The perks of Print Management for Office Managers

The idea of a print management service isn’t necessarily at the top of an office manager’s priority list but there are a number of reasons why it should be.

Here’s just a few of them.

• Reduced printing costs

Due to the nature of their organisation, many office managers may not know the true cost of what is spent each year on hardware, toner, ink cartridges, paper and management overheads.

Research from tech analysis firm Gartner indicates that organisations spend anywhere from 1% to 6% of their annual revenues on office copying and printing.

Companies which are highly document intensive – law offices, financial firms and healthcare organisations – can see benefits of 41, 33 and 27 per cent respectively from a managed print service.

• Controlled printing

With a managed print service, office managers know what spending will be for consumables across the whole organisation, taking advantage of volume discounts which may be lost if individual departments purchase their own supplies.

• Hardware consolidation

Gaining control via a managed print service also allows for consolidation of hardware. Many organisations maintain more printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines than are actually needed.

It’s a time consuming task for an office manager to have to log the age, monthly volumes and consumable usage of their printing equipment. Running a MPS allows that decision to be monitored efficiently and remotely, freeing up the office manager’s time for tasks which are directly related to the business’ operations.

Print experts can reduce the hardware count without impacting productivity by finding more efficient hardware options, such as multifunction printers (MFPs), which combine a printer, copier, scanner and fax machine within a single device.

Industry estimates in the USA show that for every $1 spent on printing — for toner, ink and other supplies — organisations spend another $9 to manage the printing environment. This includes the time staff spends to place purchase orders or drive to suppliers to get consumables.

• Guaranteed budget reduction

Organisations with in-house sourcing cannot compete with the purchasing power of a print management company which is able to source the right product at the right price.

In addition, they are always up to date on print management software and on new technologies because office managers don’t have the time, budget or expertise to be able to improve and invest in the right software.

• Innovation and impartiality

All organisations want to make sure that their printed communications and marketing collateral is at the forefront of their competition. A print management service solution provides innovation and creativity because of their expertise and knowledge of the market place. They keep up to date with advancements in the print industry and pass these developments on to you the customer.

Above all else, a print management services company is impartial they are not tied to anyone manufacturer or supplier. They will have cultivated an extensive network of supplier relationships developed over many years, based on trust, excellence and expertise, which cannot be achieved in-house.

The next time you are reviewing your print strategy and want to know how your company can make savings think print management.