Managed Print Services – A New Frontier of Cost Savings for Small, Medium and Large Organizations

Significant cost savings and operational efficiency are some of the real benefits organizations can derrive from a managed print services program.

Managed Print Services: Defined by the Gartner research group as “a service offered by an external provider to optimize or manage a company’s document output to certain objectives”, such as:

• Driving down costs
• Improving efficiencies and productivity
• Reducing the administrative burden associated to print devices
  
• Environmental savings with a lower carbon footprint
  

Methodology and Objectives

Generally speaking, the objectives are to move high cost desktop (printer) prints to low cost multifunctional prints, thereby reducing the ratio of users to each machine from 3:1 down to 9:1. Most successful Managed Print Initiatives focus on decentralizing multifunctionals while centralizing (by removing desktop printers) prints.

Scope of Services

Services can be as simple as a restructuring of customer owned equipment with an objective of reducing the ratio of users to each machine to effect cost savings – or – As complicated as a fully managed vendor owned fleet that might include a central print shop operated by the vendor with services, down to the level of toner and paper replacement on individual devices.

Main Components

Print Migration is an effective way to divert print traffic to lower cost devices, and reduce your overall footprint.

• Assessment of current print device infrastructure and costs
• Proposal and Agreement to re-align and/or remove
• Selection of general replacement hardware
• Ongoing provision of service, parts, supplies for both new and existing hardware
• Tracking and measurement of equipment usage for greater efficiency and productivity gains throughout the life of the contract. Recommendations and adjustments are made in order to improve satisfaction and meet the changing needs of customers.

Results Realizable

• Savings of 30% to 50% are not uncommon and have been projected by Gartner and other consulting firms for the past ten years.
• Reduction of the carbon footprint by 50%.

Obstacles to Success

Cost savings of between 30% and 50% as well as significant environmental savings are realizable with a properly implimented Managed Print Services Program.

The restructuring of office print devices across departmental boundaries can sometimes result in differences in policy and opinion. If the all levels of the organization are in agreement with the financial, efficiency and environmental objectives, a managed print services program can result in huge benefits.

Learn more about 4 Office’s Managed Print Services:

A. Print Migration – Can Save 30% – 50%
B. “All In” Print Plans – Can Save 30% or More
C. Custom Fleet Reporting Gives Management Control

Managed Print Services Defined by the Gartner research group as “a service offered by an external provider to optimize or manage a company’s document output to certain objectives, such as: 1) Driving down costs 2) Improving efficiencies and productivity 3) Reducing IT support” Methodology and Objectives Generally speaking, the objectives are to move high cost desktop (printer) prints to low cost multifunctional prints, thereby reducing the ratio of users to each machine from 3:1 down to 9:1. Most successful Managed Print Initiatives focus on decentralizing multifunctionals while centralizing (by removing desktop printers) prints.

Managed Print Services help organizations drive down costs and increase internal efficiencies.

Scope of Services

Services can be as simple as a restructuring of customer owned equipment with an objective of reducing the ratio of users to each machine to effect cost savings – or – As complicated as a fully managed vendor owned fleet that might include a central print shop operated by the vendor with services, down to the level of toner and paper replacement on individual devices.

Main Components

• Assessment of current print device
  infrastructure and costs
• Proposal and Agreement to re-align and/or remove
• Selection of general replacement hardware

• Ongoing provision of service, parts, supplies for both new and existing hardware

• Tracking and measurement of equipment usage for greater efficiency and productivity gains throughout the life of the contract. Recommendations and adjustments are made in order to improve satisfaction and meet the changing needs of customers.