Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab (BLI) has announced the winners of the Buyers Lab PaceSetter awards in Ease of Use: Enterprise Devices.
Based on research conducted on the enterprise market and testing in the BLI lab, these awards recognise the OEMs that have incorporated end-to-end ease of use in the design of enterprise devices.
The winners for 2018–2019 are:
CANON U.S.A, INC.
BLI PaceSetter in Ease of Use: Enterprise Devices 2018–2019
SHARP IMAGING AND INFORMATION COMPANY OF AMERICA
BLI PaceSetter in Ease of Use: Enterprise Devices 2018–2019
“Because enterprise organisations must accommodate many different users, easy-to-use MFPs are invaluable,” said George Mikolay, Associate Director of Copiers/Production for Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab. “Wasted time at the MFP for employees could literally translate to losing thousands of dollars. Thankfully, MFP vendors have been integrating features to facilitate ease of use, like intuitive control panels, job prioritisation, and the ability to create shortcuts. It takes a well-rounded MFP, designed with ease of use in mind, to really deliver for the enterprise.”
To determine which OEMs lead the market, analysts at Keypoint Intelligence conducted an in-depth study on tested Ease of Use functionality, focusing on features that directly relate to enterprise work habits and environments. Key areas of evaluation included Print, Copy, and Scan functions, as well as Job Management, Feedback, Control Panels, Loading Media, Misfeed Removal, and more.
The dedication to ease of use by Canon is apparent in all areas of the MFP examined in this study. Canon’s control panel was ranked extremely easy to use and offers several customisations through presets, screen design, and favorites. Users can also store 60-plus personal and shared buttons to further streamline scan and copy workflows. This same control panel is available across the line, meaning employees moving around the organisation will lose no time recognising processes at the MFP. Job management was one area where Canon stood out from the industry, allowing urgent jobs to be easily prioritised and modified. In the enterprise environment where one user may be making simple copies and another user may be printing a multimillion contract, simple and efficient job management help enterprises work efficiently and effectively.
Sharp was consistently strong in this study, thanks to a well-rounded set of features and functionality. Beyond the intuitive touch-screen functionality at the control panel, Sharp offers a standard integrated keyboard, making data entry at the MFP as fast as it would be at a computer. In addition to the keyboard, Sharp offers the ability to store preset messages, extensions, and domains as one-touch keys to combat common lags in scanning. The scan preview is easy to navigate and supports onscreen editing. As business process automation increases in popularity for enterprises, more and more employees are integrating scanning in their workflows—and they need to do so efficiently. At the control panel, Sharp also provides both Easy and Advanced menus to be sure inexperienced users aren’t overwhelmed with options while giving more experienced users granular controls. Sharp impresses with dynamic step-by-step guidance for user intervention via text, graphics, animation, and video, too.
