The Datamax Thinking Blog

"My current vendor doesn't understand that just showing up on time isn't enough." - Davin G., IT Director

Legendary NCAA Basketball coach John Wooden once said “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

Known as the “practice coach,” Wooden was notorious for focusing on intricate details of “the process” —not just the game itself. His teams practiced everything: Putting their socks on correctly to avoid blisters, how to carry oneself before and after a game.

“Since the burden of requesting service is mine, my vendor isn’t managing much — let alone my account.” — Jene T., IT Director

The late folk country singer Guy Clark, a Monahans, TX native, once noted: “You look out over the West Texans plains, and you can see 50 miles. Stand on a tuna can, you can see for 100.”

For organizations managing a large fleet of copiers and printers, you need 100-mile visibility of your provider's service and support methodologies. Rather than being confronted with a series of storms on the road in front of you (increased downtime, communication issues, inaccurate billing) you should expect clear visibility up front from your technology partner.

We're out of toner again. Everybody seems to be waiting on someone else - or me." - Stephen M., Purchasing Manager

It’s called “The Wall,” and for good reason.

When a marathon runner – generally around mile 20 – fails to replenish his or her internal glycogen stores throughout the race, their body “bonks” into sudden fatigue.  The legs – depleted of all energy – wobble to a halt. The mind begins to shut down. Some runners even collapse.

Replenishment is a key factor to endurance.  In the duration of a workday, your copier is the workhorse athlete of your office’s workflow, running consistently at full speed to copy, scan, fax or print your critical documents promptly. If you unexpectedly run out toner, your device is down. And you’re down, too.

Before you begin asking “When can I expect a technician” and “When will my issue be resolved,” a few key questions will shine a light on just how prompt and ultimately effective your copier service might be moving forward.

There’s an old Bizarro comic strip showing an older man leaning up against the Patient Registration desk at a doctor’s office. “I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes!” he scolds the receptionist.

“Down the hall. You want ‘impatient registration’” the woman replies.

Comedy aside, customers today are tired of waiting.

As the landscape changes, so do business needs. It’s a technology partner’s obligation to maintain an open dialogue, to listen intently, and provide complete transparency on documented expectations and business-building strategies. 

In my time as a Solutions Sales Specialist, I played a lot of  “20 Questions.”

My steady stream of inquiries to clients had a strategic intent. The client's answers provided key nuggets of information for:

• digging into client current (and future) needs 
• discovering operational challenges 
• planting new seeds of opportunity 
• ensuring expectations were being met at all times

If there was a gap between my client's perception and reality, it was my job to stand in it.

How do you know when your copier service partner is REALLY capable of servicing your Canon copiers?

Do you have an “ego wall?”

Go into a doctor's office, lawyer, or some other highly-educated profession and in many offices you'll see proof of their expertise in the form of diplomas and certifications hanging on the wall. I lightheartedly think of those as “ego walls.”

In reality, professionals show off their qualification for a few reasons, including:

• Pride in the effort to achieve their educational and professional goals
• Proof that they know what the heck they're doing

My tongue-in-cheek way of thinking about these is as “ego walls” because there are some people who will put up any scrap of evidence to show expertise.

Regardless, all of those certifications and diplomas reflect work and effort to master skills. That's why we're extremely proud of our Canon ATSP recognition:

• We're proud of the achievement and work we put in for it
• It's proof that we know how to service Canon copiers (in fact, I think we're the best option to service, repair, and maintain Canon copiers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area)

You don't have to settle for poor copier repair and maintenance services.

Ever been to a restaurant and request something that isn’t on the menu? Or even just wanted to slightly adjust your order? Or wanted a Coke, but all they served was Pepsi products?

How often has the server been unhelpful – if not rude?

Clear communications sets expectations, leads to successful projects, and improved financial performance. Here's our communication strategy.

So you’ve bought/leased a fleet of copiers or you’ve just signed on for a managed print services contract. What now? 

A simple question will help you zero in on organizations that “Walk the Walk.”

Have you ever heard a potential new vendor say they have the best service? Maybe a better question is when haven’t you heard a vendor say they have the best service. In this competitive environment how can you protect your company from over promising and under delivering providers?

You’re not alone.

You rely on copiers to keep your law office’s document production moving. When they break, you need a service partner that can help you copy on.

You are the behind-the-scenes glue holding your law firm’s practice together. Most days, you don’t feel like an office manager but like a triage doctor, prioritizing what needs to be done first. Only you also have the fun task of handling (some) lawyer’s outsized egos as well.

You’re up early. You stay late. You don’t have time to handle everything – nor should you.