About
The Document Group is a Houston-based printing and litigation services provider headquartered in Houston’s Downtown area. Having been in business since 2007, TDG operates as a minority-owned company that utilizes a variety of hardware and software technologies to meet the needs of their customers. Personal Account Management and attention to detail are pillars of TDG’s 24/7 customer-focused printing operation.
The Challenge
The Document Group contracted several print service providers representing multiple equipment brands to satisfy their print requirements prior to the Function4 relationship. The idea behind various vendors was that each would keep the other honest, and the competition would increase the vendors’ willingness to provide prompt and effective service. With business growing quickly, TDG found themselves needing additional print equipment to meet their demands. Function4 was awarded a contract for two Digital Presses, which rounded out the TDG print fleet with a high volume color and additional monochrome unit. After securing this contract, Function4 was added to the list of competing vendors and given a chance to show the world-class service that TDG was looking for.
With multiple business offerings, The Document Group departments all had different needs. A large part of the operation was printing for the legal field. Blowback prints from digital to hardcopy could keep machines busy for weeks on end. Another department that focused on digitizing documents primarily used machine scanners to convert from hardcopy to electronic. At the same time, an additional department focused on graphic prints that must be incredibly accurate in color and quality. These multiple departments made for challenging service metrics for the vendors.
As the equipment from various vendors aged and service calls became more frequent, the vendors were required to keep machines running optimally in a fast-paced, uptime critical environment. It became apparent over time that not all vendors were able to provide the same levels of service required by The Document Group.
The Function4 Solution
Function4 focused heavily on 4 Key Performance Areas to meet The Document Group‘s Service Requirements:
- First Call Effectiveness – This equates to the technician‘s performance on the machines they work on and the dealership’s training commitment and practices. This measurement indicates how frequently a customer must call for service within a 45-day timeframe following the previous service call. Industry Standard 55% Function4 79%
- Average Hold for Parts Rates – This measures the amount of time a technician did not have the parts needed to complete the service call on the first visit, indicating the dealer‘s ability to manage inventory effectively. Industry Standard 10% Function4 8%
- Average Technician Grade – There are 11 key performance metrics, weighted on three areas that affect the customer the most. Function4 Target A. Actual Accomplished A
- Average MCBV (Mean Copies Between Visits) – This metric calculates the average images produced between service calls, which is an indicator of machine reliability. This algorithm not only determines if their machine MCBV exceeds the average but also by how much. Target 50,000, Actual 120,000
Function4 was asked to take on a larger role as The Document Group recognized that Function4’s service and equipment offering would lead to more productivity all around. Four additional devices were implemented to round the total Function4 footprint to 6 Digital Presses. TDG was able to part ways with three different manufacturing brands and rely more heavily on the service standards of Function4 to continue growing. The relationship between TDG and Function4 leadership has also continued to strengthen as business referrals have been sent to one another, and both organizations have offered ideas for business improvement.