Tigerpaw Software Inc. has shipped an updated edition of its PSA solution with enhanced functionality for providers of managed print services.
Available now, version 17.3 of Bellevue, Neb.-based Tigerpaw’s flagship product lets managed print service (MPS) providers levy base charges for metered and multi-metered accounts automatically if customers don’t reach contractually-defined minimum consumption levels.
Technicians can also raise pricing on meter groups by percentage or monthly amount, lock-in pricing to a specific date, and configure the system to issue alerts whenever customers hit pre-set usage increments or click quantities.
Those and other managed print features in the latest Tigerpaw release draw on integrations with leading third-party MPS platforms, including Kingston, Ontario-based PrintFleet Inc. and Calgary, Alberta-based Print Audit.
“It’s been really exciting to see the great work here by Tigerpaw to facilitate a business management model that empowers the convergence of managed print and managed services”, said Print Audit Vice President of Business Development West McDonald in a press statement. “Print Audit is excited to integrate with Tigerpaw to offer unparalleled device management monitoring and management. We think these updates really hit the mark.”
Tigerpaw’s customer base has long included a diverse mix of IT, print, audio/visual, and telco service providers, and its PSA platform has been steadily acquiring new print-specific functionality for years.
“The managed print services space is evolving,” said James Foxall, Tigerpaw’s president and CEO, in prepared remarks. “We are bringing our expertise in converged business solutions to help office equipment dealers evolve.”
In a 2016 interview with ChannelPro at Tigerpaw’s 2016 partner conference, Foxall advised IT-only channel pros to start offering managed print services or risk suffering the consequences. With previously distinct channels converging amid increased demand by SMBs for one-stop technology shopping, managed print providers are increasingly offering network management offerings, he noted, warning that traditional MSPs will find them potent competitors.
“These are well-run companies,” Foxall said. “They’re very good at sales, which we all know managed service providers can struggle at.”
The latest additions to Tigerpaw’s PSA solution are all available through Tigerpaw One, a bundled offering that provides access to the vendor’s entire family of core and add-on application modules for a single monthly per-user fee designed to be comparable to what most companies would otherwise pay for maintenance alone.
“Tigerpaw One is the only all-in-one tool that allows managed print providers to streamline both the office equipment services they’ve always provided, as well as their expanded services,” said Foxall in today’s press release. “Tigerpaw really is a game-changer for the long-term potential and success of office equipment dealers in this age of convergence.”
IT management software maker ConnectWise also sees channel convergence as a strategic opportunity. The Tampa, Fla.-based vendor has been addressing itself to “technology service providers” rather than managed service providers in recent years, to underscore that its solution is for print, telco, and audio/visual integrators as well as traditional IT firms.
