In our most recent issue, we posed questions around AI adoption to industry experts, who shared some valuable insights into uptake, adoption and opportunities

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in the June issue of Dealer Support

Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from concept to practical application across the workplace technology sector, and for dealers, the focus is now shifting from hype to real-world benefits. Here, Janet Bowden, managing director at Woodbank, explains how AI can be utilised to deliver value in practice and not just in theory.

“AI is already beginning to deliver value within Managed Print Services and document solutions. But I think we are yet to see it applied evenly across the advancing technologies and hardware. We are seeing it in a handful of very practical, commercially meaningful areas. Much of it is about the benefits we are able to provide to customers,providing customers with a reduction in downtime, fewer engineer visits, great first-time fix rates and lower delivery costs. 

How can independent dealers realistically compete with AI-driven giants like Amazon?

“Trying to compete with the likes of an AI giant, you are never going to be a win! They will always win on price, logistics and scale. For us it’s not a battle.  Where we, as Independent Managed Print Services dealers, can compete, and is a shift we are already beginning to look at and make, is one from supplying ‘a box’, to embedding, high-trust, AI-enabled service. It’s about being a workflow solution provider with a personal, high quality, service-led, responsive, smarter approach. Making yourself harder to replace.”

How can smaller dealers adopt AI without large budgets or in-house expertise?

“I think, to start, it’s about using AI you already own and exploring what you are underusing. For example, our biggest partner, Konica Minolta already has AI ‘in the box’,such as the ‘Intelligent Media Sensor’.  The active investment our partners are making helps us be able to provide solutions that are more intelligent, fit-for purpose, workflow processes that our customers will want more and more.”

How do you balance automation with personal service in a dealer business?

Being an independent dealer business for over 35 years, we have and always will be service-led. Automation is a natural progression of our technology-led business and the ever-changing workplace environment. It’s about your business adding value and that can only be done by the personal service you provide and the relationships you build with your customers.

To read the rest of Janet’s comments and insights from other leaders in the workplace supplies sector, you can find the full article here.