| Dimension | ABS | CBS |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Name | Advantage Business Systems, Inc. / Cape Cod Business Solutions, Inc. | Connecticut Business Systems, LLC (a Xerox Company) |
| Xerox Relationship | Independent Authorized Sales Agency | Wholly owned subsidiary via Global Imaging Systems / XBS |
| HQ | New Haven, CT (1079 Whalley Ave) | Wethersfield, CT (100 Great Meadow Rd, Fl 3) |
| Founded | ~1990s | 1962 (independent), acquired by Xerox ~2010s |
| Employees | ~50-100 (est.) | 100-200 (varies by source) |
| Revenue | Not publicly disclosed | ~$63M (CT/NY/MA/RI operation est.) |
| Service Area | CT, RI, MA | CT, MA, RI, NY, NJ |
| Product Lines | Xerox (primary) | Xerox, KIP, HP |
| Parent | Privately held (independent) | Xerox Corporation (public: XRX) |
| Tagline | “New England’s largest Authorized Xerox Sales Agency” | “A Xerox Business Solutions Company” |
“I can’t get anyone from Xerox to help because we are under contract with CBS who cannot give me any information!” — Kimberly Mako, ChamberofCommerce.com, May 2023
This is the CBS trap: when service fails, Xerox blames CBS and CBS blames Xerox. ABS avoids this entirely — there’s only one throat to choke.
| Source | CBS Rating |
|---|---|
| BBB (Wethersfield HQ) | — 2 unresponded complaints |
| BBB (Newington LLC) | — 0 complaints (suspicious routing) |
| ChamberofCommerce | — 25 reviews, 16 one-star |
| Revdex.com | — 2 reviews |
| Trustburn | — 9 reviews |
| Yelp (Norwalk) | — 4 reviews |
| Glassdoor (employees) | — 77 reviews |
| Indeed (employees) | |
| Google Maps | — 25+ reviews |
| State | ABS | CBS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | ✅ | ✅ | Direct competition |
| Rhode Island | ✅ | ✅ Lincoln office | Direct competition |
| Massachusetts | ✅ | ✅ 3 offices | Direct competition |
| New York | ❌ | ✅ White Plains | CBS advantage |
| New Jersey | ❌ | ✅ | CBS advantage |
| National accounts | ✅ Nationwide | ✅ Part of Xerox network | Both capable |
Every one of the 55 UCC targets is a displacement opportunity from CBS.
ABS: One company, one contract, one point of contact.
CBS: Customer stuck between Xerox and CBS. Neither takes responsibility.
ABS: Fast, local response. A real person who can tell you when the tech is arriving.
CBS: 2+ days, 3-4 calls required, no status updates.
ABS: Clean billing. Errors fixed immediately. No collections over their own mistakes.
CBS: Charges for old equipment after replacement. Errors drag on for months.
ABS: Straightforward lease-end process. Equipment out, contract closed.
CBS: Can’t return equipment. Lease keeps billing.
ABS: Local, independent, invested in customer relationships. Answer to customers, not a corporate parent.
CBS: Xerox-owned. Corporate priorities. Support outsourced to India.
CBS reality: Down machines require 2+ days, 3-4 phone calls, no status updates
CBS reality: Continued billing after replacement; billing errors; collections threats
CBS reality: Customer trapped between two companies
CBS reality: Months of trying, equipment still in building, lease still billing
CBS reality: Multiple employee reviews confirm pre-Xerox CBS was better
CBS reality: “They sneak things into their leases and overcharge for everything” — Yelp review
| Risk | Severity | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| CBS drops prices to retain accounts | Medium | Compete on service, not price. CBS cost structure limits their flexibility. |
| CBS improves service | Low | Structural problem — Xerox bureaucracy is root cause, not fixable. |
| CBS badmouths ABS | Low | Internally dysfunctional — unlikely to mount coherent competitive campaign. |
| Underestimating CBS relationships | Medium | Focus on systemic issues (billing, service), not individuals. |
| CBS broader product line (KIP/HP) | Low | Xerox covers 95%+ of SMB needs. Wide format is niche. |
| CBS larger sales force outguns ABS | Low | Quality of leads (UCC data) matters more than quantity of reps. |
CBS is a declining incumbent with a structural disadvantage (Xerox ownership) that manifests in every dimension that matters to SMB customers: service speed, billing accuracy, contract flexibility, and accountability.
Their D- BBB rating, consistent service complaints, and employee-confirmed post-acquisition decline make every one of their customers a viable displacement target.
ABS’s independence is not just a differentiator — it’s the direct answer to the most common CBS customer complaint: “Nobody takes responsibility, and nobody fixes anything.”
Every one of the 55 UCC targets with CBS equipment is a winnable account.