Xerox Corp. has introduced a bundled package of managed print services for the SMB market.
The new MPS Essentials Suite is designed to help members of the managed print accreditation program Xerox launched last July generate recurring revenue while helping customers digitize paper-based workflows, according to Ted Dezvane, senior vice president for managed document services at Xerox, which is headquartered in Norwalk, Conn.
“One of Xerox’s main goals/strategies is enabling partners to help small and medium size business owners improve productivity by helping to convert paper to digital formats and streamline workflows,” said Dezvane in comments emailed to ChannelPro. “Our new MPS Essential Suite gives companies the essential building blocks to add an MPS system to their business.”
The new bundle includes six services and applications, all of which are purchased online and hosted in the cloud, to simplify deployment and management.
The first of those components, called the Xerox Print Management and Mobility Service, provides mobile printing capabilities. Two additional components, called CapturePoint Transformer App and Xerox Scan to Cloud Email App, provide advanced scanning functionality, as does a third system named Xerox Easy Translation Service App that lets businesses automatically translate documents into more than 40 languages.
The final two component in the suite, called Firmware Connect App and Xerox Support Assistant App, deliver firmware updates and status information on service and supply requests, respectively.
Only devices in Xerox’s ConnectKey portfolio of intelligent, workflow-enabled office systems are compatible with the MPS Essentials Suite. When purchased together, the services and applications ithe that bundle are at least 50 percent cheaper, based on MSRP, than when acquired separately.
“Qualified channel partners can save money and improve profitability by taking advantage of Xerox buying power and the bundled pricing of the Xerox MPS Essentials Suite,” Dezvane says.
Only members of the Xerox MPS Accreditation Program can resell the MPS Essentials Suite.
“Any authorized partner with a focus on MPS and a skill set in MPS can be part of the accredited program,” Dezvane notes, provided that they clear minimum thresholds for devices under management. Accredited-level partners, for example, must have at least 150 registered Xerox devices. Master partners must have 500, and top-tier Master Elite partners must have 1,500.
“This requirement is to ensure the partner’s ability to focus on and drive MPS into the market,” Dezvane says.
Appropriately credentialed partners must finish an overview training course before selling the new suite. Resellers who wish to deploy the bundle’s mobile printing service must complete an additional self-paced course as well that typically takes 30 to 90 minutes.
“The Xerox Print Management and Mobility Service requires some additional training because it can be configured in different ways depending on the number of devices and the type of authentication option selected,” Dezvane explains.
Xerox significantly expanded its offerings for SMB customers last March when it rolled out 29 new single- and multifunction printers for small, midsize, and large workgroups in the largest product launch in the company’s then 110-year history.
The global managed print services market will grow at a 6.9 percent CAGR through 2025 to $49.7 billion, according to Grand View Research Inc.
