A prominent European home improvement retailer faced significant challenges with their printing infrastructure, resulting in inefficiencies and increased costs. Four years ago, LRS was introduced to the situation through an HP lead who highlighted the group’s struggles with their homemade output management system. They also faced issues with print drivers and occasionally inadequate service from Watchdoc at HQ and from SafeQ in stores, prompting the need for a single comprehensive solution.

Challenges:

• Ineffective homemade output management system
• Print driver compatibility issues
• Poor service from existing solutions like Watchdoc and SafeQ
• Lack of sponsorship and limited resources hindering progress

Approach:

Despite initial setbacks in engaging with the customer due to sponsorship issues, LRS redirected its efforts towards a primary account within the larger group. By focusing on this retailer, LRS embarked on a detailed exploration of their printing challenges and initiated meaningful discussions and engagement opportunities. A key to this approach was highlighting the benefits of a holistic and integrated strategy, while emphasizing the importance of addressing siloed systems, optimizing CUPS servers, and reducing IT support costs.

Why Change?

Print Incidents:

• 22,000 annual print incidents across 143 stores.
• Averaging 150 incidents per store annually.
• Bottlenecked Print Servers:
• Each store operates 3 CUPS Print Servers, totaling potentially 426 servers.
• Transition to network-attached printers:
• Need to transition 10,000 USB printers for improved monitoring and management.

Solution:

• Implementation of LRS® solutions for comprehensive output management
• Addressing print driver compatibility issues
• Enhancing service quality through LRS offerings
• Emphasizing the benefits of a holistic and integrated approach

Why Now?

The current infrastructure became too costly to maintain.

The move-to-cloud top-down initiative enforces the rehosting and revamping of business applications and associated systems.

Modernization of stores includes a complete rebuild of the printing process, significantly increasing pull-printing device usage and introducing new features like Direct IP Print and Mobile print experience.

Why LRS?

Despite being nearly twice the cost, LRS stood out against competitors such as Ysoft SafeQ, Doxsense Watchdoc, and Seal Systems + GeniusBytes by demonstrating expertise in every business-case scenario and providing a comprehensive solution for a wide spectrum of needs. Strong references, such as a testimonial from a large Swedish retailer, and the invaluable experience and advice provided by Alain Toison during the evaluation process, further solidified LRS’s position as the preferred choice.

Results:

LRS increased engagement with the company through participation in webinars. The retailer gradually adopted the LRS message regarding the benefits of a holistic and siloed approach. Additionally, they recognized the potential for cost savings with CUPS servers and acknowledged the importance of reducing IT support costs.

Conclusion:

Through a focused and persistent approach, LRS successfully positioned itself as a trusted partner in transforming the retailer’s printing solutions. By addressing key pain points and promoting a holistic approach, LRS effectively conveyed the value proposition, leading to increased engagement and recognition of the benefits of their solutions. This case exemplifies the power of understanding customer needs and delivering tailored solutions to drive meaningful outcomes.

Learn how LRS® solutions can help you transform your printing infrastructure. Visit LRSOutputManagement.com to learn more.