The theme of Sharp’s 2015 National Dealer Meeting was “Relationships@Work.” Between the lavish accommodations, events, meals, and, most importantly, exciting product announcements, this “relationship” Sharp speaks of is clearly an appreciation for its dealers that runs deep.
More than 900 attendees descended upon the JW Marriott Resort in San Antonio for a weekend of fun (the Friday evening activity was dinner at an authentic cattle ranch outside the city), networking and reinforced promises to the dealers that have contributed to Sharp’s success. “Our conference is focused on helping our dealerships gain a better understanding of the company’s direction and to expand both their personal and professional network,” said Doug Albregts, President of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. “Sharp aims to connect products, people and an integrated network of business relationships to add value to all of our partners.”
On the product showcase floor, Sharp had mock classrooms, legal offices and medical stations to demonstrate how their products will be utilized by customers. According to Sharp Senior Product Manager Akisa Matsuda, these stations were meant to serve as a “story” for the dealer to better visualize the use of the products they sell and gain a better understanding of the difference their offerings make. Each station had several solutions—from both Sharp and third parties—being demonstrated. While there was an overwhelming number of great solutions shown, some of the most notable included:
MICAS (Machine Intelligent Call Assistance System): A tool that allows dealers to remotely monitor all of their customers’ devices, enabling automated meter data collection and service alerts. Ideal to underpin an MPS practice, MICAS allows dealers to be proactive with consumables delivery and service calls, so customers never need to worry about the devices.
Centro: Powered by the MICAS technology, Centro is a collaboration platform designed to provide teams in small offices a way to share and collaborate on content. Administrators can set the system to pull files from virtually any digital destination, including the most popular cloud repositories. Centro can also connect to a wide range of displays and allow both capture of what’s happening on the screen as well as allowing multiple users to present in a meeting without having to switch between devices.
Kayleigh: Already a popular solution in Europe, the Kayleigh software was prominent all over the expo. This job accounting software allows users to track, record and analyze all jobs in a fleet. Such knowledge allows customers to better optimize their print operations and understand how to reduce wasteful printing. This is all controlled through a web-based management utility and supports multiple languages and currencies for maximum business readiness.
Cloud Portal Office: This solution played a key part in many of the workplace scenarios Sharp envisioned over the weekend. Cloud Portal Office is a content management service that integrates with both Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs and AQUOS BOARD display systems to create a comprehensive environment for sharing, storing, printing and collaborating across several different devices. The solution is accessed through the cloud and even supports multiple users working in different locations, making it perfect for customers with remote workers. One example offered by Sharp was a classroom in which a student could sit in on a lesson from home and view the presentation and the instructor via a webcam.
For more about the goings-on at the meeting outside of the solutions arena, please read our write-up of the hardware announcements. And be sure to check out our Sharp Strategy Session 2015–2016 piece, too!
