InfoPrint Solutions Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., is a global provider of digital output solutions that’s aiming to become the “go-to partner for partners,” to do business with.
Dan Boe, vice-president and general manager of InfoPrint Americas general office solutions, said he and his group is responsible for production print and associated software, consumables and maintenance services for the mid-market business space.
The company’s solutions are delivered throughout North America using a two-tier distribution model. Today, approximately 95 per cent of the business’ general offices sales flows through channel partners.
In addition to working with distributors Compu-Call, which is based in North Attleboro, Mass. and Peak Resources in Denver, the company also has a network of about 500 partners in the U.S. and Canada. In Canada, there are a total of 86 Solutions Partners, but Boe said the company wants this number to increase over the next two to three years.
“We see partners as an extension of our sales force,” Boe said. “We have approximately 14 territory managers throughout North America and a team of sales directors that work closely with our partners.”
The company has a partner program, known as the Solutions Partners Program, that’s been around for a few years. Most recently, when InfoPrint Solutions was a part of IBM, the program was known part of IBM’s Business Partners Program. IBM later established a joint venture with Ricoh and just last month, InfoPrint Solutions became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ricoh.
In an effort to gain more brand recognition and to grow its partner base, InfoPrint Solutions has revamped its partner program. Some of the enhancements include the introduction of three partner participation levels: Solutions Partner, Solutions Specialist Partner and Solutions Specialist Premier Partner. There’s also InfoPrint University and a new partner conference.
With InfoPrint University, partners can take part in online education courses or go onsite to the company’s U.S. campus in Boulder, Colo. Also under the InfoPrint Solutions Partner program is the Solutions Partner Conference, which offers partners hands-on sessions, hardware and solutions-focused tutorials.
Boe said the value proposition of InfoPrint for partners is that “InfoPrint has a very competitive program, relationships and incentives. Working with us is a good way to expand your portfolio and products. Our commitment as a business is to stay here and grow with our partners to be competitive in every facet.”
Some of the company’s product offerings include an Automated Document Factory (ADF), which helps organizations automate and control their entire print and mail operations environment, print-on-demand solutions, productivity solution suites and direct mail solutions.
“Our short-term goal is to establish ourselves as the go-to partner for partners,” Boe said. “It’s almost re-establishing us as a company in terms of getting our partners and customers to understand that we’re a viable option for them from a digital output standpoint.”
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