5 Components of a Successful Print Assessment
Few services provide more insight into the inner workings of your print environment than a print assessment. As part of a comprehensive Managed Print Services program, the assessment process typically begins with an evaluation of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the printer fleet. An assessment will identify areas that would benefit from improvement and reveals ways to increase efficiency, reduce print costs, and streamline document workflow. Your print assessment should include the following five key components:
- Print Fleet Inventory – In order to optimize your print fleet an MPS provider must first understand your current infrastructure by taking a thorough inventory of all devices and mapping out their locations. From there, ideal printer placement can be determined to increase workflow and streamline the print process.
- Device Usage Analyzation – Data collection tools are invaluable for uncovering actual print usage across networked and non-networked devices throughout your organization. In addition to basic information, they can also discern usage by device type and age, black and white versus color print, and can identify patterns of usage during the life cycle of a document.
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Revealed – An assessment will help you understand the Total Cost of Ownership, where both direct and indirect costs are compared against device usage, cost of maintenance, supplies and service.
- Workflow Evaluation – Your print assessment will include a detailed map of how information flows through your organization revealing areas of inefficiency and bottlenecks.
- Environmental Impact – A print assessment will uncover areas where you can reduce your carbon footprint. Strategies for improvement may include:
- Implementation of print rules such as printing double-sided documents and defaulting printers to black and white.
- Cutting down on paper waste by digitizing hard copy into digital documents.
- Implementation of recycling procedures.
- Reducing energy usage by replacing old, inefficient print equipment with Energy Star-rated devices.
At the completion of the print assessment an MPS provider will have the information needed to make recommendations for the optimization of your print fleet using MPS tools and strategies. From there, they will manage every aspect of your print environment, including service, maintenance, supplies and helpdesk support, at an affordable cost for businesses of any size.
Contact us today for a complimentary assessment of your print environment and start saving today!
