MFP & Printer Service: What You Want to Know
One of the most frustrating things in day-to-day office life is having your copier break down. It’s so common that there are memes, regarding these devices constantly jamming (Bob Marley is a popular one). Even Hollywood has touched on it with memorable dramatizations, like in The Office or Office Space. The reason why they’re so funny? Everyone can relate to them.
However, when it happens to you, the situation doesn’t seem so amusing – and it usually happens at a mission critical time. It’s like these devices secretly know when they can create the most havoc. When something goes wrong, you want to make sure you have a service team that you can count on. It’s not just about trusting whether your machine will work, when you need it to, because, inevitably, it’s going to break down. The more important question is can you trust that your service provider will be there to help? Below are answers to the questions that we most commonly get asked…
Does Dove service all printers?
Dove Print Solutions services copiers and printers from the following manufacturers – HP, Xerox, Toshiba, Kyocera, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Brother, Dell, Canon, Epson and Zebra. The age of a device does factor in, when it comes to accessibility of parts. This primarily occurs when a manufacturer has labeled a device to be end of life (EOL). Devices typically reach EOL status, within 4-6 years from the initial production date. Parts and supplies can still be easily sourced for up to 2 years, following the EOL date. After this period of time, service is still an option, but there could be delays in receiving necessary parts and costs could go up. At this point, it is typically more cost effective to replace the device, if you’re experiencing continuous problems.
Who Services the Device?
Dove has local technicians across the nation. We also partner with many certified dealers for areas that are outside of our area of coverage. Dove takes great pride in partnering with numerous OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Partners. Every agency or dealer that we work with, outside of our localized regions, have been vetted by the manufacturer. To be an authorized service provider for copiers and printers, our partners must pass specific tests and qualifications, which have been facilitated by the manufacturers, themselves. Most importantly, they must meet the standards set by our own service team to exceed our customer’s service expectations. Dove currently has over 45 partners that provide copier and printer service, nationally, outside of our local territories. This coverage extends to parts of Canada and Mexico.
Does Dove have local copier & printer service technicians? / How many service technicians are in the area?
Dove has local technicians, throughout our regions to handle the constant demand (and we’re continuing to grow). For colleges or hospitals that have over 500 owned devices, a service technician will be assigned, specifically, to handle their needs. For customers who have offices, outside our area of coverage, locally vetted service partners are assigned to respond to their calls. This allows us to respond quickly to every call.
What is the average response time if a copier goes down?
Average response time is one of the most frequent inquiries. Dove has an average service response time of less than 1 hour, via our remote help desk response team. This team will first assess and triage your service issue remotely. If the team can not resolve the issue, a service technician is dispatched to the customer’s location. Response times are as follows – 4 business hours or less for companies that are located, within 30 miles of our service area, 4-8 business hours for companies that are located, within a 31-60 mile radius. For locations outside of a 60 mile radius from a technician, service will be provided on the next business day. This includes areas such as Hawaii, Alaska, Canada and parts of Mexico, as well as other remote locations. Nationally, the average service response time in the copier and printer industry ranges from 6 hours to next business day. The average uptime for all Dove monitored devices is 97%, during normal business hours. Downtime is considered to be the time, between a service call being placed and the device becoming operational.
Does Dove stock parts, locally, for copiers and printers?
Dove stocks parts for copiers and printers at our headquarters in Florence, South Carolina, as well as our two branches in Louisville, Kentucky and Houston, Texas. Field Technicians also carry stock for devices in their assigned territory. Parts are monitored, regularly. Dove uses a service metric provider to collect data and report which parts are most needed, and required, in each territory. If a needed part is not in inventory, the item can be delivered, within 1 business day. Antiquated parts for end of life models, may not be readily available and are subject to a longer lead time.
What happens if the printer continues to have issues, after multiple attempts at fixing it?
If a device is within warranty, or on a service contract, it will be replaced, as necessary. Manufacturer warranties typically are 90 days for A3 devices, and 1 year for A4 devices. Dove will replace devices that are outside of the manufacturer’s warranty and exceed 3 services calls for the same issue(s). Temporary replacement hardware is also available at no additional charge.
Will the click rate stay the same over the entire contract term, or will it escalate annually?
The cost per page depends on the required coverage and agreed upon terms of a contract. Typically, click rates will increase a small percentage, annually, to cover the cost of aging equipment. This is similar to the cost for upkeep on your car. Necessary routine maintenance helps us ensure devices stay running smoothly. Of course, the more a device ages, the more issues it may encounter, thus requiring more service. This is standard across the industry. This blog has addressed questions that we most frequently get asked. If there is something you’d like to know more about, or if one of your questions hasn’t been answered, please feel free to contact us.
