enx magazine

Copier and printer dealers know: Before you can offer your customers solutions, you need to assess the situation. You need to know the volumes they are producing and what printers, copiers and multifunctional devices they are using the most.

In the past, this has been a time-consuming process, or you have had to load software onto their network. The software can be very intrusive on the customer or prospects’ network, and consequently they may have opposed the process all together. But today there is a new approach: an easy way to get the total volume and device information you need without disrupting your customers or downloading software onto their network.

GT Technologies has developed software called FMAudit that extracts the total volume information, along with the type of device in a customer’s facility, in minutes. The easy-to-use software can even get information on a desktop printer that is not hooked up to the network directly—as long as the workstation is connected to the network.

You can extract meter readings, serial numbers, toner coverages and much more. Features of the FMAudit software include:

--Volumes may be calculated by comparison of meters for printing, copying, faxing and scanning.

--Individual device volumes may be identified as over- or underutilized by comparing them with the model's known duty cycle.

--A list may be generated for new devices and devices no longer on the network, along with toner usages.

How Do I Use It?

A technician or account rep can carry the software in their pocket on a portable USB drive. These are free and loaded with the software from GT Technologies when you purchase a certain number of assessments (FMAudit Viewer can also be used from aomputer or laptop by downloading it from the Internet, allowing you to buy as little as one assessment).

The user then plugs the USB drive into a computer on the client’s network and the software is initialized. The process of extracting the data begins, and in minutes you have the information you need to make an educated assessment of what your customer’s needs are without ever loading software on the network.

The software is easy to use; you don’t have to be IT-savvy to operate it. But if you have questions, there is a comprehensive help system built into the software. Also, the GT Technologies website at www.gttechonline.com has a knowledge database with in-depth information about the product and updates that are available, as well as tutorials and E-mail confirmations. GT Technologies is also available by phone for support.

GT Technologies offers other software packages that focus on advanced print tracking, accounting and service management for dealers. But the FMAudit Viewer is truly the first product of its kind, as GT Technologies founder and president Greg Allen highlights the big change that FMAudit Viewer truly brings.

“Before, technicians would go into an office and say, ‘I would like to propose some solutions for you,‘ the customer would say great—and then the tech would have to go to this printer down the hall, then to another one, and another one to manually print out configuration pages or install software on the network to monitor prints for 30 days,” Allen notes. “Even then, reps would still not have all the information they’d need such as volumes for copies, scans, and faxes. We’ve automated that system. And another side of FMAudit Viewer is that it can also tell you when a device has run out of toner or needs servicing.”

Burgeoning company

As a 20-year industry veteran, Allen founded the company in 2001 and soon saw a niche in the market for copy dealers with FMAudit Viewer.

“There was really a need for this type of product in the industry,” says Allen. “With experience, I saw that the industry needed this assessment tool before a lot of dealers could transition into solutions selling. We feel like we are 12-18 months ahead of any other technology out there today. “

Before beginning his own company, Allen had a history in the dealer market as well as with dealer software. In the mid-’80s he began working for Modern Business Systems, which was later bought by Icon. He worked through the Icon transition with positions in accounting and internal administration. Allen also worked for OMD Corp. for 7 years, holding the VP of marketing chair there before he left to start his own company.

Today, GT Technologies is operating on the philosophy that software should be easy to use and customer-friendly. Allen’s developers have installed several help menus for technicians, but they don’t believe they will need help. “The software is self-configuring,” he adds. “You don’t have to be an IT professional to use it.”

GT Technologies has two locations: the headquarters in Jefferson City, Mo., and a branch in Mesa, Ariz. Kevin Tetu, a newcomer to GT Technologies who has extensive experience in print management software, has helped develop the new FMAudit Viewer as director of IT and Development.

Where are they headed?

Allen’s company, while now marketing only in the U. S., hopes to one day be an international seller. With programmers already located in Canada and Portugal, his staff’s dream of having a network of international resellers may not be far off.

“We are positioning ourselves to be the leader in assessment, meter read, and toner usage information gathering technology,” he says.

Internationally or locally, Allen says GT Technologies mainly wants to equip dealers with a standard of assessment tools that provides high-tech reporting while being easy to use.

“Our future goal is to be able to set the standard for the dealers’ assessment tools,” Allen adds, “and to enable dealers to create the infrastructure necessary for them to become solutions sellers as well as equipment dealers.”

Contact GT Technologies:

573-632-2461

www.gttechonline.com

By Jamie Hamilton— in addition to writing business profiles in ENX, Jamie writes and designs ads, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, and manuals for companies in the imaging industry. She can be contacted at: Tel/ Fax 502-896-1051 or e-mail her at: jamiewriter@hotmail.com.

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