Time to switch? How to evaluate your current Managed Print Service provider

Anecdotal evidence suggests that 9 out of 10 companies don’t know how many printers they have or what their total output is. Further to that, it’s estimated that printing costs are in the top three most expensive operational costs for businesses. This means big bucks. So, are you one of the nine, and is it time to evaluate or switch your Managed Print Service (MPS) provider?

The evaluation and audit process can reveal inefficiencies across workflows, document management, waste, and more, so switching to a more customised Managed Print Service provider can lead to greater productivity, lower operational costs, and a pleased COO.

Not sure if you need to switch? Let’s take a look at the main things you need to consider if your enterprise printing solutions have been in place for a while and need revisiting.

1. Consider your bottom line

Let’s face it. If you can save the company money and increase workflow in the process, you’re winning. And the savings from managed print services are very real and often overlooked.

When it comes to your printers, calculating the total cost of ownership (TCO) is the best place to start. This takes into consideration the operational costs of your equipment over its lifespan, not just the contracted price. 

Unfortunately, this ever-important calculation is often overlooked - but it is integral to accurately assessing your current Managed Print Service provider and improving your bottom line. If you’re considering analysing your current equipment or comparing different printers, this is the best place to start.

Consumables such as toner costs account for a large portion of TCO calculations and can vary widely depending on how many prints per cartridge the printer uses and how environmentally conscious the vendor is.

For example, at Kyocera, we use parts that, in many other brands, are disposable. This, along with its long-life drum, drastically reduces the number of consumables needed to run our machines and, in turn, drives down the total cost of ownership.

Energy consumption and paper wastage are two other elements that affect TCO. Do you have effective document-handling software and hardware in place to minimise waste, and are your devices draining unnecessary power? Be sure also to check the Energy Star ratings of your current equipment when considering whether to switch.

2. Assess your Managed Print Services provider

Is your current provider giving your equipment the regular, speedy maintenance it deserves, or is there a lot of downtime when machines play up? How do ongoing maintenance and repairs interrupt workflow and productivity in your office? 

When considering whether to switch MPS services, consider the above and the costs associated with installation, servicing, and training. 

Seek a reputable vendor like Kyocera that offers flexibility in contracts, plus reliability and excellent customer service. 

There should also be absolute transparency across costs (forecasted figures and cost savings) and maintenance, and the provider should be able to tailor your MPS printing solutions specifically to your needs.

3. Look at others who have walked the walk before you

Doing comparisons should be well worth it - and to many companies, it is. Take Burnside War Memorial Hospital, for instance. This not-for-profit community-based hospital was using Canon Multifunction Devices that were nearing the end of life, and Lexmark printers that were less than one year old.

The service response times were inadequate, as were the equipment's features in terms of their required output. The hospital was also struggling to track the TCO of its equipment, making budget management difficult.

With the help of Kyocera, Burnside replaced its entire fleet and reduced overall printing costs by 35%. 

Kyocera also provided a single management solution that encompassed all multifunctional devices and printers and guaranteed a single service-level agreement with service response times of under 4 hours.

Along with a 35% decrease in printing costs, by switching to KYOCERA, Burnside Hospital also:

• Reduced the workload of the administration department by approximately 85%
• Saved around $4000 in consumable inventory costs
• Reduced the number of service calls for the hospital
• Allowed more flexibility to print more in-house, minimising expensive outsourcing costs
• Made managing print costs and workflow easier due to cost reports 
• Minimised the hospital’s environmental impact with Kyocera’s toner-only replacement design, utilising the KyoCollect consumables recycling program and the minimal use of non-recyclable components in toners and packaging.

Printing is typically the third-highest business expense after rent and payroll, but it's often overlooked or calculated using only the sticker price. Download our Guide to Calculating Total Printing Costs to learn how to correctly assess your device's total cost of ownership and avoid unnecessary expenses.

KYOCERA Document Solutions provides document management solutions powered by ECOSYS technology to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and minimise environmental impact, while delivering greater productivity, reliability and uptime.