The next Generation of Managed Print Services Promises Significant Returns for Small and Midsize Businesses

Our recent international survey, The State of Document Management, shows that SMBs are leading the way when it comes to Managed Print Services. Many have already put an MPS contract in place, or are planning to do so in the next year.

But when we carried out follow-up interviews to drill down into the headline statistics, we quickly realized that the term ‘MPS’ doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody.

So, let’s define our terms.

For some, it’s a basic offering which involves break-fix services, supplies replenishment and support. So it’s a reactive approach to handling the day-to-day needs of a print environment.

But cost-cutting has its limits, so many of the smartest SMBs we spoke to are looking at taking things to the next level.

They want to move beyond the cost paradigm, and see this as an opportunity to harness new technology to generate value. And they’re increasingly relying on their MPS partner to show them the way.

How to Get from Here to There

The first step in moving from reactive to proactive is to assess the current state of their print environment.

Print assessments can quickly identify cost savings and efficiency improvements. Organizations often don’t know how many printers they have, where they’re located or who’s printing on them.

Printers could be in the wrong place for the workgroups they serve, or be over- or under-utilized. People may be printing in color when they don’t need to, and complex jobs may take a long time to configure, causing unnecessary delays and a drop in productivity.

Running out of supplies can also mean delays and frustration, and may lead to over-ordering, with spiraling costs and a growing storage problem.

A comprehensive print assessment by an MPS partner will uncover all of these issues, and allow significant cost reduction and efficiency improvements to be made.

But that’s just the beginning.

Taking It up a Notch

SMBs are realizing that print management is part of a bigger picture: the digital revolution.

With 25% of the world economy predicted to be digital by 2020, digitization is on everybody’s agenda. It’s not a luxury – it’s a necessity in a world where every touchpoint will be transformed by technology.

So these SMBs are working with their partners to accelerate the pace of change. They’re moving to the next generation of MPS: from reactive to proactive, and from cost cutting to generating business value.

Together, they’re designing an end-to-end print management solution that incorporates digitization, document workflow, mobile printing, cloud technology and security.

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