OKI and Canon are among the big names who have adopted an automatic monitoring system to replenish their customers’ printing supplies, following in the footsteps of HP’s Instant Ink and Brother’s Refresh service.
Canon USA’s auto replenishment service uses “advanced printer technology” to measure its customers’ ink and toner usage, and then “automatically triggers a replacement order when your supply runs low.”
According to Canon, this service offers free enrolment with no commitment and can be cancelled at any time. Ink or toner will automatically be delivered “when you need it” and the OEM also offers “Free standard shipping and handling”.
Canon goes on to explain that this service is “only available at the time of purchase and for select printers available on the Official Canon Online Store” – the full list of eligible devices can be found here.
Once a consumer has bought and installed their printer, they can active the auto replenishment service. There is no enrolment fee, and consumers merely pay for the replacement supplies that have been ordered, explains Canon.
Similarly, OKI has jumped on the automatic monitoring bandwagon with its own Smart Managed Page Services and Smart Support. As CRN reveals, this automatic monitoring system ensures that consumables are “automatically ordered and delivered when needed”, so that printers are always ready for use and the “hassle of ordering and maintaining consumables” is eliminated.
“Smart Support not only reduces printer downtime for customers, but also reduces consumables costs and reduces storage space requirements,” explains Erik Piepenburg, Manager of MPS Business Development at OKI.“Partners who use OKI’s Smart Managed Page Services benefit from transparent business planning and can respond faster and more accurately to their customers’ needs.This enables them to move from a pure supplier to a trusted, long-term partner for their customers and build sustainable and profitable customer relationships.”
According to the OEM, its partners can easily sign up for this program, and qualified retailers in Germany who “are not actively participating” can apply for inclusion “at any time.”
