Photocopiers and multifunction devices will remain fixtures of the office as long as the printed page remains, but the days of the photocopier dealer are waning. It’s getting harder for dealers to remain viable selling and supporting photocopiers, which is why many have adopted IT managed services as a means for extending their value proposition.

Copier dealers have an advantage that many of their IT cousins don’t: a total view into the business operations of the customer. And that insider view enables copier dealers to identify technology needs, recommend solutions, and deliver services. Today, the average channel partner earns more than 20 percent of its income from managed services, and the share of revenue derived from services will continue to grow as more customers adopt and expand with the IT-as-a-service model. It’s truly a huge opportunity for all partners, and for copier dealers in particular.

For the copier dealer channel, transformation isn’t as much an opportunity as an imperative. As more businesses become digital, they move forward into paperless environments. In fact, the printer technology segment has seen a continuous decline in printed pages for the past decade. Managed services isn’t just about extending copier dealer value; it’s about providing a pathway to renewed relevancy and viability.

Like many printer and copier vendors, Konica Minolta is working to help traditional dealers transform their legacy business models to adopt and extend into IT managed services. Using a strategy that builds on adjacencies to its core photocopier and print business, Konica Minolta is providing copier dealers with the resources, training, and support that enables them to participate in the managed service segment.

Sam Errigo, senior vice president of business intelligence services at Konica Minolta, joins POD2112 to talk about the need for copier dealers to adopt managed services and what resources are available to help them make the transition from static support to automated services.