When choosing a new copier or printer, where you buy is just as important as any productivity metric. And while there are plenty of companies out there that sell copiers and printers, there are very few that actually choose to make office equipment their core business.
In most cases, retailers sell managed IT, network services and cloud services with a copier division tacked on as an afterthought. Imaging equipment isn’t their main focus, but rather another way of adding to their revenue stream. As a result, their imaging equipment division, and its customers, often become neglected as the company attempts to maximize profit. For customers, this means subpar equipment, service and support.
Enter the dedicated copier dealer. A copier dealer has chosen to focus on office copiers, printers and managed print software. They operate under the belief that the best way to serve customers is to do one thing and to do it well. It’s an approach that has served both businesses and customers well for decades.
So what exactly are these customer benefits? Below we’ve listed four of the ways you’ll profit from working with a copier dealer.
More Resources to Address Concerns
When a company tries to branch out too much, it often ends up spreading itself too thin. Consequently, customers are left with inadequate resources to address their concerns. In office imaging — often the first division neglected — this means little support for equipment malfunctions, technology questions or service requests. Sharing a communication center, service staff and occasionally sales representatives all lead to inefficiencies that end up hurting you in the end.
A dedicated copier vendor, however, resolves this problem by focusing solely on office imaging equipment. Metro Sales, for example, has an exclusive copier hotline, an enormous service fleet dedicated solely to office equipment service calls and even our own toner warehouse. Honing in on imaging equipment and service allows us to better provide you with responsive service and supply deliveries.
Knowledgeable Staff
Dealing exclusively in copiers and printers also contributes to building a more knowledgeable sales force. Due to our dedication to imaging technology, everyone within our organization, from the executive team to accounting, has an in-depth knowledge of the office imaging industry.
Importantly, this serves customers in two different ways. First, it creates a better learning culture for new staff members. Our management team knows exactly what our new consultants need to know to provide you with the best experience. In addition, staff members are also surrounded by well-informed peers who are ready to help them with any questions they may have along the way. The result? You receive service from a knowledgeable consultant whose training has put them in a position to understand your needs and all the options available to fulfill them.
Second, this in-depth knowledge means that our company leadership has first-hand knowledge that has better equipped them to make strategic decisions. At a larger multi-service company, the executive team often doesn’t have direct experience in the office equipment sector. Thus, they don’t have an adequate knowledge base from which to make decisions that are best for copy/print customer. Management at these companies make decisions based on numbers without understanding the what customers in the industry really need. In the end, this leads to undertrained staff, unwanted services or inadequate support.
Personalized Solutions
A dedicated dealer’s knowledgeable staff also leads to more personalized solutions for you. Every one of our clients works one-on-one with a dedicated office technology consultant. Due to their unique blend of extensive experience, knowledge and commitment to personalized service, these consultants are able to make customized suggestions based on your distinct circumstances.
However, our personal touch doesn’t stop there. When you work with an office technology consultant, buying a copier or printer becomes more than a transaction, it becomes a partnership. At Metro Sales our individual reps make quarterly calls to their customers to make sure the equipment is still living up to expectations, check on device usage and make recommendations for further cost reduction. This personal attention is something overstretched or undertrained copier divisions simply can’t offer.
While our consultants work personally with their clients to design a plan that works well for them, this doesn’t happen in a multi-faceted organization. Often, due to the fact that their staff lacks in-depth knowledge needed to offer these individualized suggestions, these companies rely on pre-designed plans and have a take it or leave it mentality. This disposition forces you to choose between a few rigid plans that ultimately don’t match your needs.
Authorized Service
The final benefit of working with a copier dealer is the level of service you’ll come to expect. At Metro Sales, we’ve chosen to partner exclusively with Ricoh to become an authorized Ricoh dealer. This commitment has had a significant positive impact on our service department. Our partnership with Ricoh has ensured that our technicians have intricate knowledge of and practical experience with Ricoh equipment. Due to this knowledge — as well as our our success in meeting Ricoh’s rigorous standards — Metro Sales has been certified as an authorized Ricoh service center. This recognition signifies that Ricoh believes that our service staff provides exceptional service to Ricoh machines and will continue to do so in the future.
It’s this level of service that has really benefited customers. Our exclusive partnership has created a more consistent service culture whereby all of our technicians have advanced Ricoh proficiency. Thus, no matter who responds to your service call, you’ll receive the same exceptional service each and every time. It’s this consistency that gives a dedicated copier dealer a distinct advantage when it comes to serving customers.
Purchasing a new copier doesn’t have to be difficult. Our office technology consultants make the process easy by performing a comprehensive needs assessment and providing a customized print strategy — all free of charge. Contact us today to get started!