers. Marketing strategists: Copilot\u2019s ability to quickly analyze manual data and transform it into actionable marketing strategy resulted in quicker wins and enhanced campaign effectiveness. By fostering a culture of collaboration and training, we encouraged employees to share best practices for integrating Copilot into their workflows. This approach ensured high adoption rates and measurable returns on investment. The annual impact across all licensed Copilot users equates to over 20,000 reclaimed hours, valued at approximately $1.2 million in productivity gains. Impact\u2019s Copilot implementation demonstrated that technology alone cannot solve all challenges; it must be integrated thoughtfully into processes that align with specific pain points faced by our people. If Copilot isn\u2019t a great fit for your tech stack, you can also check out Enterprise ChatGPT from OpenAI, Claude from Anthropic, and Glean among many other leading AI solutions aimed at increasing productivity. Specialized Technical Support\u2014the Managed Print Services (MPS) Bot Our MPS team identified significant challenges faced by field technicians, ones that directly impact our service quality and operational efficiency. Technicians were spending an excessive amount of time each service call searching through SharePoint sites overloaded with documents and folders to locate solutions within service manuals that frequently exceed 1,000 pages. This process took even longer for new technicians, sometimes doubling the resolution time. These inefficiencies directly affected customer satisfaction, increased service delivery costs and contributed directly to annual technician turnover due to frustration with the processes. Using our problem-first methodology, we developed an AI-powered managed print services (MPS) bot designed to meet technicians where they worked: in the field. We prioritized mobile accessibility through Microsoft Teams, allowing technicians to access solutions without returning to their vehicles or opening laptops in cramped spaces. We followed an agile development approach, focusing first on the four most common manufacturers whose devices we service. After digitizing and embedding all relevant documentation for these devices, we expanded coverage iteratively while refining the bot\u2019s response accuracy based on technician feedback. While we\u2019re still in the early stages of adoption, the forecasted value of this AI product isn\u2019t something to overlook. Time savings: forecasted to reduce ticket resolution times by 25% First-time-resolution rate: increase first attempt ticket resolution to 90% The MPS bot has been particularly valuable for our managed print business because it bridges the gap between increasingly complex equipment and the challenge of finding and retaining skilled technicians. By democratizing technical knowledge, even less experienced technicians can provide expert-level service. This approach can be extended to any department that needs a conversational knowledge base, letting users ask questions directly instead of hunting through document hierarchies and version archives. The Competitive Advantage These targeted AI implementations have transformed both our internal operations and customer experiences. By focusing on specific pain points rather than generalized \u201cAI adoption,\u201d we\u2019ve achieved: Enhanced service delivery: Faster response times and higher resolution rates Improved employee experience: Reduced frustration and increased focus on meaningful work Knowledge democratization: Technical expertise available to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":312,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4428],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65125"}],"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\/312"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65125"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65131,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65125\/revisions\/65131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Depositphotos_741302452_XL.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n