With the cost of printing typically eating into 1-3% of a company’s annual revenue, MPS providers need to boost printing efficiency, reduce costs and deliver an attractive ROI.

They’ll need to prove they can do this before any work begins, and in this blog we’re going to look at how your MPS provider can do that when it comes to the way they approach equipment, consumables and their support services.

The audit

Before any form of implementation or device management begins, a good MPS provider will consult you on a couple of important measurements:

• Device utilisation. This will help ascertain whether existing devices are being used to their best capabilities and identify those that need to be replaced, removed or repositioned.
• User to device ratio. Do you have more devices than you require? An MPS provider should be able to quickly identify opportunities for consolidation amongst your printer fleet.

Both metrics will then usually be benchmarked against similar businesses in order to demonstrate the gap between your operation and an optimised printing environment.

A roadmap to bridge that gap will usually follow, providing a clear path ahead.

Equipment management

Your MPS provider should take on the responsibility of managing employee printing needs both on- and off-site.

They should also deal with suppliers on your behalf when devices need to be replaced, by suggesting ongoing maintenance plans and printer configurations, while ensuring you get the best deals through their own network.

Clearly, you don’t want to be saddled with updating drivers and firmware, either, which is why the responsibility for keeping devices up-to-date should also land on your MPS provider’s shoulders.

Consumables

A good MPS provider will proactively monitor your consumables remotely and set up servicing schedules to ensure low toner levels are dealt with before they become a problem.

That should result in no printer downtime or the need to stockpile cartridges. Add that to the reduction in price your MPS provider may be able to offer for consumables, and the direct savings will quickly become apparent.

Services

If your MPS provider implements a robust printing strategy, employees will benefit considerably with fewer technical issues to slow them down and a streamlined hardware infrastructure that’s easier to operate.

Their services should also include proactive help desk support and effective user training that sticks.

The best MPS partner for your business will provide the value-focused service and equipment your company requires, rather than an ad-hoc print strategy that eats away at your budget.