12 Fantastic Apps Developed By Xerox Partners To Make Doing Business Easier
Building A Better Future
Solution providers are getting to know Xerox's three-year-old Personalized Application Builder (PAB), with a handful of high-achieving partners showing off their apps last week.
Out of roughly 9,000 channel partners in the United States and Europe, Xerox has 275 solution providers registered for the PAB program, according to Mark Boyt, head of solutions and services marketing for Xerox Europe. Of those 275, Boyt said 82 have received PAB training, 19 have built an app in the gallery today, and seven are authorized developers.
Some of those successful developers strutted their stuff during Xerox's first-ever U.S. PAB Forum Wednesday, showing off apps that tamed workflows, helped with the sharing of information, and provided support around vertical-specific processes.
Here are 12 apps that captured the attention of the channel community.
Billboard
Developed By: Vision-e
Headquarters: Fairfield, N.J.
The Billboard app allows end users to create custom information screens for the walk-up user interface on the multi-function printers using their company's colors, logo, brand and messaging.
By leveraging the app, businesses can provide effective communication on the user interface around everything from company safety information, policies and training to employee recognition and time-sensitive announcements for staff.
Distributing the communication is as simple as adding the multi-function printer's serial number while utilizing the app. Billboard is designed specifically for Xerox ConnectKey-enabled devices.
Book2Go
Developed By: e-dox
Headquarters: Leipzig, Germany
The Book2Go app streamlines scanning in public places without requiring patrons to fill out an application form or type in an email or user credentials.
After scanning, the app populates a unique QR code at the display that can be downloaded directly onto an end user's tablet or e-book reader. Alternatively, customers can have the digital document send to them via mail.
The German National Library has installed Book2Go on more than 25 of its machines, according to e-dox CEO Marcus Putschli.
Device Network Install
Developed By: Ballistic Echo
Headquarters: Calgary, Alberta
This app is intended to solve problem Xerox was experiencing around remote installs, according to Doug Anderson, Ballistic Echo's president and chief operating office.
Customers and Xerox service reps would sometimes struggle with reaching one another over the phone, meaning that newly-received multi-function printers could sit for several days before being installed.
By using the app to schedule a remote install, though, Anderson said Ballistic Echo boomerangs an email to Xerox's team with all the relevant details. Customers requesting an installation within the next two hours will get a call back from Xerox within 30 minutes, according to Anderson.
The app is only for multi-function printers being serviced directly by Xerox, Anderson said.
Easy
Developed By: Mywork
Headquarters: Huissignies, Belgium
Mywork Easy is designed to simplify tasks for users and administrators by responding simply and effectively to everyone's requirements.
With just a simple smartphone in front of the copier's QR code, the app recognizes a user and opens up their customized space, no matter where the user is.
The user has a choice of scanning directly to Word, Excel, Powerpoint or a PDF, and can save scanned documents to a dedicated server, the cloud, or on their smartphone or tablet.
If a problem arises, the app will immediately send a message to an administrator and direct users to another machine that's in service.
EZ-Scan For Special Education
Developed By: Imminent Technologies
Headquarters: Waco, Texas
This app reduces common errors or mistakes made when scanning at a copier including the scanning of odd-sized paper. EZ-Scan for Special Education efficiently sends a school's scanned records to a document management database called Imaging Made Simple (IMS).
The app walks users step-by-step to know what to scan when to scan, and how to scan at a Xerox multi-function printer. The kiosk-type approach can be customized based on the desires of a particular school, and ensures that district employees scan documents consistently, according to Chad Cohrs, Imminent's director of channel sales.
"You'll make money," Cohrs said. "You'll get in the doors you were struggling to get in before."
GAV Tracking
Developed By: Grupo GAV
Headquarters: Mexico City, Mexico
This app helps end users reduce costs and avoid the typical problems around printing environments and information security, reporting savings from not printed or deleted jobs.
Gav Tracking provides intelligent controls, accounting for consumption of paper and printed images by user, department, device, location and size of paper. It also allows companies to restrict color printing and copying by user or department.
The app also makes it easy to scan documents to different destinations in shared folders, DropBox, Google Drive and OneDrive. Multiple locations and print servers can also be controlled through the app.
Live Environmental Analysis Feature (LEAF)
Developed By: CTI
Headquarters: Rockville, Mary.
This app captures usage-per-user on Xerox devices and pull print software and translates the data into the impact on our environment. LEAF can take the captured data and convert it into actual savings based on how jobs are processed in the system.
With a single swipe for authentication, the interface changes to an environmental dashboard showing pages printed in the last four months and how many trees were saved based on not-printed and scanned documents. As a result, any user can know, at a glance, how much paper was saved from deleted or expired jobs.
CTI believes that accountability and real-time reporting are effective tools in changing user behavior.
Service App
Developed By: Veenman
Headquarters: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
This app is focused on maximizing user satisfaction by more easily facilitating the sharing of information between customers, their facilities and the IT department.
Through the simple push of a button, the app allows users to send relevant information to the help desk. The app is also integrated with Xerox Services Manager (XSM) for issues Veenman can't detect, according to Arjan Karssen, business development manager.
All metadata about the device is available for use to assist with ensuring quality support.
SignMe
Developed By: MidAmerica Technology
Headquarters: Bloomington, Ind.
SignMe allows all printed documents requiring signature or editing to first appear on the touchscreen of any Xerox VersaLink or AltaLink device. Once the desired document is displayed, the user can scroll through, make notes and sign the document on the touchscreen.
The document can then be printed out or converted into text-searchable PDF and sent into a content management system such as SharePoint or DocuShare Flex.
SignMe provides the typical customer with a 70 percent savings by replacing costly paper forms and extensive labor hours scanning and indexing documents with a seamless, one-step experience for end users.
Costs associated with SignMe include professional services, ongoing maintenance, and a small support fee per device used.
Spark App
Developed By: Mywork
Headquarters: Huissignies, Belgium
This app allows customers to scan to and print from their Cisco Spark meeting rooms directly from their multi-function printers. It allows for instantaneous sharing of paper documents with team members by converting paper into PDF files.
The app allows documents shared during meetings to be printed from the Spark room directly on the multi-function printer. It will present a thumbnail preview of all documents available for print, and once a document is selected, the print will start immediately.
The Spark app is available free of charge for all Cisco Spark Business Messaging accounts.
Student Attendance Report
Developed By: Process Fusion
Headquarters: Mississauga, Ontario
This app makes it easy for a school board to gather scanned student attendance "bubble" sheet and updated the Student Information System with attendance information.
The app makes it so that school administrators can see which school the attendance form belongs to with the simple touch of a button, said Oscar Chiu, Process Fusion's chief technology officer. Office administrators responsible for attendance are often shared among multiple schools, according to Chiu.
The off-the-shelf solution makes use of the cloud to provide more streamlined document workflow, Chiu said. It uses standard tools and has been certified by Trillium as an alternative way to work with the Student Attendance Form process.
Support Connect
Developed By: Just-Tech
Headquarters: La Plata, Mary.
This app enhances communication between channel partners and end customers by simplifying the service and supplies process.
From the user interface, customers can perform many tasks such as requesting service, requesting supplies, providing feedback, and requesting Xerox eco boxes for easy return and recycling of supplies. The app is hosted and can be updated with new information or new functionality instantly, according to Just-Tech.
Solution providers can communicate with their customers in real-time through the app by sharing a new message or sharing new pictures, the company said. Just-Tech will customize the app for other channel partners through services like white-labeling, as well as provide hosted and ongoing support.