July 17, 2023
If you’re reading this, chances are good that you’re not happy with your current vendor. Perhaps they promised to upgrade your fleet with one brand and save you money. But the reality is that their customer service leaves something to be desired, your equipment frequently breaks down (it shouldn’t), they don’t help you save enough money, or they can’t keep up with your fleet’s ink and toner needs.
Those are all perfectly valid reasons to consider making the switch when your contract is up. But if you’ve started shopping around, you might be wondering if you can keep your current fleet. You can, but only if you know where to look.
The New Print Vendor Pickle
A dealer will want you to replace your printers and copiers with products that their staff is trained to maintain. You might hunt around for a new vendor near you that happens to be aligned with your current equipment’s manufacturer, but that will limit your options. And no manufacturer is going to want to service another brand’s equipment. Don’t waste your breath.
Fortunately, there’s an elegant solution to this problem, and in the end, it tends to make organizations of all shapes and sizes very, very happy.
How To Keep Your Office Copiers & Printers When Switching Print Vendors
If you’re having difficulty finding a print vendor near you that will service your equipment, that might not be a bad thing. Hear me out — consider managed print services (MPS) instead.
Buying your equipment from a dealer instead of a manufacturer often gets you better prices and better service. But working with an MPS provider gets you even more, while saving clients up to 30% on their print costs.
What People Like About Managed Print Services
Many managed print providers are manufacturer agnostic, and can automatically send the correct print supplies for your equipment when you're running low. Some will also be able to remotely monitor your equipment to such a degree that they can dispatch a technician when a component shows signs of wear and tear — heading off a problem before it causes a disruption. And depending on the provider you choose, they might even be able to help you increase your print security.
Managed print providers aren’t all the same, but if your provider is worth their salt, they’ll also help you reduce the burden on your IT department, eliminate inefficiencies throughout your fleet, provide end-user training, and offer a few other benefits that are hard to argue with.
How To Make the Switch
If your lease will be up soon, just waiting for it to end before signing on with a new provider will probably be your best bet. But if you have to wait half a year or more, here are a few options to consider.
First, read your service level agreement (SLA) carefully, and pay attention to any scenarios where early termination is possible, or where your provider isn’t meeting their obligations. Your agreement may also allow you to sublease your equipment to another company. Depending on what you find, you might be able to get out of your lease without a penalty.
If you can’t find anything you can use, you might consider paying off your lease early, if you can swing it. A buyout isn’t probably something you want to hear, but it might be a decent option in the long run.
As a last resort, you might try talking to your vendor about a service cancellation. Sure, your dealer won’t want to lose your business. But they really, really won’t want you to leave a negative review either. Be polite, be clear about what’s not working, be reasonable, but be firm.
Other Ways To Optimize Your Fleet
If you’re a little wary of signing a new contract with a provider, or you’ve decided to hang in there for the remainder of your contract, I get it. There is, however, an easy way to start saving more money and/or try out a provider without committing to anything, and that’s getting a print assessment.
A print assessment is designed to reveal inefficiencies, unnecessary costs, wasteful print habits, and hidden security risks, and can also help you identify any devices that should be decommissioned.
You can certainly conduct a print assessment yourself if you’re knowledgeable about print security risks and you have insight into your workplace’s print habits. But many MPS providers will provide an initial assessment for free. It’s a great way to get a feel for a provider, their expertise, and how they work with clients.
And if you’re wondering…yes! We’d be happy to do this for you. Too many small to midsize businesses are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to their print dealers. Managed print services have come a long way, and we’d love to show you the level of service and savings that we think you should be getting.
