What to Expect from Today’s Managed Print and Document Services

If you’re like most business owners, greater efficiency and lower costs are always on your list of goals. Some opportunities are more obvious – like making your employees more productive. While others, like taking control of your IT costs, may seem more challenging. In fact, they may not yet be on your radar. But both of these opportunities, and many others, can be leveraged with the help of managed print services (MPS).

The best way to take full advantage of all that managed print services has to offer is with the help of an MPS provider. Your current solution provider is a great place to start but before you pick up the phone, it’s essential to understand how MPS works and what service delivery looks like in practice.

So how does the provider deliver services to better your business?

Devices Are More Intelligent and Useful

Good news: MPS has never been more user-focused and intelligent than it is today. That means it’s easier for you to understand and to use. Printers and multifunction printers (MFPs) have become more like workplace assistants, going well beyond the basic functions of print, scan and fax. The design, connectivity and platforms behind today’s MFP and other infrastructure have set new standards for value.

Here’s what that value looks like in practice, and how it can benefit your business:

There’s a much shorter learning curve with these new systems, so you don’t have to worry about losing productivity as you implement them. They also have less downtime than their predecessors, which means a boost in productivity overall.
By monitoring and regulating your printing and scanning practices you can reduce costs and improve your document security. .
Monitoring your usage will also give your sustainability goals a shot in the arm
You’ll be opening up new opportunities to dramatically improve your business workflows and simplify the way you work. Easier work processes = better productivity.

Understanding MPS infrastructure so you can find the right provider for your business.

Requires the Right Tools for the Job

MPS requires specific tools unique to your device, supplies and services management. Your provider should understand those needs and be able to articulate the features and functionality in practical terms. You’ll also want to ask whether the MPS program integrates with the cloud, and how to leverage that capability for maximum security and productivity.

Up-to-date Security and Standards

If using outside technologies and services makes you or your IT and security management team apprehensive, rest assured that a well deployed managed print service assures that communications between device, data and documents are secure and encrypted. Ask your potential provider how document security will be managed, and talk with your IT team about their security concerns before choosing a provider.

Easy to Use Portal

Your service provider will manage your overall fleet, but your team may also want visibility from time to time. What plan does the provider have for providing you an operational view of your imaging devices? Your MPS portal is your convenient go-to spot for accessing information about all your devices and services. It’s a hub for monitoring supplies, incident management and data collection, giving your provider information about your service, supplies and usage data so they can better optimize your print environment. Your MPS partner should also use this data to improve your business results by optimizing your workflows, documents and user behavior. Talk with your provider about the best way to leverage this data for your business.

Here are some of the capabilities you can expect in an MPS portal:

You can eliminate guesswork about device locations and status with easy to read visual renderings
Each of your devices can be preconfigured to fit your specific printing policies
The MPS portal also includes links to reporting systems, making them easier to find and use
You can quickly and easily submit an incident or supply order and then monitor the ticket’s progress for reliable updates
This same system also allows you to access incident submissions, supplies orders, printer locations, driver installation and other services right from your device
Your team can also instantly access manuals and other information for your deployed devices

Dashboards give both you and your provider valuable feedback, which contributes to better service, lower costs, consistent uptime and ongoing improvement. That’s reason enough to want to understand firsthand how the service team accesses and manages your print environment.

Data Driven Results

Capturing data and generating reports about your devices is a critical part of your managed services engagement. Here’s what your reports can tell you:

Device uptime and usage tracking
Supplies consumption and management
Service Level Agreement reporting
Meter and page count reporting

Your service reports should include both standardized reports, and additional reports customized for your needs and concerns. The results are a great tool to help steer your future strategies and initiatives.

A behind-the-scenes look at Managed Print and the questions you should be asking.

The benefits of managed print services are far reaching but in day to day practice it should be easy and hands off. The right infrastructure will be there every day in the background, smartly going about its businesses while you focus on running yours.

Need help choosing the right MPS provider? Download our free ebook 8 Steps for Choosing the Right MPS Partner.