Every business runs into having to get their equipment replaced or updated. Technology can quickly grow outdated, and sometimes equipment runs its course, spurring the need for a replacement. Print and IT equipment should be refreshed routinely on a three-to-five-year cycle, depending on part availability, warranty coverage, and support.
According to statistics from Smithers, the print and IT equipment market is forecast to reach $15.75 billion by 2026. This marks how continuously the market grows and how relevant print and IT equipment is to many businesses. Researching and obtaining new technology for your business may seem overwhelming and tedious, but providers like Usherwood Office Technology aim to make the sales process for our clients an accessible, inclusive, and reliable one.
What Does Usherwood's Sales Process Look Like?
Whether you're a new client or have been with us for a while, Usherwood guides our customers through the whole sales process of obtaining new equipment for your business. Whether print or IT equipment, Usherwood creates a customized plan towards optimizing your technology and works with you throughout the sales process.
Consultation
The first step in any sales process is an introductory conversation. This assures Usherwood gets to know your company and assesses what needs your business has and what goals you want to achieve. The consultation allows our company to identify your business's pain points, what the best course of action to take may be, what equipment you have, what your environment looks like, and ultimately builds how the rest of the plan will look for your business.
On-Site Visitation and Discovery
Being able to physically access your workspace to take a deeper dive into your environment helps our experts gather more details on the intricacies of your daily operations and the workflows you're currently utilizing. With this visit, we can also gauge areas in your daily operations where you would like to see improvements and leverage new technology and applications to meet these needs.
Budgeting
A crucial step in any sales process is discussing pricing and budgeting plans. When it comes to investing in new technology, we assess both long-term business goals over the next three to five years with present-day financial status. We want to ensure the technology we recommend can adapt and grow with your business to meet your long-term goals. We gauge your company's current financial status and what the best course of action would be in terms of the budget and future updates to the technology as well.
Once we understand these details, we introduce our Odyssey Navigator. Our navigator displays Usherwood's lines of business and provides a general overview of your current equipment financials and what observations were made during the consultation and discovery phases.
Afterward, we pull you into a discussion of what equipment may work best with your business needs and what fits with your budget plan. We also discuss whether purchasing or leasing the needed equipment would better fit your company in the long run regarding your budget.
We prepare this with our customers by immediately discussing the contract's duration or the equipment's term. Regularly with these machines, in three or five years, there will be annual increases to payment spurred by the manufacturers of the equipment. Each year it will go up 15%, so by year five or six, you may be paying a hefty price due to the significant cost of maintaining equipment.
You could print X copies daily and have to pay a higher amount. With Usherwood, we’re transparent from the beginning and provide a clear outlook on total cost of ownership based on today's volumes and output. We understand needs can change, and we regularly evaluate this with our customers to ensure their plan is reflective of current volumes.
We strive to maximize your productivity, efficiency, and overall business to the total capacity. We provide advice and suggestions when we feel updating or swapping equipment will be in your best financial interest. Sometimes, we’ll even suggest a downgrade if your current demand shows unused capacity. Ultimately, we aim to devise a step-by-step budget plan aligning with your present and future goals.
Transitioning and Installation
We understand the transition between old and new equipment may be stressful, especially when transitioning to a new provider. Usherwood keeps in touch with you throughout the entire process. Once the new equipment arrives, we schedule a time that works best for installation. We also assist and advise you when ensuring the old equipment is removed correctly and sent to the appropriate place. Whether that be the old provider, a new home, or a trusted place to recycle outdated or unusable equipment, we're with you every step. We provide a white-glove approach, from service to delivery to implementation.
There may even be times when old equipment is removed before you are scheduled to receive your new equipment. Turnaround for switching equipment can be anywhere from eight to twelve weeks on average. Still, your old provider may require equipment to be returned earlier than expected and can have a return date before your new equipment is scheduled to arrive.
However, we ensure your business won't have to pause its operations. If your business requires a rental piece to utilize in transitioning, Usherwood will provide you with what's needed to keep your business operations running. This is all planned well in advance to avoid surprises or loose ends.
Maintenance and Staying in Touch
The sales representatives from Usherwood typically check in with our clients and their equipment at least quarterly to ensure everything is running smoothly. We discuss how the equipment may work or not for your business needs, the productivity and efficiency, and plans for updates or maintenance depending on whether the machine was purchased or leased. Usherwood also assesses if the equipment could be swapped out for another piece that may prove more cost-efficient.
If the equipment ceases to function or there are functional issues, our service technicians and sales representatives will always be on standby, ready to assist whenever your business may need it in a pinch. We plan for the future with you so everything is laid out and organized. If anything needs changes or more attention, it can be managed in the appropriate amount of time.
How Does Usherwood Stand Out?
Usherwood has been an independent IT and office technology service provider since it was initially started in 1976. We have seventeen offices across the northeast and believe being an independent provider allows us to create a close business relationship with clients that you may not find from larger manufacturers. As a provider our clients depend on, we take the time and resources to research and evaluate the best products independent of one specific manufacturer.
Usherwood wants the best solution to fit your environment, workflows, and business needs. Everything we do is in the best interest of our customers, so we want to involve you every step of the way. To find ways Usherwood may be the provider to fit your business needs, visit our tech evaluation page.
