The Scary Truth about Printer Company I.T. Services

You may have heard there’s an exciting new way to get I.T. services. Your printer/copier services company is offering to take care of all your technology issues. They promise they can give you a one-stop solution to all your I.T. needs. They say they can fix it all just as well as a managed services provider, but for less. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Sure, the idea of getting everything you need from one place is tempting. But, like many other temptations, this choice can lead to serious trouble. So, let’s break it down. What’s so bad about using a printer company to take care of your I.T.?

The Pitch

The printer companies that offer I.T. services have a very simple strategy: they lure you with low prices and reel you in with promises. They offer you I.T. services at a very low price. Then, they convince you they can do as good a job as your MSP. They tell you it will be simpler. After all, you’ll just be dealing with one company for both printer/copier services and I.T. services. They tell you, “Hey, we’re here anyway. We might as well take care of your network, too.”

Their Strategy

Printer companies want to break into the I.T. services market. They want it desperately. So much so that they lower their prices far below their true market value. The goal is to get as many new customers as possible to increase their market share. To make this possible, they let the printer side of their business subsidize all the losses on the I.T. side.

Now, does that make sense? To let your main business go to pot so you can break into a new area you’re not prepared to handle? Do you do that in your business? Probably not.

Another thing you’re probably not doing that printer companies are is burning through piles of cash while you’re in the process of figuring out how to deliver a new service. Printer companies are pouring cash into their I.T. services even before they know anything about it. It’s like pouring water through a screen. Nothing’s going to catch but a few droplets of inadequate knowledge.

The Reality

The truth is that printer companies simply aren’t equipped to supply what you need to keep your technology running smoothly and efficiently, and advance your business to the next level of success. That’s not a coincidence, either.

There are several important reasons why they fail to deliver on their promises.

1.    They Lack Experience

Printer companies know all they need to know about servicing your printers and copiers. They may have years or even decades of experience there. What they don’t have experience with is providing I.T. services. This is a new thing for them. It’s as if they’re fumbling around in the dark, trying to put their finger on what’s wrong with your network.

2.    They Fail to Grasp the Complexities of I.T. Services

Information technology is incredibly complex. Printer companies work with two types of equipment: printers and copiers. What’s more, those are both peripheral devices. That means they aren’t an essential part of the computer system. Your computer systems have many, many components. And, all those pieces have to communicate and work together to get the job done. This requires a level of understanding that printer companies just don’t have.

Here’s what happened to one business when they chose to get their I.T. services from a printer company. They were excited about the low price and convenience in the beginning. Then, everything went south.

They began having trouble with their content resource management system, but no one knew why. The printer company’s I.T. guy couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He checked everything he could think of, but it all seemed to be running. While the printer company’s guy kept telling them that everything was fine, employees couldn’t complete important projects. Things would work, then they wouldn’t, with no apparent rhyme or reason. The company began losing once-loyal customers who were fed up with the poor service they got. Their employees couldn’t accomplish their goals, became discouraged, and a few decided to move on to another company.

Frustrated, the business owner called his former MSP. What the managed services provider discovered was that it was neither the CRM software or any hardware that was bad. Instead, it was a problem in the way the computers were communicating with the servers — poor configuration. Seeing how quickly the MSP found the problem, the business owner immediately let the printer company know he was going back to the old provider.

3.    They Don’t Devote Any Resources to Developing I.T.

Printer companies are struggling to keep their heads above water when it comes to taking care of basic I.T. services. So, they aren’t ready to devote any resources to researching developing technologies. They don’t assign an I.T. team to R&D. They don’t invest anything in new technologies. Face it: they don’t have a clue about what’s coming tomorrow, much less next year.

Even if they do manage to fix your network today,  they don’t know how to advise you and prepare you for the months and years ahead. That puts you at an extreme disadvantage when you’re trying to do strategic planning for your business. They don’t know, so you don’t know either. 

4.    Internal Struggles Cause Instability

Because the company is letting its printer side lose money, their employees on that side of the business are in a bad position. They try to get ahead and make a profit, but everything they accomplish gets eaten up by the I.T. side. This causes internal strife and division between the two factions of the business. Soon, the company becomes unstable.

With no one pulling together anymore to keep the printer company afloat, the company abandons its I.T. services side and gets back to its unique selling proposition: printers.

Now, you have no I.T. services. Your equipment is failing, your systems are vulnerable to cyberattack, and you’re scrambling to find another provider. Is that what you want? Probably not.

What Great I.T. Is Really About

At this point, you might be wondering, “Well, if that’s what sub-par I.T. services are like, what do excellent I.T. services look like?” It’s different in just about every conceivable way.

Here’s what you can expect from a managed services provider that you can’t get from your printer company.

Practical Help

Managed services providers are very skilled in fixing equipment. Yet, they don’t need to spend as much time repairing things as you might imagine.  That’s because before you can even have a technology crisis, your MSP is in there identifying potential problems and taking preventative measures. If something unexpected does happen, they’re right there, ready to solve the issue before it can damage your business.

Are they better at fixing your equipment? Absolutely. They have the knowledge, experience, and dedication to the field that a printer company just doesn’t have. They go beyond merely fixing the obvious to finding and fixing the deeper source of the problem.

A Holistic Approach

An MSP looks at your technology as one complex system. So, rather than looking only for problems in one piece of equipment at a time, they stay aware of system-wide problems as well. Their approach is holistic, in that they see all your technology as the one integrated whole that it truly is.

Strategic Guidance

Maintaining the status quo isn’t enough to keep your business on top. If you’re like most savvy business leaders, you’re always planning strategically. Even as you do today’s job, you’re preparing for what’s going to be happening in your industry in the next months and years.

Printer companies don’t have the resources to do that. A managed service provider does. They not only make room in their company for R&D, but they’re dedicated to helping your business succeed in the long term. They keep you informed about developments in the I.T. field that might impact your business. Then, they help you work out a plan to face those challenges.

Are you concerned that your printer company will fail to deliver on their promises? Let our expert consultants at JMARK show you exactly how great I.T. services work. You can call us at 844-44-JMARK, email us at [email protected], or use our Contact Us form to get started.

JMARK is a managed services provider with over 30 years in the business. We have I.T. teams in our Springfield, Missouri headquarters as well as in Oklahoma and Arkansas available to help you improve your I.T. situation and reach your business goals.