Managed Print Services (MPS) is Not Dead

Inking profits in a paperless world

Recent interviews with Mega Dealers and others are revealing not only a strong interest in MPS but ‘growth’ in volumes and contracts. Of course, even with a post-pandemic bump, most expect us to reach 80% of pre-Covid numbers.

Still, MPS is, “A profitable, viable solution today and the best pivot point for dealers of the future.” says Alex Cribby, founder at PowerMPS.

What’s more, in a confusing confluence of factors, overall print volume is “…declining at whatever, three, four, five, six percent…managed print is growing at six percent,” so says Frank Gaspari, CEO of Flexprint. By the way, Flexprint is experiencing 18% Y/Y growth and expects to reach $450 million in revenue by the end of the year. Not too shabby.

MPS is a pivot position into other services, not just IT. Moving into MPS begins the journey of building processes, infrastructure, and go-to-market savvy that is transferable into adjacent niches. The leap from selling copiers to managed print services is more challenging than getting into managed phone services or other managed service offerings. Once you transition to a solid managed print services offering model, shifting into other areas is less formidable.

We’ve been saying and hearing it for over a decade, Managed Print Services when done correctly, by focusing on the processes around our devices (instead of hardware and toner), is a driver of profits and an intersection for opportunity.

It isn’t too late. You can get into MPS today, and be bringing more profit by simply converting your existing transactional into contractual business. Interesting reflections, here.

– Greg Walters, Head Writer