Managed Print Services - how they work for you

managed print services

Presently you will see and hear many conversations surrounding the subject of managed print services. You may also read of managed document services and managed services. There are also basic print services.

So, what are they all and which, if any, is right for you?

Firstly, all of the manufacturers and resellers will have their own take on their specific offering and will be pitching their own unique element, so, exceptions and errors accepted but, loosely, the below put you in the picture.

Basic print services is probably not too dissimilar to what you already have in place. Rather than buying consumables on an ad hoc basis and purchasing warranties, your supplier covers all consumable and service elements under one cost per page which, when multiplied by your usage, provides you with a monthly/quarterly cost.

In some cases there may be some monitoring tools included that will perform tasks such as automatic emailing of meter readings, alerts for when consumables are low to trigger automatic replenishment etc.

Many suppliers provide that level as their "managed" solution.

A managed solution is more likely though to also look at ways in which you produce your printed output and ways in which efficiencies can be introduced. The implementation of follow me printing as an example can reduce wastage, cut costs and provide greater clarity around who produces what and when. It can also enable users to eliminate the idea of printing to "their" device because, actually, they can collect from anywhere - even a different building.

In an attempt to differentiate themselves some suppliers refer to their offering as managed document services. The difference being that not only do they focus upon all of the above but, additionally, also the workflow involved. How is the document generated, why and where does it go to afterwards? Often these solutions will focus heavily upon the digitalisation of your documents and consider where they reside.

This level will almost certainly have an eye on the security of your documents too and will consider the impact of bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

Managed services then goes a stage further and provides a complete service wrap around all matters IT related, including desktop services, network provision etc. etc.

Confused? It would not be surprising if you were!

The key to it all though is actually quite simple.

The solution that you have should be the one that you need.

If that makes it an amalgamation of some, or all, of the above then so be it but you know your business and your colleagues better than any supplier, hence you will know what the impact will be on user experience and your colleagues satisfaction.

Is a 10% saving worth it if it creates 50% dissatisfaction? What is your cost to change and how do you factor that in to your commercial equation?

What impact will there be on associated services and support?

Questions, questions, questions.

We would be delighted to help you reach the right answers.