Are you worried about your company's printing costs? You aren't alone. The high cost of printing seems to increase every year, but print management uses a variety of functions to lower costs and keep the office more efficient.
Getting Your Assessment
The first step in this process is to have all of the printers and copiers in your office assessed. Each of the printers is looked at and checked for any problems. If a printer is old enough that it is no longer cost-effective to use it, it will be recommended for replacement. Older printers cost more to operate, use more power, and make more mistakes. The other printers will be tested and get recommendations for remaining in the office, being replaced, or needing a repair. Once all of your printers are accounted for, print management services can ensure that all of them will be monitored with the service.
Setting Expectations
One reason that print costs can get so out of control is that there is no one monitoring how many pages are being printed. Print management services create a monitoring system, getting data on how the printers are being used and by whom. With this data being compiled, it will be easy to see where the majority of the printing costs are going. This is a good time for employees to be told to conserve their printing. Using the printers should only happen when it's needed rather than printing lots of copies of everything "just in case." Creating a new print policy will make it clear that any and all printing in the office must be necessary for the job. This lowers overall print numbers as well as the costs associated with them.
Lost Productivity
One of the hidden costs of printing is the productivity that is lost when a printer isn't working or is printing mistakes. It can take a lot of time to get a printer repaired or reprint everything because of errors. That lost productivity makes workflows slower and more chaotic. Employees need to know that they can count on the office machines when they are required, and they need the time it takes to get their jobs done. Print management keeps them all in good condition and removes any that are challenging to use. This cuts out the money lost through employee downtime.
Reducing Printer Repairs
When a printer needs to be repaired, this can be a high cost. Print management seeks to cut out this occurrence as much as possible by maintaining all of the printers to keep them in good condition. When they are regular services as a part of the management process, they will stay in better shape, need fewer repairs, and cost less to keep running. The process is automated so that there is no need to try to remember maintenance times and get appointments. Much of this is done for you so that each machine is serviced when it is needed.
If your company has not yet started with print management services to keep its printing costs low, contact us today to find out more about it.
