Nelson Bays Primary Health operates a community health facility in Golden Bay and another health hub in Richmond, near Nelson. It has used Brother products since 2019, initially just using label printers before expanding to full print services for its print fleet.
Before switching to Brother, Nelson Bays Primary Health IT and Communications Manager David Stichbury used to have “endless” problems with printers not working.
David had to manually monitor and reorder consumables, so they didn’t run out, and any troubleshooting was handled by a call centre that wasn’t particularly responsive, and not always helpful either.
He would only hear from his previous printing provider every three years when the contract was up for renewal.
In 2019, David met a Brother salesperson at a conference and liked what he saw from Brother label printers. He was sent a test label printer, was supported to use it effectively, and immediately switched to using Brother.
Impressed by what he had seen and keen to find a more reliable printing supplier, David sought a proposal from Brother for Managed Print Services, and he has never looked back.
Brother’s Managed Print Services offer stood out immediately from the renewal proposed by Nelson Bays Primary Health’s previous supplier.
David said it was better on price, came with automated consumables management and comprehensive support through a 24/7 New Zealand-based helpdesk and local technician for any on-site troubleshooting.
Brother reassessed the need for printers across the two Nelson Bays Primary Health facilities.
Brother proposed reducing the number of devices and right-sizing them based on usage, so devices were fully utilised, and printing costs were reduced.
Because Brother was more interested in meeting Nelson Bays Primary Health’s needs as opposed to up-selling them with printers they didn’t need, David says they have the “perfect fit” of devices.
There is an ideal mix of multi-function printers, larger shared Konica Minolta A3 MFDs and smaller mono laser printers in consultation rooms.
They also have 15 Brother label printers that are that are used for patient labels.
Since switching to Brother, David hasn’t looked back. He says the IT department doesn’t have to worry about printers anymore, which he loves.
Issues are very rare, and when they do happen, Brother’s approach to remote resolution means 9/10 problems are solved quickly over the phone.
Any more serious issues are solved by a local service technician, who is responsive and great to deal with. David says it's “brilliant.”
Nelson Bays Primary Health has reduced its printing costs by getting a customised fleet of devices that match its needs. Brother has actively suggested ways to further optimise printing spend, including reducing colour printing.
David has real-time visibility over day-to-day printing spend in a way he never had previously.
New consumables arrive without Nelson Bays Primary Health having to do anything, and they even come with free recycling so old cartridges can be easily disposed of.
But what really takes the relationship to the next level is the comprehensive service.
Brother’s hands-on account management, 24/7 New Zealand-based helpdesk and outstanding local technicians provide the perfect mix of cost-effective service that delivers on everything Nelson Bays Primary Health needs.
“It’s the complete package. We used to have lots of smaller printers everywhere but now we’ve consolidated and centralised it with better printers that are more suited to our needs."
“The relationship we have with Brother is excellent. I feel like we’re the centre of attention – there’s a personal touch and they are genuinely interested in us and helping us to become more efficient.”
David Stichbury, Nelson Bays Primary Health IT and Communications Manager