Customizing MPS for Specific Vertical Markets
While it's good to have one or two standard MPS programs that you can roll out to virtually any customer, there is so much value you can bring by offering tailored or additional solutions to clients in specific vertical markets.
The January 2011 issue of The Imaging Channel magazine focuses on specific needs and trends in a variety of vertical markets. Our cover story features Reed Smith, a law firm with several offices across the U.S., that has greatly benefited from the MPS program offered by Océ. In a market that is so print-intensive, they can reap many benefits from the process streamlining and cost reductions that can accompany MPS. Of course, law firms need to bill their clients for prints generated, and although law firms generally have to already have this type of budgeting under control, MPS has the ability to automate the process and make the cost estimates more accurate. Value-adds for professional firms could include integrating MPS data with their industry-specific back-end systems, or helping them to comply with document security and privacy regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley for the financial industry.
Our January channel profile highlights Laser's Resource, an MPS provider that has a lot of success with clients in the health care industry. This market also requires a lot of document security procedures to comply with HIPAA, which is something that MPS companies can help out with. There are also opportunities for customized printing solutions, such as prescription printing, form printing, and wristband printing. One software application for the health care industry that was highlighted in one of our previous issues is Lexmark Downtime Reports; this software allows health care providers to access critical patient forms and reports when the network is down, directly from certain Lexmark devices. In an industry where privacy and reliable access to information is extremely critical, there are many opportunities for customized solutions.
Another vertical market with unique needs is the education market. Particularly in large university or college settings, there is a complex printing network that requires print charges to be billed back to the appropriate users or departments, and a population of students who often print using prepaid swipe cards. Equitrac is one company that specializes in several software solutions designed for specific vertical markets, including education, health care, and professional firms.
In every issue of The Imaging Channel magazine, we have a vertical market profile from Lyra Research. This issue, they will be providing us with a comparative analysis of printing hardware installations in three vertical markets. Looking at hardware installation trends reminds us that there is no single solution for every type of business. While it may be cheaper for many people to share one larger printer, in some cases this just isn't an option. Geographically dispersed locations and the need for highly confidential prints means some users require convenience printers.
Having a basic understanding of how users print in a specific vertical market, and being able to offer them additional, industry-specific solutions, will give you an advantage in the marketplace. Subscribe to The Imaging Channel magazine to get our January issue focused on targeting specific vertical markets.
Posted on 11/30/2010