Why Consider a Print Solution?

 

The Market

Despite widespread predictions of the imminent emergence of a paperless workplace, reality has proven far different. While it’s true that new technologies have transformed how we obtain, share and store information, the proliferation of e-mail communication and almost universal access to the Internet have only resulted in more document production, not less.

There is growing awareness of the serious financial and productivity consequences of an unmanaged print environment. While many organizations commit vast resources to proactively optimize and manage computing-related elements of their information infrastructure, they often allow document imaging, production, sharing and storage processes and assets to operate virtually unmanaged, adversely impacting priorities such as revenue generation, costs, and productivity.

The Facts

Most organizations don’t have accurate data on the most obvious component of their print environment – their output assets, much less the magnitude of spending for hardware, software, service and supplies. Left unmanaged, those costs can total 3% or more of annual revenue in a typical organization, according to analysts . On top of that are the soft costs associated with inefficient workflows and lost productivity that are inherent in an unmanaged environment.

Over time, printers have multiplied in the office environment, and their management raises many issues. Asset management has become painful because of the large variety of brands and models and the lack of standardization in procedures and monitoring. Overall performance and usage is poor; most assets are underutilized and the employee-to-device ratio is low.

 

Costs spiral out of control with no page volume tracking, no knowledge of the real TCO, and no measurement tools or processes in place. Moreover, companies either discover — or, worse, ignore — the hidden costs of printing activities: administration, technical support, and service tasks. According to a Xerox study, 90% of companies don’t measure their document costs and have no idea what they spend.

 

The Solution

Assessment

The first step in controlling costs is to determine the current state. Only once a comprehensive audit has been completed can you begin to identify and understand these costs. The current environment is analyzed to determine the current output costs of an organization. These costs include paper costs, cartridge/toner costs, maintenance costs and depreciation, just to name a few.

Right-sizing and Implementation

Analyzing the print devices which presently are in place and adjusting the numbers and types of devices, can have a huge impact on efficiency and cost savings. This optimization process usually involves:

• Standardizing on fewer device types so that  complexity can be reduced for IT and end-users, and gain savings from sharing supplies.
• Consolidating to reduce the total number of devices for direct cost savings in hardware as well as support and maintenance.
• Upgrading devices over 5 years old to higher performance and higher yield solutions.
• Physically placing needed functionality such as copy/scan/fax closer to end-users/workgroups/departments to improve productivity while also eliminating expensive copier contracts.

An experienced optimization team ensures the delivery of an intelligent solution, which focuses on reducing the company’s costs while at the same time improving user productivity.

The key cost saving areas include:

• Reducing the cost per page
• Output volumes
• Consumable stock
• Reducing support costs

This deployment strategy ensures that user efficiency is achieved by cutting average time to print documents, increasing machine availability and providing access to fast, reliable, state of the art equipment.

 

Service Plan

 

Once a site has been successfully optimised, pro-active management can be provided to ensure that the company’s output objectives are continually achieved. By continually monitoring assets, it can be guaranteed that every device performs to optimal levels and that the company’s staff has the right technology for their job requirements.

Monitoring is likely the most important, as it allows for the best asset management and reconfiguration. For example, monitoring tools highlight bottlenecks and underused printers, reroute documents away from overworked printers to less used ones, and suggest network printer reconfiguration.

 

Service level management is an important aspect of the relationship and is a key focus area in ensuring a successful long-term partnership.

 

 

 

Customers concerned with ROI and improved business and IT processes should consider managed print services.  Seeking a best-fit solution for all devices in an organization’s environment is the right step to the balance of print cost and productivity.

 

The beauty of managed print is that customers are able to provide a brand new, state of the art printing fleet to their offices with no capital investment.

 

 

For comments or more information, please contact us any time via email or call us at 816-471-3553!