Office equipment plays a crucial role in creating an efficient office ecosystem. As a business owner, you’ll need to consider factors like printer placement, long-term costs of consumables, and ensuring your technology is up-to-date. While these decisions may seem like minor details, they significantly impact your workflow. By hiring a company for managed print services, you can let professionals take care of printing infrastructure and deliver optimized document output. Read on to learn the basics of managed print services.
What Exactly Are Managed Print Services?
MPS is a comprehensive approach to optimizing your document output and managing your printers. Ideally, professionals will have a multi-faceted approach, covering everything from hardware replacement to tweaking infrastructure and heightening productivity.
When hiring a company for managed print services, there are several factors to consider:
- Overall Analysis – Before professionals can optimize your workflow, they gather information on your average printing volume, evaluate your hardware, and identify any inefficiency in your infrastructure. This helps you set tangible goals and measure progress through the service.
- Upgrading hardware and software – The first solution to an optimized print workflow involves switching out old printers and software for up-to-date solutions tailored to your business needs. New printers can be much faster, leading to efficient output, while software might focus on automation.
- Close monitoring – Many MPS solutions offer close monitoring and reports. They’ll examine your printing habits, patterns, device health, and overall cost at the end of every month. This will allow them to make personalized solutions for your business.
- Optimization – After creating relevant measurements regarding printing cost and efficiency, companies will begin implementing solutions for streamlining your printer fleet. They’ll also start integrating your office equipment with specialized software.
Besides the primary phases, managed print services include other document management aspects. They’ll ensure you have a ready supply of consumables like toner, ink, or paper while also repairing and maintaining your office equipment. Some companies offering MPS will also provide specialized training in printing best practices to reduce costs and the risk of damage.
Managed Print Services Benefits and Advantages
Before hiring a company for managed print services, you’ll want to review the benefits. This will help you decide if the service meets your office’s needs.
- Improved efficiency – Managed print services have many methods for improving office efficiency. Some examples include automated workflows, printing station layouts, and enhanced hardware solutions.
- Printing cost reduction – Professionals will monitor your printing habits and output. This will help you precisely measure your printing costs and implement money-saving options to improve the bottom line.
- Enhanced security – Many companies may not realize that poor printing infrastructure poses a security risk. Printers can be an entry point for breaches if not adequately protected. Managed print services introduce specialized security measures to protect sensitive documents and information.
- The newest technology – Many managed print services offer up-to-date technology and leasing agreements at affordable price ranges. With the newest hardware solutions, you’ll have better overall performance for document output.
- Environmentally friendly solutions – As 2023 progresses, many more businesses turn green. By consolidating your printer fleet, your office will waste less paper, reducing your carbon footprint.
You’ll receive an optimized workflow and solutions tailored to your specific printing volume needs when all the benefits are combined. Business owners can allocate funds, time, and energy to other tasks central to growing their business.
Choosing a Company for Managed Print Services
Perhaps you’ve decided that your office needs managed print services. However, you still need to select a company that can handle the job. They’ll cover a wide range of tasks and manage your workflow, so making the right selection is crucial.
Here are a few main points to consider:
- Evaluate expertise and experience – MPS is broad. They cover everything from hardware solutions to integrating software. Look for companies that have a wealth of experience. Consider checking for any awards or user reviews online. This will give you a better picture of what to expect from the company. When contacting companies, ask about their methods, qualifications, and team.
- Prioritize flexibility – Your business has specific issues and needs influencing your bottom line. While one company might need better hardware solutions, others may need integrated software or better practices. An excellent managed print services company will be able to adapt to these specific needs and provide solutions and insight.
- Professionalism and communication – When selecting a managed print services company, you might start a long-term business relationship. You’ll want a timely and professional company in terms of communication. If your printer breaks down, you want them to be ready to repair it so you can minimize downtime.
- Budgeting and transparency – Managed print services can improve your bottom line by cutting unnecessary costs. However, you’ll be paying a monthly fee for this comprehensive approach. Ask about how the company forms payment structures. They should be transparent, and no hidden costs should be involved.
- Proactive approach – When looking for printing solutions, you want the company you hire to assess, identify, and solve relevant issues. Some will also be able to prevent roadblocks from happening beforehand. Make sure your chosen company has a proactive approach to all phases of the managed print services process.
Ultimately, you should consider a range of companies before choosing the right one. While the company will make assessments, it might help if you gather some information as well. Let them know what printers you use and where you believe there’s room for improvement.
Start Optimizing Your Sacramento Company’s Printer Fleet Today
Optimizing your printing output is about controlling expenses, regulating practices, and improving efficiency. Instead of doing this yourself, the ideal MPS provider will be able to take care of the job for you. Buckmaster provides specialized printing services, helping you streamline your workflow and increase productivity through our experienced professionals. If you’re a business in Sacramento that wants to upgrade your office equipment, contact Buckmaster Office Solutions. We cover various solutions, from rentals to comprehensive printing strategies.