OEM unveils new cloud solutions allowing partners to own and maintain MPS contracts directly.
UCStrategies reports on the launch of HP’s MPS Specialist Resell programme, which the company claims will improve efficiency and productivity in organisations and allow partners more freedom in dealing with MPS contracts.
Using cloud-based tools and sales options developed by HP, partners of the OEM will be able to control the MPS selling process as well as maintaining ownership of MPS contracts directly, eliminating the need for HP to act as an agent and for partners to seek investment in additional infrastructure.
HP announced that enhancements have been made to its ePrint Enterprise 2.2, HP Bundled Page, HP Relate and HP Express Decision Portal, which is a “cloud-based application that creates proposals and quotes generations as well as client invoicing, monitoring and account management”; linking customers, partners and HP support and working “as a single portal for services, supplies and maintenance for a variety of multivendor printers and MFPs”.
As part of the programme, customers will be offered supplies, services and parts for resale using the HP Bundled Page, ensuring a stable cost structure that can be priced competitively; while HP Relate acts as a customer communications management solution and delivers customised sales quotes, proposals, direct marketing and correspondences using Salesforce.
The programme also accommodates for mobile users, who are able to print securely from HP’s Good for Enterprise and a suite of Good mobile apps via HP ePrint Enterprise; while business content is able to be accessed anywhere and at any time following upgrades to HP’s Flow CM Professional, a cloud-based content management solution.
Channelnomics states that HP’s new resell programme will offer “a first step into managed print” as it will mean that “very little investment” is required of partners while HP “takes on the risk involved in providing consumables on a cost-per-page basis”. It will also help to build on the US’ MPS market which is reportedly at “about 25 percent penetration” but is growing at 18 percent per year for HP.
Michael Weir, Vice President and General Manager of Managed Services at HP, said: “There’s a crossover between traditional transactional and managed print towards the end of 2015. Managed print will be the dominant way that people buy their printing by 2016.”