By West McDonald, Chair of the CompTIA Managed Print Services Community and Owner, FocusMPS and VP of Business Development for Print Audit

An expression used regularly by some in the high tech community castsa fairly negative shadow across the entire industry. The ‘sell it first, fix it later’ mentality is a detriment to everyone associated with the IT, managed print and telecom space. It errantly promotes the idea that tech companies either can’t or won’t fulfill the obligations they made to their customers. While those who work with quality providers and vendors understand thatsimply isn’t true, the misperception can make new customer recruitment much more difficult.

“Follow through” is an important responsibility for every business owner, but for tech companies that obligation is even more crucial. The services they provide for their customers can enable their systems and allows them to better manage their operations. Service providers who clearly outline their capabilities and set proper expectations with their clients are less likely to disappoint, and typically forge more secure, longer-lasting relationships.    

That level of commitment is essential when building a successfulManaged Print Services (MPS) practice. Since some business customers may not clearly understand exactly what the technologies involve, expectations are often a wild card. The term MPS tends to be thrown around rather loosely by providers, meaning their clients may have to take them at their word. It’s not a product that fits nice and tidy into a box, so it tends to be a “buyer beware” offering.

Many companies claim to offer managed print servicesbut their clients may not find out what they really can do or can’t do until after they sign a contract. That can be a pretty difficult situation to get out of, which is why channel partners should offer some level of assurance relating to the services they offer. That’s precisely what a recognized business credentialdelivers.

For example, companies that receive theCompTIA Managed Print Trustmarkcommit to a standard set of services and follow well-established industry guidelines. That assurance is critical to the success of providers, vendors, consultants and customers of MPS. After 11 years working in this segment, I’d estimate that only 20-25% of the companies that claim to deliver true managed print services actually do. With such a loose definition around MPS, it’s created an almost Wild West mentality.

The CompTIA Trustmark helpsensure that customers are getting true managed print services. It sets a minimum level of expectation for the deliverables your clients receive, and helps providers and other MPS professionals elevate and differentiate their businesses.

A Small Investment in Time Delivers Big Results

What makes the CompTIA Managed Print Trustmark so valuable for providers? First of all, recipients have to be bonafide managed print companies to make it through successfully. Organizations that simply offer cost-per-page billing and call it managed print services will have to expand their offerings or partner with others to qualify. Companies that justifiably feel they do deliver the “M” in MPS should have no problem at all.

Few things that are worthwhile come easy, and the Managed Print Trustmark program is no exception.

The process includes a broad but comprehensive assessment that ensures applicants actually offer all the standard elements of MPS. This is conducted online and can be completed as time allows.

Those who partner with other Managed Print Trustmark holding companies to deliver parts of their MPS services may be able to skip that part of the exam and expedite the process. So be sure to check with your delivery partners before starting the application.

The assessment part of the application process took approximately three hours for my company, with a few more hours over a couple days spent gathering the evidential paperwork. For example, you’ll have to show that your invoices are properly set up for cost per page billing and document your methodology for conducting managed print assessments. It may take longer for some larger organizations to gather those materials, but we completed the entire Trustmark application in roughly seven hours.

MPS professionals CAN expect to get a lot of support from peer organizations during the application process. If you ask for assistance, it will come swiftly. As Chair of the Managed Print Services Community, I can attest to the collaborative support of our membership. I addition to actively promoting the business credential, we helped develop a Quick Start Guide to the Managed Print Trustmarkto detail and simply the process for applicants.

A Valuable MPS Credential

The Managed Print Trustmark was created with the help of many industry professionals. That included contributions from small managed print services providers, large enterprise providers, OEMs, software vendors and leasing companies. It’s a comprehensive program thanks to the broad expertise that went into its design. That means that, once completed, Trustmark holders have something tangible to present to their customers. Call it the gold standard if you will.

It gives MPS professionals real confidence in the services their organization provides and it gives them immediate credibility with others in the industry. As soon as I mention my ‘CompTIA’ Managed Print Trustmark to someone involved in IT they understand its value based on their experience with the associations industry standard certifications. As I evolve my own practice to help bridge the gap between managed print services and managed IT, the credential’s credibility has been very helpful.

For example, my company is helping to merge a large IT infrastructure and managed print services company.Though originally planning to work with another provider, they selected FocusMPS after the CompTIA Trustmark came up in our conversations. That fairly large partnership may not have existed if I had not for the leverage of my Trustmark.

The credential not only sets realistic expectations for MPS, but makes it easier to deliver. That commitment builds trust with customers and prospects, and long-lasting sales opportunities.