New e-automate integration shortens many back-office tasks from days to hours

Norwalk, Conn. – Xerox Managed Print Services (MPS) accredited channel partners can now run their service visits, supplies delivery and back-office functions more efficiently with a new integration with ECi e-automate software.

Tasks like generating invoices, duplicating help desk and service desk tickets, and handling meter read data can now be accomplished in hours instead of days. Sales, contracts, inventory, purchasing, reporting, managed service requests and other critical information can be accessed and managed securely anywhere, anytime all through a single cloud-based system.

The ECi e-automate software, a service industry standard for automating back-office and service delivery workflows, now integrates with Xerox Services Manager (XSM).

XSM provides the data warehousing and service delivery workflows for managing meters, incidents, and assets in managed print contracts. Integrating these functions with ECi e-automate enables users to seamlessly perform these workflows without switching between systems. The single user interface will save time and reduce clerical errors.

COTG manages service call lifecycle from start to finish
For COTG, A Xerox Company, based in the Midwest, the integration helps manage the company’s product service function within a single tool, while taking advantage of Xerox’s global reach and insights from its proactive monitoring technology.

“With this integration we’re able to manage the service call lifecycle from service technician dispatch to internal and client reporting without having to update multiple systems,” said Mark Curtin, vice president of information technology, COTG, A Xerox Company. “The increased productivity and lower operational costs have been truly amazing.”

The ECi e-automate-XSM integration’s cloud capabilities add to its ease-of-use, allowing service technicians to receive and manage service tickets from anywhere, including their mobile device.

Additional benefits of the ECi e-automate-XSM integration include:

• Automated synchronization of service and supply tickets: enables help desk personnel and service technicians to operate within a single tool, minimizing training requirements and eliminating data entry into two separate systems.
• Automated import meters: automates the process of turning device meter data into customer invoices.
• Asset management: increases contract maintenance efficiency by managing assets in one tool.

“Xerox has been a dominant force in MPS at the enterprise level for years and continues to bring that expertise to our channel partners to leverage in the small- to-medium size business (SMB) space,” said Pete Peterson, president, Xerox Channels. “The automated solution frees channel partners from time consuming manual processes and the complex management of multiple software systems, allowing them to be more profitable.”

For Xerox, the e-automate integration reflects a continued drive to equip partners with the tools they need to capitalize on new revenue streams and increase their share in the lucrative SMB market. According to a 2017 Quocirca report, 56 percent of mid-sized businesses expected MPS spend to increase over the course of the next year1. A 2016 study from Quocirca found that about 70 percent of SMBs polled had switched MPS providers in the past 12 - 24 months2. A separate study from Quocirca also revealed that only 30 percent of large enterprises plan to change MPS providers at renewal3, showing that the MPS SMB market is underpenetrated and there is significant potential for Xerox’s MPS-focused channel partners to sell into this market.

Xerox’s integration with ECi e-automate is now available to all Xerox accredited channel partners in the United States.