Manufacturers, resellers, distributors and service providers planning to create agreements that bundle equipment, financing, software and services need a way to identify and avoid costly gaps in the process.

Before launching or expanding managed services, companies should first evaluate their readiness, advises Diane Croessmann, a director with The Alta Group consultancy. A realistic assessment is important to ensure critical steps are not overlooked that could open the door to long-term problems, she explains.

A 10-minute questionnaire developed by Alta is available online to guide companies through a high-level assessment.
 
Participants will discover through the types of questions in the survey what they may still need to address in launching managed services, Croessmann adds.

The survey is designed for the equipment leasing industry, manufacturers and associated resellers, distributors and service providers. Survey participants will receive a blind copy of summarized findings to enable comparison with other respondents.
 
The Managed Services Trend

Managed services are being developed in response to the changing marketplace. End users are demanding the ease of dealing with fewer providers and paying for services as they are needed. Equipment ownership is also not as valued as in the past.

The managed services trend is taking hold faster in some markets such as energy, technology and healthcare than in others, says Croessmann, who previously served as worldwide managing director of Lenovo Financial Services, where she implemented global strategies in captive and vendor leasing and managed solutions. She also worked for 23 years in leasing for Xerox Corporation, where managed services originated with the cost-per-copy concept in the 1980s.

Improving Readiness

Offering transactions that bundle equipment, software, services and financing into one solution has an effect on nearly all business functions of equipment leasing and finance, from initial market analysis and risk management through funding, delivery platforms and asset management.

Companies that identify basic weaknesses in their readiness for managed services should consider a secondary phase of assessment that involves closing any gaps, such as in funding, and take a longer view of customer needs and the organizational or system changes necessary. Alta provides customized level two assessments tailored to an organization’s unique requirements and balance sheet, Croessmann says.