Be honest: how much time do you waste dealing with the printers in your office? When it’s time to print out a simple form, how often do you have to deal with the “low ink” warning– even if you just changed the ink a few days ago? Or suddenly, there’s no paper… even though you’re looking right at the paper that’s neatly arranged in the tray. If you push that paper in even slightly, it’s a paper jam!
If you work in I.T., how many calls are related to print issues? If you’re in charge of purchasing office supplies, how much money goes toward paper that ends up crumpled inside of the printer somewhere?
Chances are pretty good that if you work in an office in any industry, you can relate to the above issues. Printing can be a task that seems unnecessarily stressful, even if you’re highly experienced with technology.
Managed Print Services
Even if you’ve heard the term before, “managed print services” might sound kind of vague, or you might not know exactly what these services entail. Basically, managed print services, or MPS, means that there are designated people who handle all of the aspects of office printing– printer maintenance, troubleshooting, supply purchasing and more.
It means that there’s someone in charge of making sure that your printers are fully stocked and drivers are up-to-date, meaning your next urgent print job won’t be delayed by a low toner warning or a sudden driver update. But beyond simple convenience, MPS can offer many more benefits to the inner workings of your business.
1. The financial aspect
Having a service to manage printing needs could sound like an unnecessary service or an extra expense, but MPS actually reduces costs in a variety of ways.
An MPS provider will ensure that your print services are running at maximum efficiency. This can mean replacing old and outdated equipment that uses energy and supplies like ink more inefficiently, and investing in newer, faster devices or machines that provide multiple functions.
Additionally, up-to-date printers automatically send requests for supply purchases right to the MPS provider, meaning that whoever is in charge of purchasing supplies has one less thing to worry about– those paper trays and ink cartridges will be full when you need them.
In the average office, a fairly large portion of I.T. calls are for print-related issues. MPS providers can also cut down on support costs because troubleshooting is one of the offered services!
According to the IDC, hiring an MPS provider ultimately reduces printing costs by 20-30% simply due to a dramatic decrease in waste!
2. Security is key
Most people probably don’t consider printers as a possible security risk– after all, they exist to print out documents and that’s it, right?
Printers can actually pose a serious security risk, especially printers that haven’t been maintained or updated properly. Any document that you send to a printer that has outdated software or is otherwise unsecured could potentially be exposed.
MPS providers ensure that printers and drivers are up-to-date and that outdated devices that pose security risks are replaced. Printer security also means that only pre-authorized users can access sensitive documents, keeping information only in the hands of people who need it.
Additionally, MPS providers immediately notify your company if there has been a security breach of any kind, or if sensitive data has been accessed by someone who is not authorized to do so.
3. Time is money
MPS providers don’t only cut down on supply costs– they also dramatically decrease time waste! It saves time when documents print the way they should on the first try, and when you don’t have to take the time to replace or purchase supplies, but an MPS provider will also help manage and organize documents in order to save time and allow everyone to find what they need as quickly as possible.
In other words, managed print services can make a big difference in the way your business runs. You’ll find that when you and your employees don’t have to fix the printer and troubleshoot issues all day, they have a lot more time to do their actual jobs!
Do you think it’s time to give managed print services a shot? Fill out our quote request form or give us a call at 501-833-8150, and we’ll tailor a quote to your specific office needs to get you started today.