Part 2 of 4: Ergonomics, and how people use their MFPs

As I discussed in the previous post, this series will attempt to make a case for Multi Function Printer (MFP) and other office product dealers to reevaluate how content management offerings can play into their business model and increase their overall profitability. The first step in this is identifying the differences in the technology landscape, as well as the usage of these devices in the modern work environment. These differences can be boiled down into three areas:

1. Ergonomics and mechanics of sharing a centralized machine. (bottleneck issues)
2. Technical limitations – compression, image issues, network traffic, and automated extraction
3. Business compensation models don't allow for consultative sales, both in refining skill sets and in practice  

  

I've been working in content management since 2003, but until 2008-2009, using electronic communication as a viable and formal method of business transactions was the equivalent of sending a text instead of a thank you note to your grandmother. It was fine for immediate needs, but when it came to constituting a business record, you needed to go for the hard copy.

This meant several things until recently when it came to sharing these types of resources. Because printing documents was largely used for external communications, it trumped the need to scan to email. The official document needed to be printed, and so all of the scans/ emails/etc. were conveniences but took lower priority than the business requirement to print. 

Scans were postponed while other MPF users were creating (printing) the document to which you could affix your "Wet signature".  This high demand and use for the copy machine meant that there were bottlenecks within organizations  The need to print trumped the need to scan every time.

Now, e-communications, including secure email, mortgage documents, and electronic communications in general are accepted as the  de facto  standard of communicating for all but the most high-value transactions. This is a key driver in allowing the MFP practical use as a production (though more commonly ad hoc) device to support scanning operations.

In the next post, we will explore the technical issues behind sharing the copying machine, and how they have changed, and why these changes make a difference in the efficiency with which you can scan. 

Part 1 of 4: Making the case for Multi Function Printer (MFP) dealers to re-embrace document management

Last month, speaking at the ITEX conference, I gave a presentation on ways to automate workflows within an office using distributed desktop scanners. While there, at the end of my presentation, I was approached by a guy who said “Yeah, Eren, thats great, but the reality of it is that the copier guys have been told that content management was the way to go for 10 years, but none of us have ever been able to make a go of it. Do you have a reason for why?"   Since I was there to discuss standalone scanners, I was a little nervous, but getting a nod of approval from my host, I told him. I didn't have A reason for why. I had a LOT of reasons for why.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be exploring three of those reasons in more detail, hopefully to offer a compelling, salient argument for why it didn’t work before, and why it will work now.

When I started in this industry, many things were different in the landscape. Though, technically speaking, the ability was there to scan from a copier, there were several factors that made this an ad-hoc scanning solution as opposed to a driver for production scanning and thus, document management. In these three ways the landscape has changed considerably.  To ensure continued profitability and keeping up with competition, it's time for office product dealers to rethink adopting or partnering with a company that can offer document management solutions:

So what has changed?

1. Ergonomics and mechanics of sharing a centralized machine. (bottleneck issues)
2. Technical limitations – compression, image issues, network traffic, and automated extraction
3. Business compensation models don't allow for consultative sales, both in refining skill sets and in practice  

Next week we will go into detail about the bottlenecks we used to deal with...and why we don’t anymore.