Are You Thinking at the Speed of Print or the Speed of Content?

2012

Time is compressing.

It was just in 2009, a mere three years ago – or actually, just under 36 months – when MpS started showing up in its current form.

At conferences, show floors were jam-packed with MpS propositions; Konica Minolta, OKI, Xerox, LMI, GreatAmerica, Digital Gateway, ECi, Compass, Strategy Development, M2M, Synnex, NER, and many more were “all-in.”

Granted, it wasn’t really MpS.

Fliers plastered with “MPS” stickers; sales classes pushing MpS selling cycles, TCO, and the like; but the content was still copier sales, copier leasing, toner cartridges. Desk-side toner delivery/auto-fulfill, just fresh off the whiteboard, was being touted and sold.

What was big back then?
Some common beliefs around MpS, just four years ago...

1. Sell to the CIO
2. Lock customers in
3. You must perform an assessment
4. You must refresh or replace as many devices as possible
5. Copier salespeople can sell MpS
6. Computer salespeople can sell MpS
7. Selling MpS is the same selling 'color'

And some proclaimed MpS to be just another marketing point or a passing fad, like black and white to color or analog to digital.

Guess what those people are doing today?  Whining about all the false promises of MpS.

So, what will you be doing 4 years from now?

Will you be selling tablets or providing water services to your clients?  Will you own a NOC and provide ALL services to your clients?

Will you move into workflow and business process optimization?  The Cloud?

Those are not pie-in-the-sky questions - they are real.

Work-flow, business process, BPO/BPM, and even EDM - it's where the niche has been headed for years - the data will shoot up into the clouds, the old processes will fade, and workflow will transpose into a more personal experience.

No more clerks, accountants, or analysts - the algorithms will handle all we want them to handle, presenting us with usable, live data.  Anywhere in the world and at any time - 

not just anywhere any time; Everywhere, Every time...

__________

ChatGPT - I can provide an analysis of the article.

The article appears to be discussing the evolution of Managed Print Services (MpS) over the past few years and how it has transformed from copier sales to a more complex, technology-driven service. The author suggests that MpS is now outdated and people who believed in it are now complaining about its false promises.

The article then poses questions about what the future holds for businesses and suggests that the niche is moving towards workflow and business process optimization, the cloud, and more personalized experiences. The author believes that algorithms will handle most tasks and provide usable live data anytime and anywhere in the world.

Overall, the article seems to be an opinion piece that aims to challenge the traditional way of doing things and encourages businesses to move towards a more tech-driven and personalized experience. However, it's important to note that the opinions expressed in the article are subjective and may not necessarily be shared by everyone.

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