Managed Print Services

From financial services to manufacturing, from large and small businesses, enterprises realize the financial benefits of managing and controlling their print output.  They do this through managed print services (MPS), also known as cost per page or print fleet management.  These are defined and documented strategies to manage the volume of documents flowing through the organization, minimizing costs at all steps along the way.  

Print is an infrastructure as important as facilities, telecommunications and information technology. Long-term results of a successful MPS strategy include increased productivity, better compliance and improved environmental sustainability.

If you are considering whether managed print services are right for you, ask yourself:  

1. Will this effort deliver an ongoing and tangible return on investment?
According to research, enterprises can save up to 30 percent on printing services by selecting the right partner and service.

2. Does your print infrastructure support company objectives?
Implementing MPS not only addresses cost and increases productivity, but it may be a sustainable business practice.  By decreasing the number of print devices, an effective MPS strategy addresses a corporate commitment to reduce paper consumption, decrease power usage and eliminate landfill waste.

3. Is your technology keeping up?
As business evolves, so must its output solution evolve. If the current technology is not keeping up with demand from additional employees and increased usage, it’s draining your financial and human resources. Or, if your strategy is not flexible as your head count fluctuates, you can improve. Moreover, while economics may force you to hold onto your technology assets for longer, MPS may be able to reduce costs by combining the right technology with software, services, and best practices.  This will enable your business to streamline workflow, speed up access to critical information, eliminate redundant manual tasks, and also reduce operational costs.

4. Are you benefiting from your current print strategies?
Consider the decisions made for your company’s current print environment – including the current fleet of copiers, printers and hardware. Does it still meet your requirements?  Could it do more or better?  Regularly assess the environment and make decisions based on facts.  

By reducing the ratio of output devices to employee head count, power consumption is reduced – leading to lower carbon production and less greenhouse gases. Reducing print output also saves fresh water and trees via the reduction in paper and pulp manufacturing process.

5. What does downtime cost?
One of the basic challenges of assessing printing expenses is determining what is being spent and where. When IT is constantly repairing hardware while employees cannot print, all departments suffer. Print costs are often buried in various budgets- so tracking the costs of downtime can be difficult – and the results, misleading. By leveraging intelligent tools to monitor all output, management strategies can be implemented to avoid unnecessary downtime. Employees should have access to output as needed – 100 percent of the time, without exception.

6. Do you have more important things to focus on than print?
Most companies lack the print management knowledge internally to handle print solutions without external expertise. The Pendulum Group brings the expertise to manage, upgrade and improve devices, while empowering its clients’ employees to embrace productivity and operational changes. By assessing document volume, work processes and its supporting technology, our clients can develop plans to achieve the right formula for their employees work habits, daily volume and organizational readiness.

While MPS is not a new concept, it can maximize short-term cost savings, while adding value to your business’ growth. The first step is to realize that your print infrastructure is a means of leveraging new sources of value.