We hear it all the time at Standard Office Systems: “You’re my copier dealer; I didn’t even know you did IT services!”
It’s true. We have been in the IT game for some time now and we still have current customers who are unaware that we manage both. You may be asking yourself, why would an IT company also do copiers? The truth is that we have been a copier provider longer than a managed IT services provider. Simply put, copiers have been around longer than the need for IT service became commonplace in business. As office technology continued to evolve, having a company that could service all of a business' technology needs just made sense. So, is a managed service provider (MSP) better equipped to support your copier needs?
Another car analogy…
If you read our blogs, you probably know by now that we like car analogies. This is because they're so appropriate for what we do and are relatable to nearly every reader. So here's the analogy:
When your car has issues, you take it to a mechanic, right? Unless you love working on cars and have the equipment to do so, your answer was probably, “yes.” Do you take it to any mechanic? No. You take it to a mechanic you trust. But what constitutes trust? Believing that your mechanic is an expert on your brand of vehicle builds trust, and so does believing they will not rip you off. You would not take your Honda to a mechanic who only fixes Ford and Chevy. If he said, “I’ve never worked on a Honda before, but how different can they be?” it isn’t going to inspire a lot of confidence you will get your vehicle back better than you left it. Nobody wants to be someone’s guinea pig.
Your copier service should be viewed the same way. It makes sense to have the company who maintains your network be the same one who maintains the equipment connected to it (e.g. computers, personal devices, servers and… copiers). When everything is managed together, your support contact is centrally located and your technology runs smoother.
A different perspective...
Consider the scenario where you have an IT provider that doesn't provide any other line of business. Their specialty will be in IT-related areas, only. Now, I would be foolish to say that these companies are incapable of helping you meet your needs; however, it only makes sense that a company is most familiar with the lines of business they provide. So naturally, an IT provider who is in the copier game is going to be a better fit for addressing issues that will arise with your equipment in a timely manner.
"Wait a minute! If they only do one or the other, doesn't that make them more of an expert?"
It is easy to think that a company specializing in one expertise or the other means they are going to be better than a company who serves multiple lines of business (sort of a "jack of all trades, master of none" scenario). It is possible that a company exclusively specializing in IT, copiers or telephony is the best in the industry... but it doesn't guarantee it. A large IT provider may have 50 employees, but a company who provides more than one service may have 150 (with 50 also dedicated to IT). It isn't exactly a numbers game, but the truth is that larger companies often have comparable (and often more) resources at their disposal to run their various lines of business the correct way.
So, should my MSP by my copier provider?
The advantage is in the set-up that a MSP must have to function effectively. An IT provider will have a Network Operations Center (NOC), which allows them to offer support features that are simply not possible without one. In practice, it is overkill for your copiers. You don't have to have the support a NOC can provide your machines. But if your provider has the capability to fix nearly all issues with remote support and answer your service calls in less than 5 seconds, wouldn’t you use it? Having a MSP service your multifunction copiers and printers is a blessing in disguise; often, at no additional cost to you.
