Over the years, technology has revolutionised various aspects of life — how we learn, communicate, travel and work. It has created amazing tools and resources; putting all the relevant information at the fingertips. Xerox has been innovating and delivering new technologies and solutions that transform how people work since its founding.

Balaji Rajagopalan, executive director- technology, channels & international distributor operations, Xerox India, speaks about his experience and the future of the company. Excerpts:

Q. Could you give us an insight about your experience with Xerox?

I joined Xerox 36 years ago and took reins of the technology and channels business in 2014. Since then, my teams and I have worked tirelessly towards increasing our market presence and strengthening our products and solutions offerings to suit the requirements of the customers. I started off my career in the service department about 30 years ago and have seen the industry transition from analogue machines to the workplace assistants today.

We firmly believe that a strong and passionate team and network of channel partners can not only help achieve targets but also exceed them, which is why we have always strengthened our focus on customers and partners. We follow a bottom up approach, ensuring everyone in the team is well covered.

We believe in helping our partners and customers grow, in order to drive mutual growth and prosperity. We promise quality products at affordable prices. Thus, being connected with Xerox, not only gives partners sufficient scope of revenue generation but also a recognised brand name for association.

Q. What is the importance of Kolkata as a market?

Kolkata being one of the most important metros of India and with its close proximity to the other Eastern cities, it is a key market for us. It also houses some of the oldest and front line banks, PSUs, company headquarters and many internationally reputed colleges and institutions.

More importantly, the city is also the hub for SMBs. We are specifically targeting the unorganised market with an aim to bring them into the mainstream and increase awareness about our colour devices.

This roadshow was the perfect opportunity to give our potential customers a look and feel of Xerox’s premium-yet-affordable devices. We are very confident of increasing our customer base and partner coverage in the region.

We also truly appreciate the recent efforts by Government of West Bengal as well as the people of Kolkata, because of which the economy is looking to rise to even greater heights.

Q. What makes the 2018 roadshow special?

This roadshow was held in conjunction with our Partner MSK Solutions in Lalit Great Eastern Hotel, Kolkata. It had a good mix of office and production presses, including a good range of the ConnectKey enabled presses, which primary cater to the SMBs, jobbers, entrepreneurs and print shops. We are now also looking at aggressively tapping the Tier 2 and 3 markets.

For this, we have consistently increased our engagement with the partner community over the last few years and worked on adding more relevant partners. In order to accomplish this, we laid a lot of importance on organising co-marketing events with our partners.

Such shows are a part of our partner growth and development initiatives which also reflect the ease of doing business with Xerox. We also are very transparent with our channel community which has significantly increased the confidence they bestow on us.

Q. How has the technology changed over the years?

Xerox is a company built on innovating the way the world works and maintains a commitment to innovation in a wide variety of technical areas including the both future of print and the future of work. A classic example of the magnitude of change would be that printers are no more just devices, but workflow assistants today.

As an organisation, we are focused on further innovating with digital solutions. Automation and digitisation would not have traditional machine sellers or device sellers competing with each other. Instead, these segments will see us sharing space with large IT multinationals.

Q. What can we look forward to in Xerox’s future?

There are significant untapped opportunities across sectors and with the positive impact of the government policies. With a “new wave” of metros and mini-metros, our devices well meet the demands of industries, irrespective of the size.

More importantly, Xerox is back in the A4 market which is going to be a big focus area in the coming year. Like always, our vision and processes will cover everybody and everything needed to support the market. The second half of the year will also see a huge product launch, a one of its kind device in its category.