Thomas Reprographics

Pioneers.

In the mid-90s, with the advent of the Océ 9400, unmanned FM placements became a reality. The price point and reliability of the 9400, coupled with an early version of tracking software, delivered powerful new capabilities to not only produce high quality output in a customer's office, but to account for that output. As ReproCAD (now ReproMAX) members, Thomas Reprographics enjoyed exclusive access to to their tracking software for the Phoenix market at the time, giving Thomas an edge over its competition. “For its time, O.S.S. was advanced software. It offered customers a comfortable process and produced a reasonably accurate record of what was plotted.”

Customers began demanding more from the Thomas FM team. “O.S.S. only handled plot files, which required a specific workflow. Customer began wanting to plot directly from AutoCAD without first making plot files.” The Thomas Reprographics team began looking at alternatives. He settled on an early version of Technesis tracking software. “Those early versions only tracked AutoCAD via an ARX plug-in, but that was okay,” said Dan. “Back then, support was responsive and the product worked well.”

A movement comes of age.

Over time, AutoCAD-only tracking solutions were no longer enough. Client-side tracking products appeared on the market that tracked all Windows printing, not just AutoCAD. “Windows tracking was a mixed blessing. I could now track beyond just AutoCAD, but then a workstation might stop tracking, and the user wouldn't say anything,” recalled Dan. “And even though I was tracking more than just AutoCAD, we still needed to deploy ARX plug-ins, which were particularly susceptible to problems.” Moreover, the ARX components required updating and redeployment with each new AutoCAD release. “It became a real maintenance problem. Customers would upgrade their AutoCAD without warning, and we would have to scramble to get new plug-ins rolled out.”

By 2004, Dan was ready for a change. At some customer sites, tracking software problems completely halted printing in the office. Although Dan had evaluated Argos software in the past, he and his FM team hadn't yet considered it seriously. “For me, the Argos server-based tracking concept sounded interesting, but it was largely academic,” said Dan. “As long as the tracking software worked, client or server didn't really matter to me.”

A change of course—for the better.

Dan decided to try out Argos at one of his most challenging sites, where his existing tracking software posed the most problems. “We did the initial Argos installation. Then I called Argos to ask them how to install the AutoCAD plug-in. The answer was simple: there isn't one.” That's when things came clear for Dan: “The light bulbs really came on at that point, because I saw the advantage of Argos's server-based approach.” Argos truly shined for Dan when one of his biggest clients upgraded their AutoCAD. What normally would have been a scramble to upgrade and deploy ARX plug-ins was, instead, a low-key affair. “We simply helped them configure their new AutoCAD print drivers, and that was it. With Argos, the tracking part of the equation wasn't even a concern. Argos tracked everything beautifully without the need for a single update.”

Eventually Dan decided to not only standardize on Argos for his new sites, but to also convert his entire FM business—representing over 1000 licenses—to Argos. Dan and Argos worked together on an upgrade package, which Dan then presented to Thomas executives. The decision was simple: Argos software would pay for itself quickly by reducing support costs and solving outstanding customer concerns.

Converting to Argos has shown dramatic results. Dan has seen a 25 to 35 percent increase in billings in his FM business. “With our prior tracking software, we thought we were tracking everything,” said Dan, “but with Argos we discovered what we were missing.” Thomas FM customers agree. One client, reluctant to switch and give up integration between his accounting system and Technesis, eventually made the changed to Argos. Dan guided the client through the upgrade process, including accounting integration. “He was amazed,” said Dan. Argos software not only addressed accounting for the client, but delivered a better workflow with increased reliability.

For Dan, the benefits of Argos don't stop with print tracking. His team has also adopted Argos Océ Account Center integration to capture large format copy and scan activity. “We used to place HECON terminal units on our FM equipment,” said Dan. “The HECON units weren't networked, and we were seeing up to five or six thousand square foot discrepancies between the meter and the tracking unit.” With Argos integration for Océ, those discrepancies are negligible.

Looking ahead.

As a reprographic technology professional, Dan can't afford to experiment, and he can't afford to speculate. Changing technology can be a difficult and expensive proposition. Standardizing on Argos software is one decision that Dan can unequivocally say has been positive for customers, for Thomas technical staff, and for the bottom line. Perhaps most significantly, switching to Argos has reduced his support overhead, freeing Dan and his team to provide additional value to Thomas customers. “Placing Argos really allows us to focus on higher-level issues. Rather than worrying about troubleshooting software, we can become more consultative with our customers.”

Increasingly, cost recovery technology is mission-critical for FM providers like Thomas Reprographics. Faced with myriad choices, technology professionals like Dan are finding that Argos's true client/server foundation, reliability and workflow equate to very real fiscal and business benefits. 

This customer story is based on information provided by Thomas Reprographics and illustrates how one organization uses Argos products. Many factors may have contributed to the results and benefits described. Argos does not guarantee comparable results elsewhere.