If you missed Part 1, click here.
Otherwise, let’s jump right back in!
Flexible Leasing & Financing Models
Equipment needs may fluctuate as hybrid policies evolve. Offering short-term leases, device swaps, or “pay-as-you-go” models reduces friction for clients. And let’s not forget that any opportunity to talk to clients about their future, such as redesigning the workspace for the next decade, is good for any dealer, and that means talking to clients at all levels from the procurement team to IT and C-suite. Particularly overarching projects such as the digitization of lines of business or processes will require buy-in from many parties. The economic buyer has emerged as the holder of the budget for many projects, yet that decision maker is influenced by many. There is never a more important time to network with clients at all levels to retain future business.
Technology That Supports the Hybrid Model
The most successful dealers will focus on integrating technology that bridges the home/office divide and makes it easy for customers and their workforces to seamlessly move between the remote and in-house locations. This will include:
Dealers that master these technologies become more than equipment providers—they become workflow architects.
What About Tariffs?
There is no doubt that the economic environment in the United States today is strained amid political and tariff-related uncertainty. Tariffs pose a threat to our business and have changed end-customers’ business priorities. In May of this year, some 300 IT decision makers told us that cost reduction and operational efficiency was the top business priority for the next 12-24 months. This was followed by digital transformation (DX) and revenue growth. No one is splashing out on a new kit right now, but companies are looking for greater efficiency that dealerships can provide through automation.
“Amid political and tariff related uncertainty…
no one is splashing out on a new kit today.”
We are slowly accepting the fact that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be a gamechanger for many businesses, and it’s certainly worth talking to your customers about how they might implement AI in their workflows. Encourage the sharing of examples among customer groups and show them your own level of expertise whether in fleet management, content management, business process automation, and/or intelligent document processing (IDP). Our survey respondents reported that intelligent document classification driven by AI is currently their most valuable document process. Business documents are also living in a hybrid world with 33% of businesses telling us that paper and digital content are used in equal measures. That tipping point is coming, and you need to be ready for it—to support your clients as they implement their first automation projects or expand company-wide.
Conclusion: Turning Change into Opportunity
The tug of war between remote and in-office work is no longer about returning to “the way things were.” The US workplace has settled into a fluid, hybrid reality that blends the benefits of both models. For dealers, this is more than a shift in location—it’s a shift in customer priorities. The organizations you serve now need technology that works anywhere, security that protects everywhere, and service models that flex as their headcount and office space change. All this must be oriented to the needs of the future workforce.
Dealerships that cling to a pre-2020 playbook risk being sidelined as IT service providers court the same customers with more relevant solutions. But for those ready to adapt, the opportunity is clear: Position yourself as an essential partner in enabling hybrid efficiency and productivity. This means expanding offerings to include cloud-based workflows, secure remote printing, AI-driven automation, collaboration integrations, and scalable leasing or subscription models.
The lesson is simple: Hybrid work is evolutionary. Dealers that embrace the reality of today’s work patterns, anticipate their clients’ next challenges, and lead with solutions instead of products will not only survive this shift, they will define the future.
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