Procure print services

Almost every business depends 
on its ability to produce and 
manage documents. When independent research estimates that taking a more strategic approach to printing can 
save of up to 40 per cent, what steps 
should you take?

11 November 2010 

1. Establish your start position
Key to developing a print strategy is firstly to understand what your current assets, activities, volumes and costs are. This can be challenging since many organisations have disparate responsibilities and budgets when it comes to print, with IT, purchasing, facilities and finance often owning a part.

In addition, while traditional cap-ex equipment such as photocopiers and multifunctional devices (MFDs) are typically contracted and their costs relatively easy to identify through invoicing, the real lifetime costs of network or desktop printers can be significant but difficult to identify.

It’s important to evaluate potential print suppliers carefully in the way they will carry out an assessment, as the accuracy of information gathered in this stage will form the basis of any future investment decision you make.Quick network sweeps using audit software will not deliver all the information you will need so ensure your chosen partner can also display competency in physical site assessments.

The feedback of key staff can be invaluable in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your current infrastructure, and will help you design and promote any new solution you roll out.


2. Setting your objectives
Avoid the initial response of simply replacing ageing equipment with new; you will just end up doing bad things faster, and marginally cheaper.

A thorough assessment will highlight areas of potential improvement so identify opportunities to deliver tangible benefits to your business, staff and customers and prioritise these.
Overall you should aim to consolidate all your print and document devices and their servicing and consumables costs into one consolidated infrastructure. This is an opportunity to leverage your buying power and reduce your roster of suppliers, making them totally accountable for maintaining and managing it.

Your print infrastructure should be fully networked, delivering improved functionality to users, but your objectives must have some sensitivity; find a sensible balance between optimisation and working practices.

3. Which cost model?
The decision whether to lease or buy your print equipment will depend on the nature of your business and your financial objectives and policies. While some continue with a cash purchase and separate service and consumables expenditure, many organisations have moved away from having assets on their balance sheet to off-balance sheet operating expenditure for print equipment and all related costs. Managed print services (MPS) are an increasingly popular way of achieving this.

4. On-site and remote support
Whether you choose a separate service agreement or a combined MPS, your print provider should be able to demonstrate efficient registering, escalation and resolution of faults, with full accountability. They should have other measures than just a quick response time. Pro-active remote monitoring can deliver real value. The leading remote support providers will remove the need for your staff to intervene with devices, order and manage toner cartridges, or give meter readings. You will also save space without the need to store spares on-site.

5. Project management and communications

It’s important to plan the rollout of a new fleet of printers and MFDs just as you would any other business support infrastructure. Unless you happen to be relocating into new premises at the same time phased rollouts typically minimise disruption to the ongoing business. Initiate a positive communications plan from your assessment onwards, educating users of the benefits of the new solution. In other words, ensure your senior management are advocates, not rule breakers!

6. The best solution

You are bound to encounter sticking points as you optimise your print infrastructure. Emotions, politics, and the occasional technical challenge will come to the surface, particularly when some staff perceive old devices local to them as their own, but with potential savings of 20-40 per cent, it’s important to empathise but persevere.

Once in place, an integrated infrastructure will give you many more opportunities for improvement. Revisit your common document processes and see where they could be improved or automated, using the networked functionality you now have, and make sure your print provider continues this initiative throughout your contract.


Managed Print Services
During the course of your assessment, be sure to identify your total annual volume of documents produced. A new fleet of devices to provide this in a cost-effective way for your business should then be specified. Under an MPS the total costs of all this new equipment, plus its continual maintenance, management and all consumables needed to produce the annual volume of documents, is provided under a single all-inclusive agreement. The total costs divided by the total annual volume give a ‘cost per page’ which includes everything.
When based on a professional assessment an MPS can deliver major cost savings plus significant additional benefits such as freeing up your IT and administration staff.


Gary Downey is group marketing director at Balreed Digitec