16 Ways to Innovate a Managed Print Services Business with ERP Software

It’s an understatement to say that the managed print services industry is evolving, with margins being driven down. While dealers look to reinvigorate their competitive edge, it’s now more important than ever to find a smarter way to work.

Here are 16 ways to use ERP software to integrate key functions of your Managed Print Services business, and take advantage of innovative technologies in the same strategic move:

1. Increase efficiency using an industry solution that removes duplicate data entry and silos of information by centralising the management of printers/copiers/MFDs, consumables, meter counts, master contract billing, sales opportunities, service jobs, stock control, invoicing, accounting, purchasing, and automated service dispatch, in one system.
2. Using the same solution to handle complex billing configurations – such as split billing, unders/overs, tiered colour coverage for any number of meter setups.
3. A system that supports your expansion into telephony and IT managed services within the same environment. Manage machines and services in one solution and present customers with a complete snapshot, invoicing all services in a single seat-based invoice.
4. Have complete visibility over machines – track new machines and actual costs, including bill of materials when refurbishing copiers, fusers and associated parts, in the same solution.
5. Gain immediate insight into up-to-date vendor pricing by seeing the latest supplier stock as well as your own in one place. Import vendor feeds to uncover product details, availability and updated pricing in an instant to ensure you always account for costs.
   
6. Create an automated job workflow using email job ticketing to turn emails into jobs, receive machine alerts, and create consumable jobs right away – ready to allocate to staff.
7. Speed up job creation with a system that automatically adds related stock to your machines based on their make and model when creating new jobs, dramatically reducing errors in pricing the wrong toner.
8. Seamlessly set up new machines and contracts using existing setups as a template, saving time and removing ongoing repetitive tasks and errors.
9. Send service technicians new jobs instantaneously, arming your team with mobile connectivity and a native mobile app while out of the office. They have the means to receive jobs, keep track of their schedule, collect meter reads ready for billing, update call-out notes, add parts, track actual labour, access documents – live in the database, and visible to all staff.
10. Make customer signoff easy, capturing customers’ signatures ‘on glass’ – on the spot.  Sales staff and technicians can create, sign, and save the signed document in one system. Don’t wait till the paperwork is returned in the mail, or brought back by staff. Email a copy of the signed document to the client on the spot.
11. Automate meter read collection utilising MPS Connectors, linking leading industry brands to your database to free staff from spending hours and days manually entering customers’ clicks, and accurately bill machines.
    
12. Not ready to use connectors? Customers can enter their meter reads using an online customer portal to enter counts for their machines, easily receive meter reads into the centralised solution and automatically create billing jobs.
13. Keep tabs on consumables, tracking replacement date, predicted toner and parts lifespans. Keep machines performing, call-outs and costs at a minimum, while eliminating the oversupply of toner.
14. Easily maintain contracts by pushing changes to master contracts to all child machines. Track every page against the master contract to know how far through a volume-based contract your client actually is, helping you to design competitive solutions.
15. See customers’ payments faster, and with less hassle using automated direct debits. Why spend time manually billing customers each month and chasing payments? With a signed direct debit authority, automate billing for contracted machines.
16. Easily perform live business analysis with the reporting you’re after, on machines, jobs and more, without disrupting accounting groups in the live database.