February 12, 2024
I’m not exactly a psychic, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you’ve stumbled on this blog, you’re hoping to find a way to cut costs that won’t hurt your organization’s ability to do what you do. That’s absolutely one of the best benefits of managed print services (MPS), but there are many more that don’t always get mentioned.
In this blog, I’ll explain how a good provider is able to save organizations both time and money and what else a client might get out of the deal.
What Is Managed Print Services?
Managed Print Services, commonly referred to as MPS, is a service offered by print providers to assist businesses with streamlining printer management and minimizing costs associated with printing. Of course, all of this can be done in-house. However, MPS came about because the majority of organizations don’t have their own print strategy for two reasons:
- It's time-consuming
- It falls low on the priority list
Even the first phase of managed print services — conducting an initial print assessment — can take quite a bit of time if your print fleet is complex. In most cases, business owners’ and IT folks’ time is much better spent elsewhere. And as printers and print security evolve, a provider will be better equipped to identify hidden risks and wasteful print habits.
How Does MPS Work?
Print management software has gotten very good over the past few years. Not every provider uses the same tools, but our software gives us an incredible amount of insight into every device, regardless of brand. We are able to send ink and toner as they’re needed, so our clients don’t have to spend time ordering and stocking the right items for their machines. We can also see when a particular component is about to cause a problem, so we can dispatch a technician with the correct part and resolve the issue before our clients even realize there was one.
As a bonus, we can also get real-time data on which departments are printing what, so we can keep recommending solutions that save companies money over time.
Top 6 Benefits of MPS
Regardless of who does the work, it’s very important that your print environment is managed effectively. Unfortunately, if that’s not happening at your business, you’re in good company — 90% of organizations fail to track their print costs. Here are a few incentives to get started.
1. Reduce Cost
I like to start here, because no matter how many times I explain this to clients, most people underestimate how much a provider can save them. So here are a few stats that are hard to ignore:
- Unmanaged print costs can eat up between 1–3% of an organization’s annual revenue
- Companies typically underestimate printing costs by 30% to 40%
- The average employee prints 10,000 pages a year, and 17% of them are never used
Printing may always be a necessity for many businesses. But print environments certainly don’t need to be this expensive or this wasteful.
2. Reduce Disruptions
As printers grow more complex, they’re more vulnerable to disruptions. For example, now, a software update or a network connectivity issue can interfere with your ability to print. But no matter what the cause, with managed print, print disruptions are your provider’s problem, not yours, and they will be able to diagnose it and address it very quickly.
Even simple problems like paper jams don’t occur as frequently when your devices are well-maintained.
3. Free Up Your IT Department
Around 50% of help desk calls are related to print. So if you think the rest of your staff hates dealing with printer issues, your IT staff hates it just as much, if not more.
IT departments really can't afford to troubleshoot printing issues or deal with break fixes. They have more critical projects and issues that they need to be focusing on.
4. Save Time Throughout Your Organization
With MPS services, your staff will no longer have to research which supplies to order and from where. They also won’t have to schedule regular maintenance appointments. Your provider will just know when you're running low on supplies and when you're in need of service.
Supplies, on-site service, and equipment replacement will be covered in your MPS program with no additional charges or expenses.
5. Become Less Susceptible to Scams
Not too long ago a toner pirate was sentenced to four years in prison after scamming businesses for decades. In just one six-year stretch, he tricked businesses into buying $126 million of toner from him at 10 times the retail price.
Toner pirates and other office supply scammers are able to con so many businesses so easily because with just a bit of information — like what kind of printer you use — they are able to pose as a legitimate supplier. Smaller organizations also don’t tend to control who is authorized to order supplies, and may not have a standard process for tracking their invoices.
With one provider that sends supplies automatically, it’s much easier for your staff to recognize a fraudulent invoice or a suspicious “sales” call.
6. Increase Security
Print security threats aren’t new, but as unsecured printers can be gateways for any number of cyberattacks, it’s more important in recent years that organizations large and small put some real effort into improving print security.
Many managed print providers will also offer print security services for an additional fee. At Marco, we’re large enough to have a dedicated print security team, and we feel strongly that cybersecurity should no longer be seen as a luxury. Small to midsize businesses are a favorite target of hackers, and we feel that every client, regardless of size, deserves to have their data protected.
Because we’re a large national provider, even with the additional print security component, we’re still able to offer our services for less than most SMB owners might think. Click the link below to get a quick estimate!
