Without managed print services, sometimes it feels like every office has an enemy within, lurking in the corner waiting to ruin your day. Yes, if you’ve not already guessed, it’s the pesky printer. The one piece of equipment that has the power to send your blood pressure through the roof and cause you to howl with frustration. Inexplicable error messages, paper jams, empty toner cartridges and bizarre queuing issues are just a few ways the average printer or copier can torture you, especially if you’re running late to meet a client and simply want to print a single page. Even the company boss isn’t immune from the printer’s curse, as every month the bill for toner cartridges will arrive. These can be so eye-watering, you have to wonder if printers run on liquid gold rather than toner.
But it doesn’t have to be this way, printers can be tamed with Managed Print Services, and you can enjoy an office of stress-free workers while cutting costs drastically. So let’s look at what print services are and how they can help save you time, money, and frustration.
Managed print services are simply services offered by a third party provider to allow you to take control of your printers. The managed print provider can help you assess your print needs and help with the replacement and service of hardware (did you know that companies tend to underestimate total print costs by as much as 40%?) They also track how your printers, copiers and Multifunction Peripherals (MFPs), scanners/printer/copier combos, are being used and where costs can be cut. In addition, a managed print provider will schedule regular services and ensure devices are operating efficiently, while helping you cut down on waste and improve the security of your printed materials. They will even provide on-site support in the event something does go wrong.
So what does a managed print service cover?
By printing, we mean the total costs associated with managing and optimising your printers and copiers. This includes:
- All pages produced by your staff and mobile workers
- All office printers, MFP devices, scanners and copiers
- IT support and maintenance for these machines
- Toner/Ink Cartridges
This can all add up and even in these days, when companies do so much more of their marketing via online channels, printing can account for between 5% to 15% of a company’s annual spending – but these costs can be cut drastically, by as much as 30%, by taking on a managed print provider.
Enjoy efficiency with managed print
When you first take on a managed print provider, they will carry out a thorough assessment of your current infrastructure and put a plan in place to manage, streamline, and optimise it. They can identify problems and bottlenecks in your print networks, and put a system in place to ensure your printers are always running at the optimal level. Thanks to the power of the internet, newer copiers can order more supplies from the provider automatically when running low. And as the provider produces these supplies in house, or buys in bulk they can offer some of the most affordable prices possible.
A good managed print provider can also incorporate your mobile team and make sure they have secure printing access and can provide training for your staff to ensure they become familiar with printers, copiers, and print processes. And, the managed print team will be monitoring your printing networks and finding new ways to make improvements and boost efficiency. This saves you money and reduces your environmental footprint. After all, the amount of waste created by a poor printing process can be huge. By being more efficient, you use less paper, less energy, and less toner and this means less rubbish for the landfill.
Save money with managed print
A managed print provider will work out your exact costs print each page, taking into account all the services and extras listed above. This helps you budget more accurately and calculate costs. Each and every time there’s a print made, you know exactly how much it costs. Furthermore, you will benefit from lower overall costs as providers can offer lower prices than do-it-yourself alternatives.
Save time with managed print
You save staff time too. A queue of angry people by the printer waiting for their documents is a common site in any office. This is an unproductive time for everyone. A well-tailored print solution puts a stop to this by ensuring that printers are working efficiently at all times. Full service and maintenance is included in the fixed cost per print and many companies can send out service teams around the clock.
It seems like a win-win situation. You get to tame the office monster, lower the stress levels of you and your employees and save up to 30% on your printing costs. So if you’re looking to improve your print process, why not talk to Ingenio Technologies today? We offer excellent printer and copier services through UTAX and can put together a managed print service that is tailored for your company.
