Printerbase charts surge in demand for MPS

Increasing demand for managed print services has encouraged Printerbase to look for more opportunities around the services offering this year.

The Manchester-based print specialist has reported a 50% increase in its Brother MPS contracts over the past year as more customers adopt subscription services.

An increasing number of SMEs are attracted to paying a monthly fee for a package that includes supplies, installation, consumables recycling and maintenance.

On the back of its experience in 2022, the firm is targeting another year of 50% growth in its managed print business.

“There is significant momentum behind the shift to print as a service, and we expect this to continue as offices strive to find cost-efficiencies in their operations this year. More small businesses are making the change as they see the benefits of smaller monthly payment options that free up cash to support other areas of their business,” said Khalil Hussain, business manager at Printerbase.

The firm offers a Netflix-style subscription model, the PrintSmart Essential option from Brother, which means users have a fixed cost, ranging from £5.78 to £61.37 per month.

“MPS [managed print services] represents an excellent growth opportunity for us, and Brother makes it easy by creating a straightforward service for small businesses. The team also invests time and effort in making sure we have everything we need to deliver a quality service for our customers, and sell MPS contracts effectively and efficiently," added Hussain.

Brother launched Printsmart Essential this time last year in an attempt to encourage more SMEs to try managed print. It was also pitched as an attractive option for resellers as it meant they could sell a service without the need for credit agreements and contracts with lengthy cancellation restrictions.

The firm made that decision after witnessing growing demand for MPS from customers as a result of the shift to hybrid working. It revealed that the pandemic had accelerated demand and, for the first three months of 2021, its MPS print volumes saw it hit 78.1 million pages, which was the highest quarterly total recorded.

Chris Grimshaw, business manager of online partners at Brother UK, said that more customers were turning to managed print and the Printerbase experience underlined a wider trend in the market.

“More businesses are turning to MPS as the way we work evolves,” he said. “Innovations such as PrintSmart Essential are giving resellers an option to provide customers with a more streamlined and cost-efficient solution that meets the needs of businesses with reduced printing requirements.

“It also gives partners the opportunity to capitalise on the recurring revenues that MPS provides, and it’s why Brother is throwing its full weight behind MPS and supporting resellers to make the most of the opportunity.”

Print industry commentators have regularly urged more of the channel to get involved with MPS to offset the more irregular revenues that come from hardware sales.