Cs Remote Care
Business Solutions
Frequently Asked Question
With CS Remote CareMETER does this mean that I no longer get called or faxed for meter readings?
YES. CS Remote CareMETER does away with the need for you, the customer, to go round to the various copiers/MFDs that you have to record meter readings then send them back to us. With CS Remote CareMETER billing accuracy is greatly improved.
Will I still get my bill at the same time?
YES. CS Remote CareMETER is just an alternate means of collecting meter readings from the copier/MFD. These readings are taken at the same time as the more traditional methods. There is no alteration to your billing cycle or any consolidated invoices that you may have.
What kind of connection do I need to the copier/MFD?
For the GSM/GPRS communication method - nothing at all. Otherwise either a fax line or an IP Network Connection is required. Additionally, with the IP connection, an email account is required to pass message emails between Konica Minolta and the copier/MFD.
So how does it work?
Your bizhub copier/MFD calls us when it has a problem. With the wireless GSM/GPRS modem connection, the device could communicate with us like you with your mobile phone; independent from your company´s infrastructure.
If the copier/MFD has a fax kit installed, it dials a toll-free number at Konica Minolta to 'talk' to our management platform.
If the copier/MFD is IP enabled it sends an email to our management platform. On receipt of either type of message, the management systems at Konica Minolta analyse the message, then take action as appropriate.
I have a range of copiers, are CS Remote Care services available on all devices?
Broadly yes, all services are available for most machines (even older Konica or Minolta ones). A table of connectable copiers is available. This table is constantly updated as new models are introduced.
How do I know when a fault has been reported to Konica Minolta?
CS Remote CareNOTIFY is used to do this. We keep an email address and phone number for the Technical Operator (TO), in larger companies this may be the IT help desk, and we send an email to or call the TO whenever a fault has been registered in our management system.
Can I get any other messages?
Yes, whenever the machine runs out of paper, or toner, we could send an email to the Key Operator (KO), usually someone who is local to the machine and has day-to-day responsibility for the copier/MFD.
I used to have to call when I got a periodic maintenance request on the copier/MFD, do I still have to do this?
No, periodic maintenance requests are treated in the same way as faults, except that as we generally have a longer period to respond to them, they are not acted on so quickly. The message on the copier/MFD display still shows even when the message has been sent.
Can anyone else get messages?
We propose to set up CS Remote CareNOTIFY such that different recipients can receive email notifying them of various faults and the out of consumable messages. The TO and KO have default emails sent to them, for other recipients we can choose which messages are sent to them.
Does CS Remote Care interrupt any of my other jobs currently being printed on the copier/MFD?
No. Any incoming or outgoing messages are run in the 'background' and do not interfere with the day-to-day running of the copier/MFD.
Can any of the scans, prints or copies going through the copier/MFD be viewed by CS Remote Care?
No. The CS Remote Care system only retrieves counter information from the copier/MFD. This includes usage information on replacement items, fault counts, jam counts, service call information etc. Please see our security informations.
Will the supply of toner be automated?
Yes. With CS Remote CareSupply we can do that. Means all consumables and spare parts could be supplied on time. Therewith Messages like "Out of toner" are history. We supply consumables when your Konica Minolta system tells us that it is running low. But, we also ensure that you will never be supplied with more than you actually need.
What about security?
At Konica Minolta we take the issue of customer network security very seriously.
With the email system, the email subject header of the email is particular to the machine, the passwords used between the copier/MFD and the management platform have to agree, the attached files have to be correct and properly encoded. Additionally the email has to come from the known source of the management platform emails. If any of these conditions are not met, the email is deleted. This protects the copier/MFD from spam and other unsolicited emails. Also the emails are only sent to our servers at Konica Minolta.
Additionally the copier/MFD cannot run executables, there is no linkage between the printing side of the copier/MFD and the CS Remote Care software in the copier/MFD therefore it is not possible to 'lift' any documents or bypass any security systems that are in place.
In addition please see our security informations.
What does Konica Minolta charge for this service?
We strive to continually develop our services at Konica Minolta, the release of the CS Remote Care product range is part of this. For detailed cost information please contact your local Konica Minolta Sales organisation.
Your competitors with similar systems use servers on our premises to collect emails, why don't you do this?
We are trying to eliminate complicated points of failure. Remote servers need to be occasionally rebooted etc., we have developed a system that does not need local servers. Also, with some competitors' systems you need a server irrespective of the number of copiers that are in place.
I see that you need a POP account to receive email; others just use SMTP to send email, why do you do this?
Our system is designed as a two-way system. There are three very important reasons for doing this;
- The first is that by contacting the copier/MFD every day, we know that it is still connected to the network. If our attempt fails, then we try to work out why, for if we have failed to talk to the copier/MFD, it also means that it cannot contact us, so the ability to automatically send us fault and warning information would be lost. We have alarms on our system to let us know when three email or call attempts have failed.
- We can get up to date status information from the copier/MFD, so that when the technician is on his way to site, we can be entirely sure of the copier/MFD's health.
- We can recover meter readings from it on demand, this is important as our meter readings fit in with the billing cycles that we have already agreed with the customer. With competitor systems customer devices call into a central system with meter readings on specific day, however, if the link is down, or the machine is switched off, then the ability to retrieve a meter reading is lost until the next time it is programmed. With our system, we keep trying until we get a meter reading.
So what do you need from me?
For GSM/GPRS modem connected devices, we will take care for all necessary issues - a good radio reception is desirable.
If you have a fax connected copier/MFD that accepts incoming faxes: nothing at all, it is ready now. The latent capacity and capability is already in the copier/MFD, and as we use the fax telephone line that is already in place, there is no overhead. Also, as the device calls a toll-free number there are no call charges.
For those copiers that communicate via email, an email account with a logon and the ability to send emails to our servers.
How much data is passed to/from machines and how often?
When the device sends an alarm/warning email, the email is in the order of 100 bytes long. When it responds to a meter-reading request, it sends a 20kbyte ASCII file.
We poll the machine every day, so 20k is sent to us at that time.