What Is Managed Print Services: And How Your Company Can Benefit
Did you know that 45% of the paper that’s printed in an office ends up in the trash can that same day?
If you find that your employees at your office have similar trends, you may want to consider managed print services.
But what is managed print services? Keep reading to find out and discover what some of the benefits are!
What Is Managed Print Services?
First, you should analyze how you approach printing in your company. Is it something that you keep track of and make sure you’re always on top of?
Or do the printers always break and run out of ink? Do employees never have any paper?
While taking a relaxed approach to printing might save you money in the short-term, it’ll cost you more in the long term. This is when it’s a good idea to invest in a managed print service (MPS).
MPS is an external company that will provide help with all of your printing and printer needs so that you don’t have to worry about it.
Rather than having your own internal company to deal with it, you can outsource the work to someone who has the time, resources, and money to manage them. This frees up your employees to do something that is more relevant to their actual job, which helps your business!
Each company is different, but many of them offer subscriptions. However, some of them charge you by the pages printed. Some companies will also offer monthly maintenance or management to your in-house printers. They’ll even offer to replace some of them!
They also do more than regular printing though. Some of them even offer the Zebra Thermal MPS program.
How it Works
When you do find an MPS that you want to work with, they’ll first run an assessment.
An assessment is where they review your current printing capabilities. They’ll look over the machines you have and analyze what you’re using them for. Based on that, they’ll make recommendations to make sure that you have the best device management.
After an assessment, they’ll be able to start optimizing your services. When they do this, they’ll rationalize or consolidate all of your business needs and printing capabilities. They’ll start to make improvements and manage everything remotely.
Once everything is set up and optimized, they’ll start managing your print services. They’ll conduct business reviews regularly, monitor the printers, and manage everything to ensure that your workflow is running smoothly.
Benefits
While you might think that it’s easier to just manage everything on your own, there are actually many benefits to using managed print services.
Those benefits include things like efficiency, saving costs, automated deliveries, and saving the environment!
Reduce Printers In-House
Do you have printers all over your office? How many of them actually work? How many of them are actually used?
Generally, the printers are in a place where it’s inefficient or no one uses them. A managed print service will find out which printers are used the most, and they’ll be able to make recommendations on which ones should be removed or if one should be moved somewhere else.
Streamline Your Printer Replacements
If one of your printers does break, they’ll make sure that the replacement process is streamlined. When they move the printer to somewhere where it’s used more, it’s bound to break eventually.
If you do need a replacement, they’ll order one for you and install it as soon as possible! They’ll also run regular maintenance on your machines to help you avoid having to buy a new printer so soon.
Training Employees
Your IT department probably already has so many other issues to deal with in addition to printer issues.
With an MPS, they’ll take over any problems that people have. However, they’ll also take the time to show employees how to use the printers correctly. They’ll also tell them what to do if something does break so that they can easily fix it on their own.
Security
If you’re in the defense industry, for example, you should ensure that your printing is classified and that no one can hack into your printer.
With an MPS, you’ll have built-in authentication protocols for printing, so only employees will be able to see what’s printed. They’ll also provide encryption for data so that only those with special permission can have access to confidential information.
Save Money
While you will have to pay an MPS to manage your printing, you’ll save yourself time and money in the long run.
An MPS will show you how much you’re spending on printers and supplies and maintenance. They’ll be able to show you ways that you can save money or streamline the workflow so that you aren’t paying for devices or supplies that people aren’t even using.
Save Environment
If you want to reduce your business’s environmental market, an MPS will help to limit how much paper employees use. They’ll also ensure that if something is printed, that it will actually get used.
They’ll also limit the usage of paper and other wasted supplies. If something is wasted, they’ll ensure that it gets recycled.
Learn More About Managed Print Services
These are only a few things to answer the question of, “What is managed print services?” But there are many more things to know!
We know that running a business can be stressful and overwhelming, but we’re here to help you out.
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