October 2010 Office Technology

01OT1010:Cover June 10

10/1/10

3:55 PM

Page 1

BTASE ad Sept 10:Layout 1

10/4/10

8:57 AM

Page 1

Project1:Layout 1

8/5/10

8:20 AM

Page 1

HP | BROTHER | CANON | IMATION | INFOPRINT | LEXMARK | KONICA MINOLTA | OKI | SAMSUNG | XEROX

Trouble keeping up with IT supplies?

Supplies Network is the distributor you can rely on.

Equipment and service dealers are often challenged with how to handle supplies. Coordination can be painful. And, there are the concerns about distributor reliability, responsiveness and taking customers direct.

Supplies Network has earned the trust of thousands of dealers like you. t The OEM and compatible supplies you need for transactional and MPS fulfillment. tù1 or 2 day ground shipping direct to your customer or technician. t The performance excellence and integrity you demand.

Contact us about our full line of printer, copier and fax supplies, including laser printer maintenance kits/parts. We’ll help you streamline IT supplies to make your business run smoother.

®

doing

better!

www.suppliesnetwork.com

877-427-3261

04OT1010:04OT1010

10/1/10

4:01 PM

Page 4

CONTENTS Volume 17 No. 4 G

FEATURE ARTICLES 10

20

2010 Software Buyer’s Guide Helping you select the right vendor partners

COURTS & CAPITOLS Business Fraud Be mindful of your company finances

27

Compiled by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

by Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel

Although there are many independent software vendors (ISVs) whose products enhance the use of MFPs, dealers are often advised to select and market only a few of these products. To help dealers better understand the capabilities of the various software products now available, Office Technology invited vendors to submit brief overviews of their products.

Perhaps it is time to further enhance your product offerings or use a new software product in your business.

When economic conditions are bad, employees become desperate to make ends meet and often find the solution at their place of employment.

Fraud and embezzlement are, and should be, a significant concern of small businesses.

MPS STRATEGIES 28

‘We Speak Image’ Canon EXPO 2010 held in New York City

by Darrell Amy Dealer Marketing Systems

By now, just about every competitor in your market is talking about managed print services. So, what makes you different? If your competitive advantage centers around a predictable pitch, you are in trouble.

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

With the goal of showcasing its full product lineup in real-word settings and scenarios, Canon U.S.A. recently hosted Canon EXPO 2010, drawing several thousand attendees, including authorized Canon dealers and current and prospective corporate customers. The event was held Sept. 1-3 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. On the show floor, Canon featured its many office solutions in the setting of a ficticious company, “to showcase how Canon technology can be used in any type of company.”

22

Measuring Progress Use your pipeline to evaluate your MPS program

29

by Ed Carroll Strategy Development

By now, I hope your business is engaged in offering managed print services and you have closed a few opportunities. But how do you really know if MPS is going to be a significant part of your business? How do you measure your progress?

Your Employee, Your Risk Due diligence is crucial in the hiring process

By Wayne Outlaw Outlaw Group Inc.

You have just been told there has been an incident at a customer’s location and it appears it was caused by an employee you hired a couple of months ago. Your first questions may be: “What could have happened?” and “How will this affect my company?” Even if you carry what is considered ample insurance, this could be a disaster. Workplace violence is not new and it is becoming more prevalent every day in dramatic situations such as the biology professor who shot several fellow employees in February.

4 | w w w. o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 010

‘Stage Three’ MPS What makes you different from competitors?

DEPARTMENTS Business Technology Association

26

G BTA Highlights

6

Executive Director’s Page

8

BTA President’s Message

30

Advertiser Index

Docuware ad June 10:Layout 1

5/17/10

2:20 PM

Page 1

Put More Green in Your Bottom Line

Maximize margins and hardware pull-through

Generate professional services and a recurring revenue stream

Extend the customer relationship beyond the life of the lease

Learn how to build your own successful professional services team

Benefit from one-of-a-kind proven training and go-to-market programs

Outstanding certification program and technical support

Onsite sales representatives working with your sales team

Contact us today at (888) 565-5907 or dwsales@docuware.com and start realizing the benefits of a lasting Partnership.

www.docuware.com

How? Enter the profitable world of selling document management solutions.

06OT1010:06OT1010

10/4/10

9:51 AM

Page 6

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

BTA Data Cleansing Summit Held Sept. 23 n Sept. 23 in White Plains, N.Y., BTA hosted its second Data Cleansing Summit to further address the issue of the risks associated with confidential information being left on copier/MFP hard drives. The issue came to the national spotlight on April 19 when an investigative report was aired by the CBS Evening News. The immediate response was end-user concern.

BTA quickly scheduled the first Data Cleansing Summit, which was held June 18 in Orlando, Fla. At that meeting, representatives from manufacturing companies, leasing companies, distributors and suppliers, as well as dealers, gathered to address the topic to decide how the industry could best respond to end-user concerns. The meeting was facilitated by BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg.

The June 18 meeting resulted in agreement on four action steps: (1) Develop an end-user educational pamphlet regarding how they can best address data and image retention on copier/MFPs, etc.; (2) Coordinate education efforts with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (3) Work with Congress regarding industry efforts to educate end users on the issue; and (4) Monitor, testify and submit comments on any proposed legislation.

At the Sept. 23 meeting, Bob reported that only two newly introduced state bills are pending — one in New York, the other in New Jersey. However, it appears that in both cases the bills are stalled in committee. No hearings have been scheduled. BTA did notify the appropriate legislators in both states that the association is prepared to

O

6 | w w w. o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 010

testify on behalf of the industry, if requested.

During the recent meeting, Bob also noted that the media attention on the topic of data security on copier/MFP hard drives essentially disappeared over the summer.

As he put it: “At this point, the volcano is dormant.” However, he said, the industry must move forward to educate end users, since the problem still exists. In addition, the FTC has embraced the efforts of BTA and the industry and is supportive of a draft pamphlet that the association has developed to educate end users.

That draft pamphlet was reviewed by the attendees at the meeting. Several changes were made based on their input. Ultimately, the pamphlet will be made available to dealers, manufacturers and suppliers in the form of a PDF to print and share with end users. The FTC will be distributing the pamphlet as well. It will not be copyrighted by BTA, to facilitate its unencumbered distribution. BTA will notify its members, and the industry at large, when the finalized pamphlet is available for distribution.

In addition to members of the BTA Board of Directors, the meeting was attended by representatives of the following companies: CopEx Inc., ECi Software Solutions, GE Capital, GreatAmerica Leasing Corp., IKON Office Solutions/Ricoh Americas Corp., Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Kyocera Mita America Inc., Lexmark International Inc., MARS International, Muratec America Inc., Samsung Electronics America, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc., U.S. Bancorp Office Equipment Finance Services and Wells Fargo Financial Leasing. I — Brent Hoskins

Executive Director/BTA Editor/Office Technology Brent Hoskins brent@bta.org (816) 303-4040 Associate Editor Elizabeth Marvel elizabeth@bta.org (816) 303-4060 Contributing Writers Darrell Amy, Dealer Marketing Systems www.dealermarketingsystems.com Ed Carroll, Strategy Development www.strategydevelopment.org Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association Wayne Outlaw, Outlaw Group Inc. www.outlawgroup.com

®

Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.bta.org Member Services: (800) 505-2821 BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688 Valerie Briseno Membership & Marketing Manager valerie@bta.org Mary Hopkins Database Administrator mary@bta.org Teresa Leerar Bookkeeper teresa@bta.org Brian Smith Membership Sales Representative brian@bta.org ©2010 by the Business Technology Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material.

However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articles nor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

Epson ad July 10:Layout 1

6/22/10

1:53 PM

Page 1

Two ways to proямБt from price-performance.

Outstanding Price-Performance s s s s s s

6ERSATILE PRODUCT LINE (IGH SPEED %ASY TO USE )NNOVATIVE FEATURES $EPENDABLE DOCUMENT HANDLING ! NAME YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN TRUST

/UTSTANDING 0ROlT /PPORTUNITY s 0 URCHASE DISCOUNTS NO MINIMUM PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS s $ISCOUNTED DEMO UNITS s &REE PRODUCT EVALUATIONS s &INANCING PROGRAMS

4HE 0RO '4 3 AND THE 0RO '4 3 ARE TWO OUTSTANDING EXAMPLES OF %PSON S VERSATILE LINE OF HIGHLY RELIABLE DOCUMENT SCANNERS THAT DELIVER EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE AT AN ATTRACTIVE PRICE !DD THE )MAGE7AY PARTNER PROGRAM AND YOU HAVE A PRODUCT LINE FOCUSED ON YOUR BOTTOM LINE

Epson WorkForce┬о Pro GT-S80 Scanner Epson WorkForce┬о Pro GT-S50 Scanner

,EARN -ORE 6ISIT EPSON COM )MAGE7AY WorkForce is a registered trademark and ImageWay is a servicemark of Epson America, Inc. Epson is a registered trademark, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and Exceed Your Vision is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. ┬й2010 Epson America, Inc.

08OT1010:08OT1010

10/4/10

2:35 PM

Page 8

BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

®

2010-2011 Board of Directors

BTA East’s Grand Slam 2010 Delivers he Business Technology Association has come a long way in recent years.

Anyone who attended the Sept. 23-24 BTA East Grand Slam 2010 event at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in White Plains, N.Y., can attest to that reality. They were among the many who attended some outstanding education sessions, learned about the products and services of 23 exhibiting sponsors, and had a great time networking with their fellow office technology dealers.

Actually, this is the third year the BTA East district has hosted an event in this venue. In September 2008, the inaugural event drew a total attendance of approximately 65 individuals. In 2009, the number increased to about 115. This year, the event had a total attendance of 150. Clearly, BTA East’s Grand Slam has become embraced by dealers as an annual “must-attend” industry event. Michael Steinhoff, president of Rhyme Business Products, Portage, Wis., confirmed this viewpoint in his response to a follow-up attendee survey: “We plan to be back for the fourth time next year.”

Grand Slam 2010 began during the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 23, with a dealer and manufacturer panel discussion, moderated by Frank Cannata of Marketing Research Consultants Inc. The panel featured some heavy-hitters, including three manufacturer presidents — Mike Pietrunti of Kyocera Mita America Inc., Jim D’Emidio of Muratec America Inc. and Ed McLaughlin of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. The dealer panelists were equally di stingui sh ed industr y leaders: Rick

T

8 | w w w. o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 010

Bastinelli of Centric Business Systems Inc., Owings Mills, Md.; Jerry Blaine of LDI Color ToolBox, New York, N.Y.; Andrew Ritschel, Electronic Office Systems Inc., Fairfield, N.J.; and Larry Weiss of Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office, New York, N.Y. Focused primarily on managed print services, it was apparent that the attendees found the panel discussion to be of great interest. In fact, including the Q&A session at the conclusion, the discussion lasted about 30 minutes longer than scheduled.

Following the discussion, attendees enjoyed the Welcoming Reception, networking with others and visiting the tables of exhibiting sponsors. The setup was particularly convenient, with the exhibit tables in the same ballroom as the panel discussion.

The learning opportunities continued throughout the day on Friday, Sept. 24, with four education sessions, along with additional time on the schedule to visit with the exhibitors. The education lineup featured well-received sessions by four excellent presenters: Bob Goldberg, BTA general counsel; Tom Callinan, founding principal of Strategy Development; Sally Brause, director of human resources consulting at GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.; and Byron Aulick, president of DataVault Inc. Grand Slam 2010 concluded with an evening in the largest suite in Yankee Stadium to see the Boston Red Sox take on the New York Yankees. This unforgettable evening was made possible through co-sponsors EDA and GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.

Does this sound like a missed opportunity? Then plan to attend BTA East’s Grand Slam 2011, or any of BTA’ s other district events. Watch for details at www.bta.org. I — Rock Janecek

President Rock Janecek Burtronics Business Systems Inc. 216 S. Arrowhead Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92408 rjanecek@burtronics.com President-Elect Tom Ouellette Budget Document Technology 251 Goddard Road Lewiston, ME 04240 touellette@bdtme.com Vice President Terence Chapman Business Electronics Corp.

219 Oxmoor Circle Birmingham, AL 35209 tchapman@businesselectronics.com BTA East Todd J. Fitzsimons Network Imaging LLC 122 Spring St. Southington, CT 06489 tjfitzsimons@networkimaging.biz BTA Mid-America Ron Hulett U.S. Business Systems Inc. 3221 Southview Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 ron.hulett@usbus.com BTA Southeast Mike Upchurch Business Machines Inc. 3121-C Glen Royal Road Raleigh, NC 27617 mike@bmi4u.com BTA West Greg Gray Burtronics Business Systems Inc. 216 S. Arrowhead Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92408 ggray@burtronics.com Ex-Officio/Immediate Past President Bill James WJS Enterprises Inc. 3315 Ridgelake Drive Metairie, LA 70002 bjames@wjsenterprises.com Ex-Officio/General Counsel Robert C. Goldberg Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg LLC 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 2100 Chicago, IL 60606 robert.goldberg@sfnr.com

Kyocera Mita ad Jan 10:Layout 1

12/14/09

9:42 AM

Page 1

Typical Printer

Kyocera Printer

Customers afraid to look at what their printers really cost?

Help them make the wise choice.

ECO-nomical. ECO-logical.

ECOSYS Printers from Kyocera.

How much did your customers spend on printing last month? How about last year? If they are like most companies, it’s probably too much. Switching to ECOSYS Printers from Kyocera could save your customers hundreds, even thousands of dollars per year. That’s because Kyocera’s durable long-life consumables mean less waste, reducing costs and lowering impact on the environment. Brilliant color, crisp black and white, and low Total Cost of Ownership.

Now that’s a wise choice.

Calculate your customers’ costs today.

Visit our TCO Tracker at www.kyoceramita.com.

Printer’s performance is simulated. Cost savings are for similar size printers having comparable prints-per-minute, paper size, memory, processor speed and rated print volume and based upon usage assumptions. Actual cost savings will vary.

6HH RXU RQOLQH 7&2 7UDFNHU DW ZZZ N\RFHUDPLWD FRP IRU DVVXPSWLRQV DQG GHWDLOV XQGHUO\LQJ VSHFLÀF FRVW VDYLQJV FDOFXODWLRQ IRU SDUWLFXODU FRPSDUDEOH SULQWHUV

© KYOCERA MITA Corporation, KYOCERA MITA America, Inc., a group company of Kyocera Corporation. 2010 Kyocera Mita Corporation.

Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10

10/4/10

2:40 PM

Page 10

2010 Software Buyer’s Guide Helping you select the right vendor partners Compiled by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

lthough there are many indep endent software vendors (ISVs) whose products further enhance the use of MFPs, dealers are often advised to select and market only a few of these products. Many recommend that the dealer should strive to ensure his (or her) dealership becomes the leading, preferred source for certain software products that best serve the needs of customers.

To help dealers better understand the capabilities of the various software products now available, Office Technology invited a number of vendors to submit brief overviews of their products. Most offer software for the end-user’s use.

Some offer software for use within the dealership. Perhaps it is time to further enhance your product offerings or use a new software product to improve your internal processes.

A

Business Process Improvement FabSoft www.fabsoft.com FabSoft’s Reform streamlines workflow by automating the output, capture and distribution of documents. Reform will capture scanned images, print streams or user data from any operating system, application or device. Reform enhances the captured information and intelligently distributes it to printers, faxes, e-mail and archive systems.

Capture/Forms Recognition Artsyl Technologies www.artsyltech.com Artsyl Technologies develops a full range of document capture software that reduces the cost of processing forms as well as the storage, search and retrieval of documents for customer service and regulatory compliance. Artsyl’s product line includes: SimpleCapture, a semi-automatic 10 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

data capture product with a selflearning capability that does not require templates to set up; docAlpha, a fully-automated distributed data capture, extraction, classification and processing solution; and ClaimAction, a package for medical claims. All Artsyl products integrate with a wide range of scanners, MFPs and fax servers.

Cost Recovery nQueue Billback www.nqbillback.com nQueue Billback provides softwarebased information accountability, expense management and cost recovery solutions to more than 30 percent of the 250 largest law firms in the United States and five of the top 10 globally. The company automates the collection of data related to any business expense to improve decision making and maximize cost recovery.

Dealership Management Digital Gateway www.digitalgateway.com Since 1995, Digital Gateway has helped more than 1,000 companies drive their business operations successfully with its innovative e-automate dealership management software.

Digital Gateway puts printer and copier dealers first, in order to be responsive to their needs for years to come. Dealerships are experiencing even more need to focus on managed print to secure their businesses and e-automate assists dealers to automate each step of securing and keeping pages under contract. E-automate gives visibility to the industry, connectivity to key integrations and the seamless automation needed to secure the business and future of its customers. No other solution will better equip office equipment dealerships to successfully capitalize on managed print services.

Digital Gateway ad Sept 10:Layout 1

8/16/10

12:35 PM

Page 1

SINCE 2007

Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10

10/4/10

2:40 PM

Page 11

ECi Software Solutions www.ecisolutions.com For more than 25 years, ECi has specialized in dealership management software solutions that fuel the efficiency and profitability of office equipment dealerships. Whether your dealership is managing toner usage, tracking meter clicks or wanting to operate a profitable service department, ECi has the right solution for you. Fifty of OfficeDEALER magazine’s Elite Dealers use ECi software.

Document Capture & Imaging Omtool Ltd. www.omtool.com Omtool Ltd. is a provider of document capture and handling solutions that simplify the integration of paper and electronic documents into enterprise information management systems. Its flagship product, AccuRoute®, streamlines the capture, conversion and communication of paper and electronic documents, enabling fast, secure and simultaneous distribution to multiple destinations, in multiple formats. Available at any network-enabled scanning device or from a user’s desktop computer, AccuRoute provides faster, more efficient workflows, while reducing cost, complexity and risk.

Document Management ABBYY www.abbyyusa.com ABBYY is a provider of document recognition, data capture and language software. Its products include the FineReader line of OCR applications, FlexiCapture line of data capture solutions, Lingvo dictionary software and development tools. The company licenses and OEMs its solutions to industry leaders including Canon, EMC/ Captiva, Epson, Fujitsu, Fuji Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, Toshiba, Xerox and more.

Cabinet NG www.cabinetng.com Cabinet NG (CNG) provides document management and workflow software to a variety of industries. Its document management software moves manual, paper-based processes into efficient electronic workflows across the small enterprise. As a result, businesses can increase productivity, reduce paper, save money and meet compliance requirements.

ColumbiaSoft www.documentlocator.com ColumbiaSoft is a provider of enterprise document management solutions that are deeply integrated with Microsoft Windows and Office applications. Users can capture, 12 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

manage and share electronic and paper documents, e-mail and faxes to improve efficiency and collaboration, and reduce risk by meeting higher standards of compliance and business continuity.

Computhink www.computhink.com Located in Chicago, Computhink Inc. provides document management/content management solutions for secure information sharing and compliance, targeting small and medium-sized organizations. Computhink offers high margins for sales of ViewWise®, the document management solution that streamlines business processes, improves customer service, reduces costs and ensures compliance. docSTAR www.docstar.com Since 1996, docSTAR has been a recognized leader of document management solutions. Eclipse by docSTAR is fullfeatured online document management software that leverages MFP sales, delivers a competitive advantage and builds an impressive recurring revenue engine. docSTAR is highly customizable, integrated document management that provides immediate cost savings while delivering ease of use, fast implementation, safety and security. docSTAR’s comprehensive partner success plan helps resellers quickly add document management to their existing offerings.

DocuLex www.doculex.com Incorporated in 1996, Winter Haven, Fla.-based DocuLex creates non-proprietary enterprise content management software. Through an extensive worldwide reseller channel, the company offers network-enabled document capture and image processing software for use with MFPs, production scanners, facsimile and wide-format units. DocuLex also provides browser-based document and content management programs for collaboration, e-mail archiving and compliance, knowledge management, workflow and records retention, offered as Archive Studio. Archive Studio is easyto-use, productive electronic document management software for any business environment seeking secure instant document access.

DocuWare www.docuware.com DocuWare’s integrated document management solutions — extremely robust products for any size organization (ISO 9001 Certified and FDA Compliant) — help to improve customer service, increase productivity while controlling costs and increase cash f low by automating daily business

FMAudit ad Mar 10:Layout 1

2/5/10

8:54 AM

Page 1

5IF GJSTU DIPJDF JO QSJOU NBOBHFNFOU

.14 DBO CF B DIBMMFOHJOH DPVSTF UP QMBZ 5FFJOH VQ UIF SJHIU CBMM XJMM JNQSPWF ZPVS TDPSF r r r r

*G ZPVµSF HPJOH UP QMBZ JO UIF .14 HBNF QMBZ XJUI UIF CFTU

Contact FMAudit today.

Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10

10/4/10

11:05 AM

Page 12

processes through electronically managing and sharing documents, regardless of their format or source. At headquarters, across town or around the globe, instant access to information is easy and secure via the Web. DocuWare, available in 15 languages, is known for easy installation, integration, administration and usage, and an exceptionally low total cost of ownership.

Kofax www.kofax.com Kofax is a leading provider of document-driven business process automation solutions that streamline the flow of information throughout an organization by managing the capture, transformation and exchange of information in paper, fax and electronic formats. These solutions provide a rapid return on investment to customers in financial services, government, business process outsourcing, health care, supply chain and other markets.

InfoDynamics www.infodynamics.com InfoDynamics is the creator of Intact SMART, an enterprise-class content management system. Since 1996, the software has been developed to be intelligent, powerful, user friendly and right-sized for any business. Intact SMART has the ability to support all of your organization’s archival and collaboration requirements. It has advanced features for text, bar code and zonal recognition. Intact SMART is designed to integrate with your core business applications including productivity (e.g., MS Office), accounting (e.g., QuickBooks, MS Dynamics and Sage) and several others.

Searching, retrieving, versioning and editing documents is now at your fingertips. InfoDynamics’ powerful audit trail and robust security meet the latest compliance regulations.

Notable Solutions Inc. www.nsiautostore.com NSi is a leading provider of content capture and business automation solutions. Its flagship product, AutoStore, is a server-based application that captures and securely delivers paper and electronic documents into business applications.

With AutoStore and its 500-plus supported MFPs, business is done faster, with less effort and less paper.

Sagemcom www.sagem-interstar.com Sagemcom is the global leader in advanced fax server solutions for IP networks. Its scalable and survivable XMediusFAX™ T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) solutions leverage IP telephony and UC systems to enhance productivity, collaboration and ROI by integrating fax on the desktops of 14 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

enterprise and service provider sites worldwide.

Square 9 Softworks www.square-9.com Square 9 Softworks is a leading developer of innovative, business-centric software solutions distributed by the office equipment industry, including the SmartSearch Document Management Suite. Dedicated to making document management available to organizations of all sizes, Square 9 Softworks designs solutions built on open architecture and cutting-edge technologies that drive efficiency and productivity across all business applications. Through decades of experience with document management technologies in business enterprises of all sizes, Square 9 Softworks has acquired a thorough understanding of document-driven business processes. Intensely reseller-focused and highly responsive, Square 9 delivers an unparalleled dealer program for launching, marketing and expanding any document management initiative. With solutions that are affordable, powerful and easy to use and support, Square 9 helps dealers to win more of the document management opportunities they compete in.

Westbrook Technologies Inc. www.westbrooktech.com Westbrook Technologies has been developing document management software since 1991. With more than 13,600 users worldwide, its Fortis™ and browser-based FortisBlue™ provide automated workflow and life-cycle management for paper and electronic documents — from capture, indexing and archiving to retrieval with fully searchable documents, data and images.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) A2iA www.a2ia.com A2iA is the leading developer of tools for automatic document classification and handwritten data extraction. Its advanced Intelligent Word Recognition and document classification technologies allow users to process documents automatically despite their structure or contents. A2iA’s proprietary classification, OCR, ICR and IWR technologies have been reducing data-entry costs and improving business process automation for nearly 20 years.

Bull Valley Software www.bullvalleysoftware.com Scalable for organizations of any size, DocumentLOK from Bull Valley Software combines secure document and content management, compliance management and business process management in one application, and integrates with

Computhink ad Oct 10:Layout 1

9/17/10

3:02 PM

Page 1

Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10

10/4/10

11:05 AM

Page 13

virtually any Windows or Web-based application to provide immediate, single-click access to documents and electronic content from within an organization’s primary business application(s). emFAST Inc. www.emfast.com emFAST Inc.’s FACSys® fax/messaging suite of products includes easy-to-install appliances, combined fax and document management server solutions and enterpriseclass fax messaging software. FACSys® fully integrates into areas requiring communication capabilities including MFPs, business process workflows, major ECM and resource planning systems. Users can even use any FACSys client — whether it is on a FACSys-enabled MFP, mobile phone or application — to directly route content to the cloud content management provider, Box.net.

KnowledgeLake Inc. www.knowledgelake.com KnowledgeLake Inc. develops document imaging, document capture and workflow products and solutions for Microsoft SharePoint. KnowledgeLake extends the enterprise content management capabilities of SharePoint, enabling businesses to reduce mailing costs, streamline operations and achieve regulatory compliance using familiar Microsoft products that most businesses already own and use.

Laserfiche www.laserfiche.com Laserfiche® creates enterprise content management solutions that help organizations run smarter. Since 1987, more than 28,000 organizations worldwide — including government agencies and Fortune 1,000 companies — have used Laserfiche software to streamline documents, records and business process management. Laserfiche provides central control over information infrastructure, including standards, security and auditing, while offering flexibility to business units. Laserfiche is built upon Microsoft technologies to simplify system administration. It supports Microsoft SQL and Oracle platforms and features a seamless integration with Microsoft Office applications and a two-way integration with SharePoint.

Open Text www.opentext.com Open Text, a preeminent enterprise content management software solutions company, helps organizations manage and gain true value from their business content. Open Text’s latest release, ECM Suite 2010, integrates all the tools com16 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

panies need to take control of their content, monetize the content they create and drive efficiencies through optimized content-based processes.

M2M/M2P Enterprise Management MWA Intelligence Inc. www.mwaintel.com MWA Intelligence Inc. (MWAi) delivers enterprise-class and leading-edge M2M (machine-to-machine) and M2P (machine-to-people) solutions. The enterprise-class solution is designed to manage a f leet of imaging devices whether they are networked, locally connected or unconnected. The MWAi solution automates meter collection, consumables and service alerts. MWAi also offers an integrated pre-sale MPS tool for easy auditing of end-user networks. MWAi literally connects the people who service and sell the assets with the actual machines and ERP systems.

Solutions include: Intelligent Service Management, Intelligent Managed Print Services, IntelliDashboard and Intelligent Device Management.

Print Management Equitrac www.equitrac.com Equitrac print management and cost-recovery software enables companies to minimize printing expenses, increase document security and maximize efficiency from every printer, copier or multifunction device, while eliminating waste and boosting their bottom lines. The software’s monitoring, measurement, tracking and reporting capabilities give organizations the information they need to understand their true output expense and make informed print-management decisions.

FMAudit www.fmaudit.com FMAudit provides software technology to enable dealers to profitably compete in MPS. Today, FMAudit helps more than 1,500 dealers worldwide manage more than 3.5 million devices monthly. FMAudit’s software is easy to deploy and maintain, collects MIB data from both networked and local devices, integrates with e-automate, OMD and La Crosse for automated meter billing, and provides consumable level alert monitoring, service-alert filtering, complete TCO analysis and green reporting.

Pharos Systems www.pharos.com Pharos Blueprint Enterprise is a solution for managing print and copy that enables companies to save money, reduce waste and easily secure devices and documents. It

Marlin ad Oct 10:Layout 1

9/7/10

3:02 PM

Page 1

Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10

10/4/10

2:40 PM

Page 14

incorporates discovery, tracking and accounting technology that provides a complete picture of print/copy across the enterprise down to the user level. Blueprint is integrated with more than 160 multifunction printers from leading equipment manufacturers.

Print Audit www.printaudit.com Print Audit develops print management solutions that enable office equipment dealerships to sell more hardware and increase their post-sales revenue. Last year, Print Audit redirected half a billion pages from high-cost printers to low-cost MFPs and, to date, the company has helped dealerships sell more than $450 million in additional hardware.

PrintFleet www.printfleet.com PrintFleet’s print management software solutions range from simple rapid assessment to advanced, independently hosted print management, offering data collection, data integrity and back-end support. PrintFleet software is available in five languages, has been used in more than 20 countries and is coupled with award-winning sales, technical and marketing support programs.

Print Tracker www.printtracker.net Print Tracker is a low-impact, highly secure print management solution that quickly captures information from both networked and locally connected imaging devices.

Print Tracker is easily deployed, often in under three minutes, and includes management tools such as Service and Meter Viewers, a fully customizable TCO Estimator and will integrate with most ERP accounting software.

Technesis www.technesis.com Technesis Print Control System is a single solution delivering three value propositions: automated print assessments, rules-based messaging promoting efficient printing, and cost accounting for MFPs and plotters. Technesis has API/embedded solutions for Xerox, Ricoh, HP, Canon, KIP and OcĂŠ output devices.

Sales & Marketing Automation StructuredWeb www.structuredweb.com StructuredWeb provides a suite of Web-based sales and marketing automation solutions delivered on-demand.

These solutions help businesses and distribution channels to reduce costs, improve conversions and close more deals.

You can choose from a suite of solutions that include 18 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

website content management, online product catalogs, ecommerce, CRM, sales enablement, search-engine marketing, e-mail, advertising, demand generation and direct marketing programs.

Sales Management Compass Sales Solutions www.compasscontact.net Compass Sales Solutions offers advanced sales-force automation, solution selling and fleet management planning software, along with in-depth consultative services provided by industry-recognized experts. Designed from a sales perspective, Compass merges the abilities to manage your prospect database, complete detailed TCO analysis, price service contracts, generate thorough, professional proposals and automate sales paperwork, all at the touch of a button.

Compass also offers complete integration with your ERP/ billing system and Outlook.

Falcon Technology Solutions www.efalcontech.com Falcon Technology markets Soaring Sales, a server-based sales management software designed specifically for the office equipment industry. The program integrates with popular industry-specific business software such as OMD, eautomate and La Crosse. Secure remote access via smartphones is standard. With more than 7,000 end users, Soaring Sales is a leading sales-force automation program in the copier industry.

SalesChain www.saleschain.com SalesChain is a provider of sales management software for office equipment dealerships. Its sales dispatch workflow automation programs help dealerships to increase customer retention, improve leased asset upgrade ratios and customer base growth by targeting competitor displacement.

SalesChain is the preferred partner for Digital Gateway and ECi OMD and La Crosse. Its industry experience and dedication to customer support and sales-rep training delivers fundamental value for dealerships across the country, including premier dealerships like Gordon Flesch, Northern Business (Massachusetts) and Blue Technologies (Ohio).

Service Management Miracle Service www.miracleservice.com Optimize your service operation and meter contracts with Miracle Service complete dealership management software. Whether it is taking service calls, scheduling technicians, managing meter contracts and supplies inventory,

Cover Story Oct 10:Cover Story Oct 10

10/4/10

2:40 PM

Page 15

optimizing preventative maintenance or communicating with your technicians and sales team in the field, Miracle Service can make your business more productive, cost-efficient and profitable. Easy to use and affordable, Miracle Service has helped thousands of dealerships in more than 45 countries optimize their field services and gain a competitive edge.

Supplies Distribution/e-commerce Red Cheetah www.redcheetah.com Red Cheetah is a full e-commerce solution and a complete wholesaler-enabled ordering system designed exclusively for the office products and technology consumables industry.

Red Cheetah’s Savanna Suite combines the sleek e-commerce of Outpost with the robust backend functionality of Home Range to bring dealerships a powerful, easy-to-use system.

Solimar Systems Inc. www.solimarsystems.com Founded in 1991, Solimar Systems Inc. is a leading developer of enterprise output management solutions for digital document creation, production and distribution environments. Installed in thousands of sites around the world, including more than 70 percent of the Fortune 100, Solimar solutions satisfy a wide range of customer requirements by combining integrated connectivity, data-stream transforms, print optimizations, document re-engineering/repurposing and sophisticated print queue management with secure Web-based document presentment, distribution and tracking.

Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.

He can be reached at brent@bta.org.

Variable Data Printing Meadows Publishing Solutions www.meadowsps.com Meadows is the developer of DesignMerge Pro, a suite of software modules for Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress that provides sophisticated variable data printing and data publishing features. The software works within the application for ease of use and is compatible with most popular VDP output formats. Used by professionals worldwide, it simplifies marketing personalization for both the novice and expert.

Objectif Lune www.objectiflune.com Objectif Lune creates software solutions to help organizations develop, maintain and renew their businesses by maximizing the value of their documents. Driven by a passion for creativity and innovation, Objectif Lune’s state-of-the-art solutions help create new business by adding the power of personalization to promotional documents. These solutions increase revenues gained from existing customer bases by simplifying and optimizing the creation, production and delivery of high-quality targeted business documents.

Miscellaneous Rochester Software Associates www.rocsoft.com Rochester Software Associates (RSA) provides transform, output management and Web-to-print software solutions that support digital production print workflows. Recognized as the number one transform solution provider for production printers, RSA’s WebCRD™ is also a leading Web-to-print software provider for in-plants. And now, make-ready job ticket conversion is available via QDirect™. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 | 19

Canon Oct 10:Canon Oct 10

10/4/10

2:42 PM

Page 10

‘We Speak Image’ Canon EXPO 2010 held in New York City by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

ith the goal of showcasing its full product lineup in real-world settings and scenarios, Canon U.S.A. re cently ho st ed Canon E X P O 2010, drawing several thousand attendees, including authorized Canon dealers and both current and prospective corporate customers. The event was held Sept. 1-3 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

“Canon’s theme for this year’s EXPO is ‘We Speak Image,’” said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager of Canon U.S.A.’s Imaging Systems Group (ISG), during a press conference held in conjunction with the EXPO. “Our theme is a tribute to our heritage as one of the world’s foremost imaging companies. It is also a promise for the delivery of a unique future.”

On the expansive show floor, Canon featured its many office solutions in the setting of Advanced Image Apparel, a fictitious company, “to showcase how Canon technology can be used in any type of company,” said Yoshida. “This unique approach ensures that customers will experience the applications of our offerings in real-world environments, giving them a clear understanding of how Canon can improve their workflows and businesses.”

Yoshida pointed to the company’s strides in recent years, as well as the changing nature of the industry since 2005, the last time Canon hosted the EXPO. “The market was very different then; many areas of differentiated opportunities existed,” he said. “Today, however, we now see a marketplace that is highly mature and fiercely competitive with less business to write, which is driving pricing and margin pressures in both hardware and software. The market also dictates that service and solutions delivery capability is a necessary recipe for success.”

In a one-on-one interview with Office Technology magazine, through a translator, Masaki Nakaoka, chief executive of Office Imaging Products Operations for Canon Inc. in Japan, cited the changing nature of the market as well,

W

20 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

Clockwise from top: the grand entrance to Canon EXPO 2010; Masaki Nakaoka, chief executive of Office Imaging Products Operations, Canon Inc.; Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager of Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.; an attendee visits with a Canon representative; the EXPO.

Canon Oct 10:Canon Oct 10

10/4/10

2:59 PM

Page 11

noting the value of demonstrating The dealer channel has made recent “The U.S. dealers are Canon pro ducts in th e f ictitious strides as a source of Canon product discompany setting. In the past, he said, tribution, said Yoshida in the press convery powerful and Canon would have simply lined up its ference. “Our efforts to add new dealer very enthusiastic ... products on the EXPO show floor. “We distribution have paid off,” he said, referI think the U.S. have taken a very different approach ring to the first half of the company’s dealers will drive this year,” he said. “In today’s world, it is current fiscal year. “We saw a strong 10 the copier business more about the software and the solupercent growth in our independent going forward.” tions. Certainly, Canon has a broad [dealer] channel.” range of hardware from the bottom to During the EXPO, Canon announced the top, but now we have software solutions and have several new ISG products, including: imageRUNNER formed alliances with various companies. So, we have ADVANCE C2030/C2020 color MFP models, designed for evolved into a general solutions provider. We want the remote office locations, small businesses and networked dealers to understand that and to work with us to develop environments; imageCLASS MF9380Cdn and MF9220Cdn these new opportunities.” color laser printers and MF4570dn and D420 monochrome Nakaoka also praised Canon’s independent dealer printers; and imagePRESS C7010VP, C6010VP channel. “The U.S. dealers are very powerful and very enthu- and C6010 digital presses.

Brent Hoskins, executive director of the siastic,” he said. “They seem to be extremely interested in Business Technology Association, is editor of our technology and our product strategy. We think they are Office Technology magazine. great. I am not just saying this to flatter them. I think the He can be reached at brent@bta.org.

U.S. dealers will drive the copier business going forward.”

Your Source For Both Document Imaging and Finishing Sure, Niche Equipment has the best deals on Samsung Equipment, Supplies and Parts for Document Imaging.

But that’s only 1/2 the story!

Don’t overlook your customer’s Document Finishing needs.

Sell a Shredder, Folder or one of 500 other paper handling products that Niche offers.

Double Your Sales, Double Your Profit Offering products from these manufacturers: Samsung, Formax Duplo, Roto, Standard, Dahle, Rhino-o-Tuff, Widmer, Secap & more.

MFP Color to 40ppm, Mono to 55ppm

Bookletmaking & Binding Personal to Industrial Laminating Fax

Folding

Ph: 877-446-4243 Fax: 630-629-6790 info@nichee.net www.nichee.net

w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 | 21

Outlaw Oct 10:Outlaw Oct 10

10/4/10

11:38 AM

Page 10

Your Employee, Your Risk Due diligence is crucial in the hiring process by: Wayne Outlaw, Outlaw Group Inc.

ou have just been told there has been an incident at a customer’s location and it appears it was caused by an employee you hired a couple of months ago. Your first questions may be: “What could have happened?” and “How will this affect my company?” Even if you carry what is considered ample insurance, this could be a disaster.

Workplace violence is not new and it is becoming more prevalent every day in dramatic situations such as the biology professor in Huntsville, Ala., who shot several fellow employees in February of this year. Had a thorough background check been done, and had the pattern of behavior that would indicate she posed a danger to employees and others been identified, the victims might be alive today. While the fact that the professor previously shot her brother may not have been easily available since she was not charged, there were plenty of other indications of her danger to others.

In 2002, she was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct and received probation with the order to take anger management classes. Apparently, her odd behavior had been noted by students and communicated to the staff before the February incident. Effective reference checks and a thorough criminal background check could have identified her potentially dangerous behavior.

If you think this is an isolated case and will not happen in your company, think again. More than two million Americans are physically assaulted each year and one in four workers is harassed, threatened or assaulted on the job.

According to a recent study performed by a leading human resources publication, more than 16,000 threats are made in the workplace every workday and 13 people die because of workplace violence each week.

The office technology industry has a unique and pervasive

Y

22 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

risk, as dealerships have employees who go into other workplaces. When you hire someone, you do not think a tragedy like this will strike your company; however, it is becoming more common.

Instinctively, we know we have liability for our employees’ actions. We are all too familiar with errors made when quoting prices and the liability of those driving company vehicles. What many do not know is the legal doctrine of “respondeat superior,” which states that in many circumstances, an employer is responsible for the actions of his (or her) employees performed within the course of their employment. This doctrine is also called the “Master-Servant Rule” and is recognized in the common law and in civil jurisdiction as the principles of negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention and negligent entrustment of employees. On a broader scope, respondeat superior is based on the concept of vicarious liability. Yes, the company, you as a principal and even the manager who makes the hiring decision, may be responsible for the acts of employees in situations you may not be aware of.

What can negligent hiring cost your company? An award of $500,000 is common and the highest award has been $26.5 million. This level of liability can end a company.

Civil cases have arisen where individuals have been harmed and think the employer did not do its due diligence to avoid hiring employees who represented a potential danger to those they came in contact with. Those in the industry have to be especially concerned with negligent hiring and negligent entrustment.

Even if there is not a lawsuit filed, there could be other problems. Service technicians and delivery personnel are often sent to schools and nursing homes. Many states prohibit sex offenders from being close to these facilities. These organizations have sign-in procedures that enable them to

Outlaw Oct 10:Outlaw Oct 10

10/4/10

2:43 PM

Page 11

easily run the names of your employees The employer is presumed not to One of the essential against the registered sex offender list. It have b e en n eg li gent for hirin g an would be better to have known before employee if appropriate due diligence steps to reducing risk is and not hired an individual than to have was done to ensure the person did not that the employer, or a this embarrassing problem. pose a potential threat. So, what is your qualified employment So, what is your responsibility with due diligence? You want to be sure that background screening negligent hiring? Employers have an you have a complete and accurate company, conducts a obligation to protect their employees employment application and you have background check ... and third parties from the “foreseeable” to perform a thorough reference check acts of an employee. Employers can be of previous employers. But, many times, held liable for facts that are known or, very importantly, that is not enough. should have been known regarding an employee’s character According to a survey we conducted with BTA members, or job-related experience. It is usually what should have only 41 percent of respondents said they conducted criminal been known, but was not, that is the issue. background checks. Seventeen percent said they “someNegligent hiring is based on the principle that employers times” conducted background checks. One of the essential have an obligation to protect their employees and clients steps to reducing risk is that the employer, or a qualified from injury caused by other employees. Negligent hiring can employment background screening company, conducts a occur when a company fails to do its due diligence by not background check on the prospective employee. The contacting an employee’s former employers to check refer- employer must ensure this check does not reveal any inforences or by not conducting a thorough criminal background mation that reasonably demonstrates the unsuitability of the check prior to hiring an individual. prospective employee for the specific work to be performed

Do you crunch the numbers, or do the numbers crunch you? service revenues to inventory management and an action plan for implementation — with the short-term goal of achieving a minimum of 14% operating income. You can achieve these results by monitoring 24 key benchmarks and making strategic shifts as discussed in the program.

Start planning for improved profitability today! Send all of your strategic decision makers to ProFinance — it’s an investment in your company that will help you relieve the end-of-the-month crunch.

To register for ProFinance or get more information on pricing and quantity discounts, visit www.bta.org/ProFinance or call BTA at (800) 843-5059.

T

he BTA ProFinance course will teach you how to set the strategy, track critical performance measures and manage your assets according to a proven business model designed to improve the profitability of your company.

2010 workshop date & location: Nov. 10-11, 2010 Las Vegas, Nev.

Instructors John Hanson and John Hey of Strategic Business Associates take a holistic approach to the redirection of your business — from sales rep compensation and projecting ProFinance is designed for owners and executive-level staff who make the critical business decisions that impact your company’s success. Some OEMs reimburse for ProFinance tuition through advertising co-op or professional development funds. Check with your OEM. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 | 23

Outlaw Oct 10:Outlaw Oct 10

10/4/10

11:38 AM

Page 12

Once this is determined, the employer or for employment in general . It is Reducing your risk must consider the nature and gravity of important that employers perform their his offense(s). Other factors to consider due diligence by conducting background involves doing your due are the amount of time that has passed checks on every employee hired, regarddiligence before you since the arrest or conviction, and the less of the size of their workforce or even hire someone and typ e of position b eing sought. For if they think they “know” the individual. exercising effective example, there are different requireMany people do not conduct backmanagement and ments for a position that is closely superground checks on people they know. prudent judgement ... vised without access to merchandise or However, employment processes need cash compared to a position where the to be consistent. Some do not conduct checks on part-time or lower-level employees, but the lia- individual has little supervision, a high level of interaction bility is the same. Many employers are less stringent with others, including customers and, possibly, easy access throughout the hiring process, creating greater potential for to cash. In summary, if in doubt about whether a situation liability. No employer is immune from a lawsuit resulting could be considered a problem, contact your legal counsel.

Negligent entrustment applies especially to situations from negligent hiring practices.

While we may live in an era of instant gratification, when it where an employee is using a company vehicle or is being comes to providing a criminal background history, “quick” compensated for the use of his vehicle and is in pursuit of the does not always equal “thorough.” Most of the “instant” compa- company’s business. The employer has the obligation to nies, especially those on the Internet, merely search a national ensure that employees operating vehicles for the company will database. While that may sound impressive, it is not. Due to be safe. Typically, most companies check an individual’s motor the fact that there are no federal laws dictating how often a vehicle history to verify he has a history of safe operation. This county or state must upload current information, these so- is not enough to protect the company. Even if the individual called “nationwide searches” are merely searching a database has his own insurance and is simply receiving a car allowance, that has a lot of holes. These searches may be allowed without it is prudent to check his driving record. Unless you have an proper approval of the applicant and may leave important easy, accurate way of being notified when offenses occur, it is areas unchecked. A thorough search verifies the individual’s necessary to recheck driving records periodically. Most comname (all names used, including nicknames and maiden panies recheck on an annual or semiannual basis.

Reducing your risk involves doing your due diligence names) and date of birth to ensure all possible matches are considered. It even checks the individual against the National before you hire someone and exercising effective manageSex Offender Registry, any state or local registry and the Ter- ment and prudent judgment afterward. It means you should rorist Watch List. This information gives you the full picture of take smart actions, including doing a thorough examination the person you are considering employing and giving access to of the candidate through interviews, pre-employment assessments, checking references and, most importantly, by other employees and customers.

An Internet search will provide links to thousands of com- conducting a thorough criminal background check. panies willing to perform your criminal background checks, Wayne Outlaw is president of the Outlaw Group Inc. The but not all companies are created equal. One of the most organization provides innovative staffing service and sales important factors in selecting a company is to ensure that productivity systems for office technology companies. Outlaw is the company you select adheres to the Federal Fair Credit the author of the book, “Smart Staffing: How To Hire, Reward Reporting Act (FCRA). Part of this adherence includes a And Keep Top Employees To Grow Your Company.” If you would requirement of written permission from your candidate for a like a copy of the “Conducting Background Checks” white paper, release of information, specifically a criminal background e-mail tamara@outlawgroup.com. It provides the details you check. In addition to the FCRA guidelines, it is important need to determine what checks are needed, that you, or the company you retain to do the check, knows how to understand the information you will and follows any additional state and local regulations. receive and how to ensure you are lawfully If conviction information is used in the hiring process, the doing these checks. Outlaw can be reached at employer has specific obligations. First, the company must (800) 347-9361 or wayne@outlawgroup.com. verify the applicant is the person who has committed the act.

Visit www.outlawgroup.com.

24 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

25OT1010:21OT0810

9/30/10

11:08 AM

Page 26

Announcing the two newest options in the FACSys® family of products Whether cloud-based or premise-based content management is right for your customers, we have all the bases covered in addition to customer faxing needs.

FACSys® DM Powered by Intact SMART

FACSys® CONNECTOR FOR Box.net

GET SMART - with FACSys® DM and Intact SMART™

Centralized Repository for easy Storage & Sharing

™

FACSys® DM is the latest evolution of our popular FACSys® appliance product line.

We’ve combined the robust fax messaging capabilities of FACSys with Intact SMART - a powerful and easy-to-use document management software - to produce a solution that meets all of your document handling needs.

The FACSys® Connector for Box.net utilizes Box.net’s cloud content management solution to receive fax messages, allowing users to send documents directly to their Box folders from any FACSys client or connector - including our extensive family of MFP connectors.

Powerfu l busine enough for ss.

Easy en ough fo r anyone .

Now virtually any MFP can scan documents directly to Box.net!

We have an extensive collection of MFP connectors including:

1.866.436.3278

www.emfast.com

Highlights Oct 10:Highlights Oct 10

10/4/10

9:04 AM

Page 25

BTA HIGHLIGHTS BTA would like to welcome the following new members to the association:

Dealer Members Accent Imaging, Raleigh, NC AllTech Business Solutions, Kenilworth, NJ Cobb Technologies, Richmond, VA Datarite, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada Digital Business Solutions, Ft. Smith, AR K-O-P-I, Jefferson City, MO Office Equipment Center, Plantsville, CT Office Value Inc., Dunn, NC United Office Solutions, New York, NY Service Associate Members Crawford Thomas - Business Solutions Recruitment, Lake Mary, FL For full contact information of these new members, visit www.bta.org.

For the benefit of its dealer members, each month BTA features two of its Vendor or Service Associate members in this space.

BTA Vendor Associate member Digital Gateway is the maker of e-automate business management software, which helps dealerships manage everything from accounting to service dispatch.

The company was founded in 1995 by Jim Phillips and a group of systems integrators.

More than a decade later, e-automate has become the fastest growing dealer management software in the office equipment industry and is making a dramatic difference in the way independent dealers conduct business. www.digitalgateway.com

2010 BTA Benchmarking Series BTA has released the 2010 Benchmarking Series reports. The results are based on data provided to BTA in 2010 by current and former members. The Finance Report compares key income statements and balance sheet indicators of dealerships to the recommended benchmarks as taught in ProFinance.

The Compensation Report provides detailed salary information on a wide variety of positions, from the executive level to administration level. The Service Report tabulates and compares median industry performance by size of business and geographical area.

Available to all members, the 2010 Benchmarking Series reports can be found at www.bta.org/2010BenchmarkingSeries.

For more information on BTA member benefits, visit www.bta.org.

26 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

BTA Service Associate member BEI Services has been helping companies reduce costs and improve profitability for 15 years.

BEI Services offers progressive-thinking companies a concrete program of performance benchmarking and technician compensation programs. BEI provides the only accurate and verifiable database of machine performance statistics in the world. BEI is totally independent and it reports the performance of each unit based on the service call activity of copier dealers around the world. www.beiservices.com A full list of BTA Vendor and Service Associate members can be found online at www.bta.org.

Goldberg Oct 10:Goldberg oct 10

10/4/10

9:08 AM

Page 26

COURTS & CAPITOLS

Business Fraud Be mindful of your company finances by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

hen business is good and profits are strong, business owners’ good moods often cause them to relax their vigilance to the bottom line. When economic conditions are bad, employees become desperate to make ends meet and often find the solution at their place of employment. Either way, fraud and embezzlement are, and should be, a significant concern of small businesses. A recent call to the BTA Legal Hotline reminded me it was time to alert you again.

A long-time and trusted employee of the dealer had used the company credit card to purchase more than $50,000 in merchandise for herself and her family. The employee had convinced the owner that by purchasing many company items with a credit card, he could reap the benefits of points and bonuses at no additional cost. In addition, the credit card had extended payment options. The owner found the plan brilliant. He tracked the points and used them to reward himself, his employees and his customers. What the owner failed to closely monitor were the charges being incurred.

Thirty-one percent of all business fraud in the United States is carried out in companies with fewer than 100 employees. Due to the smaller revenue of these businesses, the impact is even greater. Often, an internal embezzlement or fraud can be the difference between profit and loss. Small businesses are easy targets, as they often have fewer financial controls in place. The BTA member allowed his controller to both open and pay the bills. There was no one looking to see what purchases were being made. Had a credit card statement not come in while the employee was on vacation, the fraud could be continuing today.

There are several steps you can take to protect yourself.

First, it is important to divide tasks among employees and change their responsibilities periodically. This may require the employment of an additional individual, but the cost may be far less than the cost of fraud. One person should open the mail, one should review the accounts payable and another should actually pay the accounts. As an owner, limit those who may sign checks and require backup with every check request.

Review the backup prior to signing the check. Complacency and routine are your worst enemy.

Bring in an outside accountant at least once a year to review your financial records. Insist on everyone using his (or her) vacation time. Dishonest individuals do not wish to take

W

time off, as their fraud may be discovered while they are gone.

Watch for sudden changes in an employee’s lifestyle. Embezzlers tend to quickly spend money they have taken.

As you may have noticed in recent news regarding an Apple Computer employee, kickbacks should be a concern as well.

The supplier receives the order, your employee receives a kickback and you pay extra and are deprived of a competitive transaction. Watch for close relationships between your employees and vendors.

As an owner, be sure you open company bank statements.

The balances are not always as important as the actual check images. See if the payee or amounts have been altered since you signed them. Check receipts for deposits of both federal and state taxes. Since the government does not contact you within 30 days of your failure to pay, this fraud can go undetected for an extended period. The fact that the funds were stolen does not relieve you of the obligation to pay the taxes. Add-on penalties and interest are even more expensive.

Business fraud is growing. Be mindful of your business and, most importantly, your finances.

Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the Business Technology Association.

He can be reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com. w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 | 27

Amy Oct 10:Amy Oct 10

10/4/10

9:16 AM

Page 26

MPS STRATEGIES

‘Stage Three’ MPS What makes you different from competitors? by: Darrell Amy, Dealer Marketing Systems

y now, just about every competitor in your market is talking about managed print services (MPS). So, what makes you different? If your competitive advantage centers around a predictable pitch (“We provide better customer service than our competitors.”), you are in trouble.

How can you differentiate yourself from the competition? And, once you have an MPS client, how can you drive additional sales in the account? The Photizo Group refers to “Stage Three” MPS engagements as solutions sales that take into account the customer’s business processes. In Stages One and Two, the focus is on devices. In Stage One, the goal is to control the fleet. In Stage Two, the goal is to optimize the fleet. With the first two stages complete, the next opportunity is to optimize workflow.

Stage Three involves assessing the client’s business processes and applying technology to streamline the flow of information through these processes. Stage Three engagements take the focus off of software and put it on workflow management.

You may be saying, “That sounds good, but we are nowhere near being able to deliver comprehensive document solutions.”

That may be true. However, you can take steps to begin to position yourself as an expert in Stage Three while you develop competency. In reality, while you may use Stage Three to differentiate yourself in the sales process, it will be some time before you actually engage in Stage Three implementations.

Here are four ways you can leverage Stage Three solutions to differentiate your company from other MPS providers: Position yourself for success — The first step is to make sure you are seen as a credible source of Stage Three solutions.

Your Web- and print-based marketing materials should clearly articulate your offerings and credibility in this area.

An important place to start is with your website. Make sure that your site contains information on the solutions you provide. And when we talk about solutions, we are not talking about software partners. We are talking about what you can do to help a client improve its workflow.

The same message should be present in your sales collateral and marketing materials. You can start talking about workflow in your MPS presentation to tee the ball up for future discussions.

B

28 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

Enhance your account review process — Once you take a client’s fleet under management in Stage One, the goal is to optimize its fleet in quarterly/semi-annual reviews in Stage Two. However, once you have optimized the company’s fleet and replaced or consolidated old devices with new MFPs, the question becomes, “What now?” Stage Three offers you the opportunity to continue the quarterly review process by moving the focus from the flow of documents through the client’s output devices to the flow of information through their business processes.

Get educated — To make this happen, you need to develop a plan to expose your MPS reps to document solutions selling. Once MPS sales reps have mastered fleet assessments and optimization, the next development step is to teach them how to conduct business process assessments.

At this point, the temptation will be to send them to software vendor training. While they need to have an understanding of your key document management software partners, the core skills they need are analyzing business processes and finding problems. In training solutions sales specialists over the past seven years, I have learned this is the most overlooked skill that can deliver the biggest results.

Develop a plan — All of this requires a solid strategic plan. Your company cannot become an expert in Stage Three engagements overnight. However, a good plan executed over the course of two years could set your company in a solid position for future success. At that point, Stage Three engagements could become a key part of your sales strategy and a solid contributor to your bottom line.

Start now by asking yourself the question: “What makes us different from other MPS competitors?” Then, start updating your marketing to position yourself for future success.

Darrell Amy is president of Dealer Marketing Systems, which provides websites, newsletters and search engine optimization services to office technology dealers. He can be reached at damy@dealermarketingsystems.com or (214) 224-0050, ext. 101.

Visit www.dealermarketingsystems.com.

Carroll Oct 10:Carroll Oct 10

10/4/10

2:46 PM

Page 26

MPS STRATEGIES

Measuring Progress Use your pipeline to evaluate your MPS program by: Ed Carroll, Strategy Development

y now, I hope your business is engaged in offering managed print services (MPS) and you have closed a few opportunities.

Or, if you have had a program for a few years, I hope you are well on your way to adding significant aftermarket revenue to your organization.

If you are focused on a program that will drive significant revenues and profits for your organization, you have hired resources dedicated to this effort. You have provided the training for them and they are on their way to driving new opportunities for your business.

They are getting appointments with your current customers or new prospects to talk about MPS, resulting in assessments and some signed contracts. All of this activity is encouraging and gives you confidence that your MPS program is poised to become a significant part of your business now and into the future. But how do you really know if this is the case? How do you measure your progress?

Progress in any program can be measured in a number of different ways. You can look at the number of assets under contract and see that the numbers are growing. You can look at the recurring revenue and measure the growth month over month. You can also look at your profit margins and measure the healthiness of the margins you are realizing. Or, you can look at the number of assessments you are performing and see the growth in assessments (although this might not be the best approach to measure progress). Any one of these areas could point to a program that is growing, increasing its penetration in the markets you serve and becoming a significant contributor to your overall results.

The problem with looking at the results you enjoyed is you are reviewing the past and there is no assurance that this progress is sustainable. Many of you may have seen the IBM commercial on television about the IBM user studying traffic patterns at a busy intersection. He explains that while it is important to know what the traffic patterns are, he asks if traffic patterns are a good basis for evaluating whether it is safe to cross the street. He goes on to say that companies that

B

make decisions based on historical results are not equipped to compete effectively in today’s markets. We need information relevant to the immediate situation. We need instantaneous results. IBM is working on ways to capture this information for businesses to effectively compete in its markets.

Unfortunately, I am not writing to tell you that I have an MPS solution that IBM is working on that will give you a clear understanding of th e progress and outlook for your program . But I do believe there is a more effective way to m easure th e sustainabi lity of y our program than just reviewing the results.

A thorough review of your pipeline (i.e., the number of opportunities and the phase of each opportunity in the sales cycle), is a much more effective way.

Experience has shown that MPS has a longer sales cycle than the traditional equipment sale. If you follow Strategy Development’s recommended approach, you are focused on a service contract with a fleet size of 30 or more printers. With this approach under normal conditions, it will take 60 to 90 days to close an MPS opportunity. This is from the point when you first engage with the customer until the proposal has been approved for implementation. The process is long because of the number of steps involved and the importance of building a business case. If you are only looking at past results to measure your progress, you could be looking at data that is not relevant to the sustainability of your program. In fact, looking at this data may give you a false sense of security and will not prepare you for the challenges you may face ahead.

Measuring and tracking your pipeline is a very effective tool to track the sustainability of your program. When looking at your pipeline, you need a method for determining the validity of the information contained in the pipeline. You first need to know that there are enough opportunities that assure, within reason, the likelihood of closing one agreement per month per specialist. With a targeted market of 30-plus printers, this w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 | 29

Carroll Oct 10:Carroll Oct 10

10/4/10

2:46 PM

Page 27

means there should be enough opportunibeyond the 90-day period, then the number Like from assessment ties identified to close at least one $1,500 of first appointments (value propositions) monthly contract per specialist. Since not comes into play. If you are looking beyond to proposal and all opportunities close, how many oppor90 days, you need to have at least eight proposal to contract, tunities are n eeded to close on e per appointments set for each 30-day period there is a 50 percent month? The answer lies in what stage of beyond this term. So, for the fourth month fallout. Therefore, eight the sales cycle the opportunities are in. out, you would look to see at least eight appointments ... result If you are looking at the next 30 days, appointments set for the next 30 days. The in one signed contract. you should have at least two proposals to reason for this is the same as above — present or scheduled to be presented in fallout. Like from assessment to proposal the next two weeks to have a good chance to close one in this and proposal to contract, there is a 50 percent fallout. Thereperiod. This is because there is a 50 percent fallout between fore, eight appointments produce four assessments, which proposal and acceptance. produce two proposals, which result in one signed contract.

Looking at the 90-day window, you should have at least 12 Measuring your pipeline is a very effective way to evaluate opportunities identified that are in the assessment, strategy or the progress of your program. It gives you insight as to the proposal phases. This means the specialist can identify at least activity level, the opportunities identified and, most impor12 opportunities where the assessment is in progress, the tantly, the sustainability of the results you have enjoyed to this strategy review is scheduled or the proposal meeting has been point with your MPS program. arranged. Why 12? I have already mentioned the fallout Ed Carroll is a principal at Strategy Development, an advanced management consulting firm engaged in sales leadership, between proposal and signed agreements is 50 percent. In managed print services, operational efficiency, service addition, there will be additional fallout of 50 percent between productivity and business planning. Clients include equipment the assessment and proposal stages. If you conduct four qualimanufacturers and dealerships (large and small) focused on fied assessments, only two will result in proposals. And, as equipment and service in the document and stated above, only one will result in a signed agreement. Four imaging industry throughout North America. assessments produce one signed agreement, and if the sales Carroll can be reached at cycle is 60 to 90 days, then you need three times the number of (703) 722-2973 or assessments identified in the next 90 days to have a reasonable chance to close one contract in each of the next three months. carroll@strategydevelopment.org.

Finally, if you are looking at the pipeline continuing to build Visit www.strategydevelopment.org.

ADVERTISER INDEX 19 • BTA Marketplace

25 • emFAST

21 • Niche Equipment

(800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org/BTAMarketplace

(866) 436-3278 / www.emfast.com

(877) 446-4243 / www.nichee.net

23 • BTA ProFinance

7 • Epson

31 • Strategy Development

(800) 843-5059 / www.bta.org/ProFinance

http://epson.com/ImageWay

(610) 527-3317 / www.strategydevelopment.org

2 • BTA Southeast District Event

13 • FMAudit

3 • Supplies Network

(800) 234-8996 / www.btasoutheast.org

(573) 632-2461 / www.fmaudit.com

(877) 427-3261 / www.suppliesnetwork.com

15 • Computhink

32 • GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.

25 • Union Technology

(800) 98-THINK / www.computhink.com/bta

(800) 234-8787 / www.greatamerica.com

(853) 28715020 / www.union-tec.com

11 • Digital Gateway

9 • Kyocera Mita America

(866) 342-8392 / www.digitalgateway.com

www.kyoceramita.com

5 • DocuWare

17 • Marlin Leasing

(888) 565-5907 / www.docuware.com

www.marlinleasing.com

30 | w w w . o f f i c e t e c h n o l o g y m a g . c o m | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

Strategy Development ad Jan 10:Layout 1

12/2/09

12:35 PM

Page 1

Moving revenue around made my service department look more profitable, but it had no impact on my bottom line: I need a consulting firm that understands my entire business!

At Strategy Development, the sustained success of our clients is our top priority.

As the only fully integrated consulting firm in the imaging industry, everything we do has to have a positive impact on your bottom line profits. Whether improving service gross profit, launching an MPS initiative, improving the purchase order to cash cycle or putting a business plan in place to grow market share, our focus is on your success as measured by revenue and operating income improvements. One area cannot suffer to make another look successful.

Contact us and join the most successful companies in the industry.

610.527.3317 www.strategydevelopment.org

GreatAmerica ad July 10:32OT0408

6/17/10

8:19 AM

Page 1

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Fulton, MO 65251 Permit #38

Office Technology Magazine Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.officetechnologymag.com www.bta.org

)&-1*/( :06 (&5 5)&3& (3&"5".&3*$"

(SFBU"NFSJDB JT DPNNJUUFE UP IFMQJOH ZPV BDIJFWF HSFBUFS TVDDFTT CZ QSPWJEJOH GJOBODJOH TPMVUJPOT BOE DPNQMFNFOUBSZ CVTJOFTT TFSWJDFT

Executive Team Business Planning to help

INTRODUCING

you develop, sell, manage and grow your Managed Print Services initiative.

Your guide to MPS success

Sales Training to teach the MPS sales process and develop teams with advanced deal crafting and interactive best practice sharing.

800.234.8787 | www.greatamerica.com/Navigator