ChannelTrends: Managed Print Sales Thrive with a Focus on the Fundamentals

Those who can walk the walk typically close more sales than those who can only talk the talk – a point that tends to get lost in the shuffle of a growing business. If an organization can’t deliver on the promises it makes to its customers and prospects, its chances for long-term success are greatly diminished.

No ethical entrepreneur opens a business without a desire to provide high-quality products or services to his or her customers. Best intentions and goals rarely change over time, but each organization faces its own unique challenges and its activities might not always reflect its overall objectives. The processes it puts in place to ensure high customer satisfaction are often altered, and the resulting outcome from all those deviations – however minor – may be detrimental to quality product and service delivery.

For solution providers, the risk of value erosion is extremely high, especially if customer satisfaction and other performance metrics aren’t evaluated on a consistent basis. In the professional services-oriented IT industry, over-promising and under-delivering is a real threat to long-term success. When a solution provider sets expectations too high or can’t keep the level of service as high as business grows, customer satisfaction is likely to drop – with revenue sure to fall with it.

A commitment to excellence is only as good as a company’s actions. If an organization does not have the proper procedures and people in place to get the job done, it will not be able to back up that promise. Meanwhile, advertising such capabilities is essential, which is why industry accreditation is such a vital component to any business’ long-term success. These programs, such as the newly introduced CompTIA Managed Print Trustmark, validate an organization’s adherence to trade standards and offer clients assurance of the company’s commitment to excellence. Whether the credential highlights specific specialization or addresses the principles and guidelines of a broad industry, it can back up the pledge an organization makes to its customers and prospects.

Adherence to best practices is the foundation for any successful services organization, ensuring that each client receives a similar standard of care. It all starts with well-validated processes. “Many organizations in the managed print services industry, even if they do things properly, do not have a properly documented list of procedures to follow,” said Jeff Bendix, president of BENDIX Imaging, a managed print organization that was involved in the alpha and beta testing for this new credential program. “That’s where the Managed Print Trustmark can really help providers, ensuring that each business has well-validated practices in place and helping them build on the industry fundamentals and strengths of their own operations.”

A lot more goes into a properly executed managed print program than installing specialized software and locking clients into a long-term contract. “Providers really have to focus on the ‘managed’ part of managed print, ensuring that all aspects of their customers’ systems are properly measured and effectively supported,” Bendix said. “A credential gives the business instant credibility and, in the case of the CompTIA Managed Print Trustmark, it’s a dynamic standard intended to stand the test of time.” A periodic renewal will ensure each provider’s commitment to continual improvement, adding the latest industry best practices and principles to the program’s framework.

Bendix does plan to capitalize on obtaining the managed print credential. The marketing and sales groups will integrate the Trustmark messaging and logo in their outbound communications, pointing out their accomplishment and the benefits it will provide to their operations. After all, the value of accreditation is multidimensional, validating that an organization has the tools and processes needed to offer top-quality managed print services, which helps ensure that its clients receive the best possible solutions and support. The endorsement signifies more than mere attention to the fundamentals; it is a promise that managed print providers and their clients can bank on.

Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and industry alliances director with Autotask. Contact Brian at [email protected].