Thinking About the Fleet of One

Thinking About the Fleet of One

At Photizo we know that MPS is migrating downmarket. Both our research data as well as anecdotal evidence point to the increasing awareness and acceptance of MPS in the SMB category. In the first years of our key end-user research piece, the Decision Maker Tracking Study, we targeted companies with 250 or more employees. That was where the vast majority of the business was, and that was where the client interest was. Last year, we expanded the study to include companies with 50 or more employees.

Is 50 the definitive entry point? No – the market will decide, not our (or anybody’s) research methodology. Will that downward migration continue? Yes – it’s just an educated guess, but we see no reason why such a progression would stop. In fact, we see a healthy level of interest in that corner of the market as more vendors develop systems and offerings to address the smaller SMB segment.

And maybe the most intriguing question of all: will those systems and processes serving smaller client organizations look anything like the MPS programs currently available? No – simply put, no.

In the most extreme case, some vendor may even take a look at the individual user, the famed “fleet of one.” This is not even my own phrase, I have heard it from one of the established MPS vendors. So it’s already on somebody’s mind. Hmmm . . .

What would an MPS offering and support structure look like in the smallest of all granular installations? Let’s consider a fleet of one, used in a small (or home) office for business purposes.

Planning – the assessment is pretty straightforward, but nonetheless a necessity. I don’t need to track complex data and document flows across a distributed fleet, but I still need to know what the client is producing and printing. Ever see a realtor printing a set of exposes on an inkjet device? Wonder if there is any optimization opportunity there . . .

So we don’t need a personal walkaround (that was fast!), but some form of questionnaire would be useful. What sort of printing/copying/scanning/faxing is going on? Color needs, volume ranges? These all build a picture of what the usage pattern is and could be in the future.

Fulfillment – simple delivery and installation, above all. Just last week, I installed a new MFP. All by my lonesome, I set up the device and the network connection and am now printing from one PC and two MACs. I’m tech literate, but not a techie. That’s the kind of unit you need to have (it’s a Canon, by the way)! Also, the simplest of page-based contracts should suffice – no minimum, infrequent billing cycles, etc. And maybe, just maybe, that vendor should be looking at other non-document devices and processes. Is there such a thing as entry-level stage 4?

Support – low volume devices are meant to be low touch, but some care and feeding must be built in. The contract has to cover it, and therefore the cost calculation has to cover it. The message will be: the vendor takes all the risk of performance and costs, just get on with your business.

Review – every good MPS engagement includes regular reviews, so that aspect should be included as well. But it’s a page, maybe two. Client growth outlooks should be solicited as well. Grow a little, add a machine – hey, you just doubled your fleet!

Is this overkill? Only if you believe there is no business to be found there, and only if you end up spending too much time on any individual customer. The key is to standardize and automate. The online printing company Vistaprint touches dozens of thousands of low-value print jobs per day, and the average “touch time” per order is just a few seconds. Building on the foundation of a well designed platform, they are profitable and growing. Possible for MPS? Why not?

Maybe this doesn’t sound interesting or even relevant? Well, keep this in mind: that entire planning, fulfillment and support infrastructure targets single users. But that does not necessarily mean single clients. Some larger companies rely strongly on home-based employees as part of their business. Has anybody cracked how to absorb those devices into an overall MPS contract? Wouldn’t that “fleet of one” philosophy and support infrastructure be a great place to start?

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