XPPS aims for success of MPS Partners

Xerox India’s important part of business is its Partners. Its partners play a major role in getting market feedbacks so that the company can enhance its products and services. The company is also planning to expand its partner base and tap on the SMBs in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Discussing all these, in a chat with VARINDIA, Balaji Rajagopalan, Executive Director- Technology, Channels & International Distributor Operations, Xerox India also discusses about the Xerox Partner Print Services, channel roadmap etc.      
 

Xerox has a very robust partner network which is critical to the company as it depends on them about the market feedback, consumer expectation etc. The partners are an important foundation of Xerox’s business.     

“Xerox is one organization in the marketplace which is truly partner driven, that means we operate only through our partner network. They form a crucial part of the Xerox India business and we rely on them to get to market feedback, customer expectations and a lot more. We have over 100 strong channel partner network in India that provides a backbone to our business to ensure consistent good work,” mentions Balaji.  

Further explaining he adds, “Our partner representatives take care of our office business which includes the entry level devices like Docucentre SC2020 and D series. We also have partners who are managing our production business, which is our graphic communication business. There are umpteen number of service providers (including OEMs, System Integrators, Channel partners etc.) in the market who offer managed print services, each having their own definition of what managed print services means. However, this is where Xerox leads globally. Xerox MPS (referred to as XPPS) offerings extend far beyond managing a fleet of output devices, providing an OPEX business model and driving down TCO for organizations, it penetrates into areas which directly have impact on core businesses and sustainability objectives of organizations. Xerox strives to enhance its partners’ profitability by introducing newer growth avenues.”

Xerox Partner Print Services (XPPS) 
XPPS is aimed at helping partners to grow. It provides partners   with everything that is needed to offer better managed print services to their customers.   
“Xerox Partner Print Services is a comprehensive managed print service solution providing remote monitoring of entire fleets of printing devices, proactive management and delivery of toner and service, and much more. It works for our partners whether they’re just getting started or seeking to expand their existing MPS business. Our partner services and support provide them with everything needed to deliver quality managed print services to their customers,” explains Balaji. 

The XPPS program includes training, certification etc. so that the knowledge and expertise will help partners to scale up their performance and business.  
“The number one priority of the Xerox Partner Print Services program is assuring the success of our MPS partners. That is why we include training, certification and accreditation requirements to assure you are equipped with the knowledge and expertise needed to scale your operations, close profitable sales and meet or exceed customer expectations. Training includes online courses and webinars. It is designed around easy-to-understand, step-by-step instruction that accommodates a variety of learning styles,” adds Balaji. 

Channel roadmap for 2018
Xerox is planning to penetrate deeper into Indian markets by taping SMBs in Tier 2 and 3 cities. It is also looking forward to expand its partner network and also improve their productivity.   

“We as an organization have been enjoying business through various coverage programs related to the MPS and XPPS space. So, we are definitely trying to expand the core to an intensity till which enables us to get more competitiveness for covering the market. 

Going forward, we plan to delve deeper into the Indian markets, tapping the SMBs in Tier 2 and 3 cities. We have rolled out products that are premium quality yet offering affordable costs. The new enhanced Xerox Color C70 and the ConnectKey enabled devices are such products. To further tap this market and reach more customers in more territories, we plan to appoint more partners. We already boast of over 150 partners, but now plan to not only increase the number but also help them improve their productivity.  We take their feedback very seriously and work on solving the problems our customers face. 

So, this is something that we do on a fortnightly basis. We examine the performances and keep them adding to the strength of the coverage piece through partners across the India. We also see good traction on Xerox Partner Print Services (XPPS) and are confident that it will add a layer to our bottom-line this year,” concludes Balaji.