Executive Overview
Office Products (OP) dealers are under increasing pressure to expand beyond transactional selling and offer a more comprehensive service model that meets the evolving needs of modern business customers. Until recently, the inability to offer repair services on key devices—printers, copiers, PCs, and laptops—has been a major obstacle, forcing OP dealers to cede ground to Managed Print Dealers who own the service relationship by employing full-time technicians.
This white paper explores how Extended Service Warranties (ESWs) can change the game. By offering cost-effective device protection and access to a national network of certified technicians, ESWs allow OP dealers to deliver high-quality break/fix support without the overhead of an internal service team. These warranties create new recurring revenue streams, deepen customer relationships, and fill critical gaps in the dealer’s overall value proposition.
We also examine how ESWs work in concert with two other strategic programs: Data Capture Agent (DCA) deployment and Managed Service Provider (MSP) partnerships. Without ESWs, both strategies are compromised—DCAs may flag issues, but repairs remain unaddressed; MSPs may manage networks, but hardware support becomes a weak link. Together, these three programs round out a full suite of modern services that reposition OP dealers as long-term, tech-enabled procurement partners capable of retaining and growing their customer base.
Introduction: The Missing Piece in the OP Dealer Playbook
For decades, Office Products dealers have relied on fast delivery, responsive service, and strong customer relationships to defend their territory. But today’s customers are more demanding, more distributed, and more reliant on a mix of devices that require ongoing support. Simply selling products and dropping them off no longer satisfies the needs of IT leaders or office managers responsible for keeping teams productive.
Managed Print Dealers gained an advantage by building service teams to handle repairs—but those teams are expensive and often underutilized. Maintaining a fleet of service techs means paying for idle time, long drive times, and uneven workloads. While this overhead is increasingly hard to justify, customers still expect someone to fix their device when it breaks.
This is where Extended Service Warranties come in. By tapping into a nationwide network of certified repair technicians, OP dealers can offer reliable device support without hiring a single service tech. It’s a scalable, cost-effective solution that finally puts OP dealers on level ground—or even ahead—when competing for business that includes device support.
Even more importantly, ESWs unlock the full potential of the dealer’s broader service ecosystem. They give teeth to DCA monitoring, ensuring that detected issues lead to timely resolution. They strengthen MSP partnerships by eliminating a common blind spot: who fixes the printer or laptop when it fails? And they offer a clear path to monthly recurring revenue—something every dealer needs more of.
This paper outlines why Extended Service Warranties aren’t just a nice-to-have—they’re essential infrastructure in the next-generation OP dealer playbook.
Related Reading:
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.