90% of companies have no idea how much they spend on document output. Do you know how much your company is spending?
Printing is the last unaudited IT expense, and it may represent sizeable cost savings for businesses. For businesses that want to get their hands around their total printing costs and reduce expenses by doing so, Managed Print Services (MPS) is their answer.
MPS offers a comprehensive strategy that analyzes the total printing costs of an organization and then provides a solution that gets the right number of devices in the right locations. Typically the result is a reduction in devices that are placed in strategic locations to maximize employee’s workflow and reduce operating costs for the organization.
“MPS resonates with CEOs,” said Steve Cain, Managed Print Services Manager – EO Johnson Business Technologies. “When we talk to them about improving their business processes and lowering expenses, they are interested. And that is exactly what MPS does.”
Businesses typically achieve the following results when implementing MPS:
- Reduce the number of small desk top printers
- New shared multifunction devices are placed in key areas based on employee workflow
- Enhanced functionality from the multifunction machine (i.e. scanning
- Automatic supply ordering (saving staff time and eliminating supply storage)
- Establish one monthly cost for document printing
- Shift the responsibility of servicing printers to the vendor
Not all MPS dealers offer the same services. Businesses interested in implementing MPS should consider the following MPS checklist:
- Audit- How is the vendor gathering their information on the business’ printing volumes? Are they solely relying on meter reads pulled by software agents or are they literally walking through the organization and talking to end users about their document printing and copying needs? The more detailed the investigation the more accurate the data will be and the more the vendor will know about how to reduce costs for the business.
- Experience- How much experience does the vendor have in MPS? Every organization has its nuances and a myriad of details unique to them. That makes each MPS implementation different. Experienced MPS vendors draw on their experience to ensure installations go smoothly.
- New equipment- Not all vendors install new equipment for MPS deals. Where used equipment is installed businesses do not achieve the energy efficiency savings that new equipment provides, and the used equipment will eventually have service issues.
- Training- Make sure the MPS vendor provides thorough training on how to use their new equipment. Too often businesses don’t use the total functionality of new equipment because they were never trained.
- Regular reviews- Regular meetings with the MPS vendor are essential in ensuring the MPS program is delivering what it promised. These meetings should review the past quarter results and address any issues that may be surfacing.