Copier Technician vs IT Support: Why You Deserve Experts, Not Generalists

In our industry, copier and IT service roles are colliding—they expect IT Support to work on copiers, and copier techs to troubleshoot IT systems. But when specialists are replaced by generalists, is the customer truly getting the support they need? Copier technician and IT support roles vary drastically.

Your critical data and technology deserve more than “good enough.” You deserve expertise. This is what separates Century Business Products & Catalyst IT from the rest: 

We’re not just one company trying to do everything. We’re two specialized teams under one roof: 

• Century Business Products focuses on copiers, printers, and document management solutions. 
• Catalyst IT handles all things Managed IT, from cybersecurity to cloud infrastructure. 

This separation isn’t a coincidence—it’s a strategic decision rooted in one core belief: you deserve experts, not generalists. 

Why Specialization Matters 

Your house is on fire, and instead of firefighters, a police officer arrives who’s not trained, not equipped to handle fires, and panicking while trying to help. Even with the basic knowledge of putting out a fire and the luck of a nearby bucket of water, they can’t extinguish the fire like trained firefighters could. 

The same thing is true with IT support and copier technicians. Even if one is cross trained, that’s not their specialty. They are two completely different jobs with different areas of expertise. That’s why our team members have individual areas of expertise.  

And that’s why the world doesn’t have: 

• Policemen extinguishing fires, firemen do 

• Quarterbacks defending wide receivers, cornerbacks do 

• Spinal Surgeons performing Lasik eye surgery, Ophthalmologists do 

You get the idea… 

Humans naturally gravitate toward subjects they’re most comfortable with—as will a technician with IT or copiers. So, when two support calls come in, one for each specialty, they’re likely to prioritize one over the other. 

Copiers and IT systems may both fall under the same umbrella of “technology,” but they are vastly different beasts. Copiers are complex mechanical systems with their own firmware, diagnostics, and maintenance protocols. IT, on the other hand, involves networks, servers, software, and security—an entirely different skill set. 

Expecting one technician to master both puts too much pressure and strain on the employee. 

“When you try to do two things at once, you either can’t or won’t do either well.” – Gary Keller, The ONE Thing   

On paper, it sounds efficient: one technician fixes a copier and a server issue in one call. However, in practice, it leads to: 

• Slower response times – Generalists take longer on specialized technical issues. 

• Misdiagnosed issues – Generalists misidentify problems outside their specialty. 

• Frustrated customers – Multiple service calls, unresolved issues, and no clear solution. 

Our Approach: Two Teams, One Seamless Experience 

By maintaining two distinct companies, we ensure that: 

• IT techs stay focused on IT. They’re trained in cybersecurity, networking, cloud services, and more. Our IT techs are even specialized in their own departments, which means your problem gets diagnosed and fixed even faster. Catalyst IT has been in the IT industry for over thirty years!

• Copier techs stay focused on copiers. They know the ins and outs of every model we support. In fact, our techs have proven to be the best nationwide with 5 national titles for Kyocera’s Best Technician in the Nation Contest… no other dealer has won the award more than once. Century has been in the copier world for over forty years!

• You get the right expert for the job, every time. 

At Century Business & Catalyst IT, our two specialized companies work together seamlessly to deliver expert support across copier and IT needs. You get deeper expertise and faster resolutions without confusion, finger-pointing, or settling for generalist tech support.  

Because when it comes to your business technology, you deserve nothing less than the best. 

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