Xerox has unveiled a new version of its enterprise-level managed print services to target SMEs.
Xerox Print Services will be delivered through Xerox’s channel partners with the aim of helping SMEs manage their printing and IT support costs. The vendor maintains its channel approach ensures customers have a single point of contact for complete document production management – on both Xerox and other manufacturers’ devices.
According to research firm IDC, more than 60 percent of SMEs in Europe will consider purchasing a managed print service solution in 2009. The firm projects the managed print services market to be a $7.2bn European opportunity by 2011.
“IDC research shows that the average organisation in Western Europe spends circa €300 per employee per year on print and imaging provision,” said IDC’s Matt Marshall, programme director, Research and Consulting, European Imaging and Hardware Solutions. “However, in certain sectors this figure is greatly increased. For example, in knowledge worker-related environments, the average spend can be up to €740 per employee.”
Xerox contends that enterprises typically don’t know what they spend on office printing. “Fifty percent of the cost of document output sits outside the hardware,” Paul Birkett, sales operations manager at Xerox UK told Channel Pro.
“This is a channel-based offering. We are opening this up to IT and mono brand Xerox resellers,” says Birkett.
The firm says it is looking for 50 mono brand resellers and 14 multi-brand resellers over the next eight months, but says these figures can grow with demand. Xerox partners must complete an accreditation and certification programme, covering all four phases of a managed print service deployment: Assess, Design, Implement and Manage. Partners will be certified for sales, solution design and architecting, and service delivery competencies.
Xerox says its Print Services gives its partners the flexibility to build their own branded services capability backed by a common technology platform and a single global support infrastructure. Certified resellers can buy from other vendors and use their own agreements and contracts.
“Organisations need to save money and improve their business efficiency,” said Joe Gallagher, director at pilot partner Bytes Document Solutions. “Our customers need to make the most of their existing investment in devices. With Xerox Print Services we can make sure we help customers maximise their existing infrastructure and install Xerox equipment when this best meets their needs. Xerox enables us to create a more independent, and as a result more profitable, customer relationship.”
The service is now available in the UK and Europe, with launches in North America and other countries to follow.
