Extended Service Warranties – Rounding Out the Full Suite of Services
Office Products (OP) dealers have long held an advantage in their local markets: real relationships, dependable service, and the ability to deliver products quickly. But with traditional office product demand declining and customers expecting more managed, subscription-based support, dealers must adapt. Relationships still matter—but they're no longer enough.
To compete in today’s landscape, OP dealers need to offer more than products. They need to provide assurance. Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) offer a scalable, profitable way to deliver that assurance without building a service team or taking on additional risk. ESWs allow OP dealers to compete head-to-head with Managed Print Dealers and even Managed Service Providers (MSPs), offering professional repair services, recurring revenue models, and a broader value proposition.
Even in a cloud-based, remote-friendly environment, devices still fail. Printers jam. Laptops crash. When that happens, customers expect fast, effective support. Without a plan in place, small failures can disrupt productivity, impact customer satisfaction, and damage vendor trust.
For remote and hybrid environments, this problem is amplified. A centralized IT team can't physically touch every device. Customers need a dependable way to keep employees up and running regardless of location. ESWs solve this by connecting customers to a national network of certified repair techs—delivering break/fix support wherever it’s needed.
Managed Print Dealers built their reputation on bundled support and proactive service. But their model relies on expensive, underutilized service teams. These internal techs spend much of their time in transit, sitting in traffic, or handling minor issues that don’t justify the cost.
As print volumes decline and workforces become decentralized, the traditional MPS cost structure is becoming harder to justify. OP dealers using ESWs can sidestep this problem entirely. Rather than paying for unused capacity, dealers tap into an on-demand network of service pros. That means no trucks, no idle techs, no overhead—just fast, effective support.
Extended Service Warranties let OP dealers deliver enterprise-quality support across a wide range of devices:
Printers and MFPs
Laptops and desktops
Servers and workstations
Scanners, monitors, and more
Each covered device is linked to a serial number and QR code, allowing users to initiate a repair with a simple scan. The customer gets peace of mind, and the dealer gets recurring revenue without logistical complexity.
More importantly, ESWs are easy to bundle with other dealer services like DCA software, automated replenishment, or supply cabinet programs. This transforms the OP dealer’s offering from transactional to managed—helping retain customers and grow lifetime value.
While DCA software provides real-time visibility into device status, it doesn’t resolve issues on its own. Without a clear path to action, alerts go unnoticed or unaddressed. When paired with ESWs, however, dealers can offer a seamless experience: the DCA flags the issue, and the ESW dispatches the fix.
This closes the loop between monitoring and resolution. For the customer, it means fewer headaches. For the dealer, it means higher trust and more reasons to stay embedded in the account.
MSPs dominate when it comes to software, networking, and endpoint management. But most lack a scalable solution for physical device repair. When a laptop dies or a printer fails, MSPs often outsource the fix—or worse, leave the customer to figure it out.
ESWs give OP dealers a compelling entry point to build MSP partnerships. By plugging this hardware support gap, dealers become strategic allies to MSPs—opening the door to referrals, bundled services, and co-managed accounts.
Unlike traditional service offerings that require in-house techs and dispatch logistics, ESWs are designed to scale without added overhead. Each warranty sale generates monthly recurring revenue (MRR) with minimal management effort.
This makes ESWs ideal for dealers looking to build sustainable growth without increasing staff. Whether the dealer starts with break/fix time-and-materials calls or jumps directly into subscriptions, the economics are favorable from day one.
ESWs also help retain accounts. Once a customer has ten, twenty, or fifty devices under warranty, they become far less likely to switch vendors. That stickiness helps defend margins and create upsell opportunities.
In the past, OP dealers competed largely on price. Whoever offered the cheapest toner or fastest delivery often won the business. But price-driven relationships are fragile. One better offer can cause a customer to churn.
ESWs move the conversation from cost avoidance to value creation. Customers are no longer buying just a product—they’re buying uptime, convenience, and continuity. This reframes the dealer relationship from "supplier" to "strategic partner."
In addition, ESWs open the door to new stakeholders. They allow dealers to speak not just to purchasing managers but to IT leaders who care about uptime, response time, and device lifecycle management. That broader relevance makes the dealer harder to displace.
ESWs are not a bolt-on feature. They are a foundational component of a modern, managed service stack. When combined with DCA visibility, MSP collaboration, and a strong e-commerce and fulfillment engine, ESWs complete the picture.
They simplify the customer experience
They create new revenue streams
They increase retention and reduce churn
And they allow OP dealers to grow without adding complexity
The market is ready. The tools are in place. And the opportunity is real. ESWs round out the full suite of services OP dealers need to thrive in a changing world.
Related Reading:
Service Warranties for Growth: Office Products dealers can enhance their service model by offering Extended Service Warranties, creating recurring revenue and reliable device support without the overhead.
Why Service Still Matters in a Remote World: In a hybrid work world, reliable hardware support is more crucial than ever for SMBs. Extended Service Warranties offer essential device protection, ensuring productivity.
Overbuilt Tech Teams: The MPS Flaw: OP dealers can leverage Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) to offer flexible, cost-effective device protection, bypassing the inefficiencies of the traditional MPS model.
How ESWs Enable OP Dealers to Compete with MPS: Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) allow Office Products dealers to offer scalable, professional support without the complexities of traditional MPS programs.
Closing the DCA + ESW Loop for Dealers: For OP dealers transitioning to services, integrating Data Capture Agent (DCA) software with Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) enhances proactive management and seamless customer support.
Closing the Gap in IT Hardware Support: MSPs excel at IT support, but hardware repair often falls outside their scope. Learn how OP dealers and Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) can fill this gap.
ESWs: Turning Service into Revenue: Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) turn service from a cost center into a revenue-generating model, offering OP dealers predictable, recurring income without added complexity.
Building Loyalty with Extended Service Warranties: In the OP dealer model, price often drives decisions, but Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) shift focus from cost to value, building stronger, more loyal customer relationships.
ESWs: Enhancing OP Dealers' Service Offerings: Office Products dealers must evolve from transactional selling to offering ongoing service and support. Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) provide the key to this transformation.