01732 759725 48 Q: Which OEMs do you partner with and why? A: The three main OEMs we work with are HP, Canon and Lexmark/Xerox. The reason we use all three is that each vendor has its own strengths. HP has a truly global reach in the managed print space and offers a comprehensive portfolio, ranging from entry-level desktop singlefunction devices through to highspeed office production equipment. Canon also has a strong global presence and is widely regarded as a trusted and reputable brand. In addition, it has significant strengths in the reprographics market. In my opinion, Canon is by far the number one vendor when it comes to high-end reprographics hardware solutions. Lexmark, particularly following its integration and acquisition of Xerox, is continuing to expand its global reach. Its A4 product range is excellent and provides a strong option for many business environments. As a vendor-agnostic provider, we are able to recommend the solution that best suits the client’s specific requirements. Depending on the application, we can combine the strengths of different manufacturers to deliver the right outcome, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Q: What are your customers most interested in currently? A: I think a lot of it comes down to supplier consolidation and reducing the number of supplier relationships. Organisations are increasingly looking to procure more products and services through fewer suppliers. At Commercial, alongside our managed print services, which we refer to as digital workspace, we also offer smart technologies, including EV charging, voltage optimisation, and other green technologies. As organisations focus on reducing their supplier base, this puts us in a unique position to deliver a broader range of solutions under one roof. That provides both confidence and convenience for large organisations, as they can work with a trusted partner across multiple areas of their business. In fact, Commercial is taking the same approach internally. We have a dedicated supplier relationship management team, and historically we have worked with around 12,000 suppliers across the UK. We are actively looking to reduce that number. Q: How have you changed/are you changing business operations to exploit new opportunities? A: Green technology is a significant growth area for our business. When we’re engaging with clients, it gives us the opportunity to have conversations beyond managed print. We have also expanded our European operations and established a strong supply chain capable of supporting customers across the UK and all EMEA countries. I believe we are several years ahead of much of our channel and even some vendor competition in this area. Over the last three and a half years, we have worked tirelessly to build the infrastructure, processes and capabilities and as a result, we can now engage with enterprise and corporate organisations with confidence, knowing that we have the capability to supply, deliver and support managed print services across the UK and EMEA, and in some instances, on a global scale. Q: When selling MFPs, what are the most popular software solutions you provide and why? A: The main two solutions that we provide are PaperCut Hive and uniFLOW Online. Canon has released their SDKs which works really well as we can now install uniFLOW Online across all our OEM partners’ devices. Q: If you could change one aspect of your job, what would it be and why? A: I’d like everyone to be on the same time zone. My job isn’t 9 to 5; I work across multiple time zones and trying to fit everything into one working day is challenging! I can be on my first call at 6.30am and I’m often still working at 9pm. Q: How do you spend your week – time on phone, face to face meetings with customers etc.? A: There’s a lot of travel. I did 31,000 miles last year, which is just crazy. The majority of my time is spent on internal and external calls. I would say probably 80% of my calls are on Teams directly with end-users. Q: What would make your job easier? A: More people to help funnel the amazing pipeline we’ve got at Commercial! Finding and recruiting good people today is tough. Stephen Curtis, Head of Partnerships and Business Development, Commercial View from the channel Stephen Curtis Q&A
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