Printing is an important job in most businesses, yet each company has its approach to printing. Your cost, amount of responsibility, and efficacy will all be influenced by the approach you take. Each of these factors, in turn, has an impact on future return on investment, productivity, and workflow.
Not only from a productivity aspect but also for your financial line, selecting a print solution that compliments your organization’s goals and employee work requirements is critical.
Managed Print Services is a service provided by print providers that take care of all elements of your company’s printing devices, such as printers, scanners, fax machines, and copiers. However, it is not the only option available to businesses. It’s also possible to work with retailers or commercial printers.
Seeking a new managed print services (MPS) provider would save your company printing expenditures, while also increasing security and reducing waste. However, finding a supplier without becoming an expert yourself is difficult. Not every service provider is the same. Because contracts typically run three to five years, you’ll want to make sure the provider you choose is right for you. Let’s go over everything you need to know about managed print services.
What type of clients do they provide too?
Whenever an MPS provider saves a company money by handling one of the most potentially infuriating workplace chores, they should have no trouble generating a long list of satisfied customers.
What services do they provide?
Examine their Service Level Agreement carefully (SLA). What are the turnaround times and service hours that they guarantee? Is the MPS provider going to take care of all preventative maintenance, parts, and supplies? Are there any charges upfront? What are the included services and repairs? When you compare the SLAs of numerous managed print providers, you can quickly evaluate how they compare. You get what you pay for, just like most other products and services.
How much does it cost?
Some MPS providers charge based on print volume, therefore meter readings will be taken regularly. You might spend less on their services if you have a low-usage month. Your staff, on the other hand, will be burdened with gathering this number monthly for every piece of printing equipment, and you will be hit with a big bill expense if your employees print more the following month. Competing MPS providers may offer identical services but charge differently.
What do they think of your current set-up?
Our print experts have discovered over the years that a surprising number of businesses are just not using the right equipment for their needs, wasting a lot of resources, energy, and time. To be honest, there are several printers on the market, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. There is no one-size-fits-all printer for every business, and picking the correct one can be difficult. So be skeptical of an MPS supplier who gives a printer suggestion without first learning about your company and the kind of documentation you need to print.
How much do your printers cost you?
A reputable MPS provider will perform an initial assessment to gather information on all of your devices, including who has permission to use them, how often they’re used, and so on. They’ll have more information on how much your printers are costing you and how to save you money once the assessment is completed.
What can they do to improve your security?
Organizations often consider practically every piece of equipment in their office when attempting to lower their cybersecurity risk, except for printers. Unfortunately, failure to do so can be costly. Networked printers, like computers and tablets, are merely another entry point for hackers into your organization’s infrastructure and sensitive data.
Over-seven-year-old printers are usually not equipped with the cybersecurity technologies required to protect your network. A reputable MPS supplier will be able to advise you on how to save money and effort while simultaneously improving your security.
Additional Things to Consider
Technology, like technology firms, is becoming increasingly intertwined. A top MPS provider may have strategic agreements with several different manufacturers to get you the best value.
Research Thoroughly
Finding a reliable MPS provider is becoming more and more popular.
You don’t have to be an expert in printer management to figure out how to select a reputable supplier, but because the profession is expanding so quickly, beginners may be tempted to jump in. As a result, if you only implement one suggestion from this blog, make it the first. Request a list of references from a possible provider and phone them.
It’s probably the quickest approach to get a sense of the services you’ll get and what you can expect from a supplier. If an MPS provider is reluctant to give this information, you already know everything you need to know.
Reasons Why MPS is beneficial to businesses:
Reduces the number of ‘local’ printers
The requirement for the use of local printers is one of the first items to be evaluated. They are usually inefficient and more expensive than people realize. These printers are inefficient in most commercial situations since they only serve single users and are rarely networked. They also frequently necessitate one-of-a-kind, more expensive cartridges, and are likely to have purchasing and inventory-tracking issues.
Ineffective Devices Will be Replaced
Managed print services companies can assist you in identifying underperforming equipment and replacing these with more efficient machines. MPS suppliers are experienced professionals who know which printing equipment is ideal for your company’s demands and budget. They’ll think about things like your printing history and your business objectives.
Automatic Supply Delivery
By enrolling in an MPS program, you can eliminate the need to order toner cartridges. This application can keep track of your devices and send toner automatically when they run out. With a successful managed print services program, you can keep your staff productive by reducing equipment downtime due to a lack of supplies.
Print Security
Controlling access to papers and printing machines may be necessary at your company to ensure that sensitive data is not compromised. Device hardening is the process of decreasing vulnerabilities in your equipment, which can be facilitated by using MPS printing security software. This is one approach for reducing susceptibility by encrypting your files and other personally identifiable information. Employee keycards, for example, can be used to release print jobs, preventing sensitive information from sitting around in output trays for anybody to see or take.
Managed print services solutions come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they may be customized to your company’s specific requirements. It’s a full print solution that frees up your IT team to focus on other tasks, lowers print expenses, boosts productivity, and improves the overall efficiency of your print setup. MPS programs can even help your IT personnel function more efficiently by reducing their workload. Contact a Circle MSP representative to learn more about what MPS can do for your company.