I wrote this blog a little over two years ago on the old blog site and I thought it was time to transfer this to our new site. There are still more than 1,200 blogs that need to be moved!!
In a little more than two years, we've progressed to the point where most MFPs aka MFDs will or have an Android OS as the main GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the user. Icon driven menu's that promote ease of use and acceptance of Gen Y. Plus the ability to scan 2 all of the popular cloud repositories like dropbox, evernote, MS365, google drive and many more.
However, what does the future hold for MFPs? I believe the possibilities are as endless as the imagination, and we'll being seeing apps developed for all sorts of workflows and business processes that still need to involve paper. But, that's only if the manufacturers will open their Android OSs so that apps can be downloaded. I'm not sure about all of the manufacturers but I do know of one manufacturer that is locking out google playstore. Me, I'm thinking it would be killer if I could log into my clash of clans and do a rumble or two.
At least with one manufacturer, when you scan to the likes of dropbox, evernote, google drive, and others you can only scan to the basic "in" folder (again for lack of a better word). Which is kinda messed up in my opinion, I would like to see the workflow of being able to scan to any folder in the cloud service that I'm using. I do like the ability to name the file, designate the file type, turn on searchable or PDF/a and the ability to OCR the document for Excel or Word. Enjoy the Blog below!!!
I wrote the below blog in 2011, Just an FYI, make sure you check out the video at the end.
MTV, the Eighties, what a special place in time for some of us! So, where am I going with this?? Not really sure yet, however I wanted to give end users a little more insight on today's MFP's (Multifunctional Products/Printers).
Years ago we called them copy machines, of course they were used to make copies, about ten to twelve years ago we saw the transformation of copy machines (analog) to digital copiers. The only difference was that the manufacturers had the technology to convert the scanned page to a digital format and then use a laser beam to write the image to the photo conductor (drum). The old copiers (analog) that were unreliable, service intensive and the butt of office jokes was transformed into reliable hi speed copiers that could scan and print from the network.
So, a few years back, digital copiers took another leap forward with the ability to add software cards (Java) that would allow the digital copiers to become work flow and information hubs in the office. This next generation is what I call a SMART MFP, pretty much they are designed to work with software that will enhance productivity and increase efficiencies in the office.
Today's SMART MFP's will allow users to scan documents as scan2word, scan2excel, scan2ftp, scan2url, scan2sharepoint, scan2folder, scan2drive and process them as search able pdf's, editable pdfs, index, and OCR and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I could probably bore you to tears with all of the applications that are available today.
What I see in the field is that most end users still treat the MFP as a commodity, clients looking to buy on price instead of buying on the benefit of the features. Let me elaborate on the savings, the savings would come from saving countless hours of handling and managing a paper based work flow. If you can cut 10-20 hours a month of labor, that's a big savings. How about if you could cut 5 hours of labor per month per employee? It can be done with today's SMART MFPs.
If I were an end user I'd want my MFP to process all of those mundane tasks related with the handling of paper. I'd also want my MFP to tell me who is printing what (files) and how many along with having restrictions of what files they can and can't print. If I were using forms, I'd like to be able to have my MFP print onto NCR paper and auto staple these forms so I don't have to buy them from a print shop. While I'm at it, why can't I have a virtual (cloud) fax numbers for all of my employees do they can send and received faxes from the PC's without wasting time going to and from the MFP.
Good news is that everything I mentioned above can be done with SMART MFP's.
-=Good Selling=
Response:
Tristam Wallace said...
Nice post Art...Smart MFPs absolutely hold the potential for significant workflow improvements. As you referenced, it is just a matter of changing the perception of them by IT and users. One thing you missed...Smart MFPs are much more capable of integrating software product into the device for easy access at the control panel. In many cases, it is these software applications that have the biggest workflow impact. But it takes a Smart MFP to be able to leverage the power of software. Good selling indeed!
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