How to train customers to not replace toner early?

[gneebore]

Re: How to train customers to not replace toner early?

On all our machines we turn off the "low toner" warning to stop customers changing toners early.

You can set this on Canon, Ricoh, Konica Minolta & Kyocera different setting for each model but the same result.

We actually started not delivering toner to contract customers until the toner low light came on. Had too many when we first started with Mita analog machines where they swapped the "low toner" with the new one. Had a few customers where I had to put a note on the machine that the low toner warning meant they needed to call for a replacement toner. Actually the only ones we did not do that with eventually were the ones over forty miles away. Then we started selling Sharp copiers and had to do the same with them. Worst though were the customers that would actually replace a toner cartridge and then put the empty toner back on the supply shelf so that it looked like they did not need one. Then when they actually did run out of toner it was because they put an empty toner back into the machine. Worst were the all-in-one drum and toner cartridge printer owners. Eventually though with the newer sharps and mita digital networked machines you could have the office manager install toner level monitoring software that sent an alert when the machines hit a preset level of toner remaining. The software also worked with a lot of other network printer so we could deliver when they were needed .

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: How to train customers to not replace toner early?

On current Toshiba copiers, we set all copiers to send us an automated email toner low warning at 20%.

Each customer has their own ship to address in Toshiba's online order entry system.

This gives us time to ship to the customer replacement toner direct from the manufacturer with 2-3 day delivery without us ever having to touch the box.

We might "win a couple/ loose a couple" toners here and there but the savings in labour and effort far out weight any potential losses.

We keep a small inventory of spare toner in stock as toner deliveries never go according to plan all of the time.

All of our customers seem to be respectful of the cost of these toners and do not replace them early nor do we get bent out of shape if there is a few % of toner left in the bottle when it gets replaced.

In essence, this is the way that modern Managed Print Services are designed to work.

[guitar9199]

Re: How to train customers to not replace toner early?

That's one of the things I liked about the Canon iR Advance 5000/5200 series machines. Once the toner was in...and you closed the door, you couldn't open it again unless you either pulled the back cover off and opened it manually...or you waited until the toner was ready for replacement and the machine LET you open it.

Kind of a smart feature I thought.