News Article

MOM KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY

April 24, 2008 - Not many document imaging dealerships can boast that they’ve just entered their 51st year in business, and even fewer can say that the company is still run by the founding family. But Modern Office Methods is just such an exception. Founded in 1957 by Robert J. McCarthy, Modern Office Methods (or MOM for short) has grown into an independent regional powerhouse serving some of the Ohio region’s largest companies, while never losing the family-owned touch that also makes MOM the right fit for smaller businesses’ needs.

“We’ve built our reputation on service,” said MOM Senior Vice President Steve Bandy, who has been with MOM for 12 years. He is also the founder’s son-in-law and runs the company alongside President and CEO, Kevin McCarthy, founder Robert McCarthy’s son. Headquartered in Cincinnati, MOM has offices in Columbus, Dayton, and Zanesville, OH, as well as service partners nationwide.

Despite its big-name client roster that includes The Ohio State University, Cintas, Proctor & Gamble, Sunny Delight Beverage Company and the Cincinnati Public School system, MOM has never lost its customer-centric roots, according to Bandy. This has served the company especially well as more local dealerships have become part of manufacturer-owned direct-sales conglomerates, with the layers of corporate-mandated procedures that go along with that. “The fact that we’re a family-owned business lets us remedy issues much faster,” said Bandy. “We are very close to our clients.”

One example is MOM’s relationship with The Ohio State University. While other dealerships and direct-sales organizations would covet such a prize, MOM has something competitors can’t offer: continuity. “We’ve had the same service team leader and account rep on the account for seventeen years,” reported Bandy.

Those MOM employees know the equipment and the needs of the university staff. And MOM has come up with an innovative plan to keep OSU happy: The dealership is deploying a parts van (stocked with the most common parts for OSU’s devices) on campus, so service techs can respond nearly instantaneously to keep machines up and running.

While not every customer can get its own dedicated parts truck, each is afforded MOM’s custom “Client Vision” approach to solving their document imaging puzzle. The five-step plan includes a comprehensive needs assessment that focuses on a client’s goals, challenges and business process; education to introduce new technologies and help a client understand how it might benefit their business; value-added solutions for placing not just hardware, but also the software solutions that could solve business problems; responsive service; and ongoing annual reviews of the systems placed at the client’s site to ensure those products are consistent with the company’s strategic objectives and with changing technology.

Solutions And Managed Print Services Lead To Success

In addition to this client-centric approach, staying ahead of the curve in terms of industry changes has also helped MOM thrive, noted Bandy. To that end, MOM offers managed print services, document management solutions, training and more. For example, MOM offers clients several document management applications, including eCopy ShareScan, PowerFlow and Unity Desktop. “We offer an end-to-end solution, from consultation to installation to training,” noted Bandy. When such an opportunity arises, MOM sends one of its solutions specialists to speak with a customer, assess the business’s needs and educate the client on how the solution could work for them.

“We’re also big into managed print services,” Bandy reported. MOM’s FleetCare service takes care of all the needs of a company’s laser printers and MFPs—supplies (excluding paper), preventative maintenance, service—on a cost-per-page basis. MOM employs PrintFleet printer-management software to remotely monitor a client’s deployed devices. “That allows us to be proactive with the customer, to get devices up and running faster,” noted Bandy.

Addressing Staff And Products

Maintaining a sales staff that is versed in production systems, document management, managed print services and more is no small task, and Bandy noted that keeping good reps is always a priority. “We nurture our sales reps,” he said. “And we’ve put together a career path for our reps, to show them how they can move up within the company.”

MOM currently carries copiers, MFPs and printers from Lanier, Konica Minolta and HP. “Before adding a new line, we ask ‘Is this an enhancement for our customers?’” said Bandy. For instance, MOM just added the first of HP’s Edgeline devices, the HP CM8060, to its stable. “It’s something unique and new, and something we feel our clients would benefit from.”

Industry Trends

As for trends in the industry, Bandy has seen an uptick Segment 5 activity, thanks to improved products in that class that are priced competitively. And like many independent dealers, Bandy does see channel overlap as MOM competes with the direct-sales networks of the device OEMs. “There is no question that there’s channel conflict,” he said. “Their direct branch can have pricing advantages. But on the other side of that, I’ve noticed that the direct-sales staffs tend to be less tenured. We still find that a local, family-owned business is much more active out in the marketplace.”