Deploying Managed Print Services (MPS) can greatly improve efficiency and workflow effectiveness in the workplace. This is true across sectors, specialties and business sizes, and it’s worth digging into the reasons why. While some transformative enterprise programs only make sense for a certain type of organisation, an MPS contract is more adaptable.
When managers or IT leaders are wondering what types of programs will give them the process improvements they need, the most impactful answer may be MPS. Here’s a few key reasons why MPS is at least worth considering, regardless of industry and scale.
Universally appreciated benefits
Every company wants to become more efficient and cost-effective. Whenever and wherever budgets are being unnecessarily inflated, it’s incumbent on leaders to get them back in line. One of the guiding principles of MPS is right-sizing a company’s spending and cutting waste. Businesses with too little printing hardware are likely dealing with slowdowns and wait times, while organisations with too much infrastructure may face excessive costs. Finding the medium between these poles, using up-to-date hardware and efficiency-building software, is the consulting phase of an MPS implementation in a nutshell.
A lack of technological progress and investment may be leaving companies behind. Indeed, Gartner’s most recent CIO Agenda Survey found only three in every 10 companies in Australia and New Zealand are reaping value from digital innovation. The remaining 70% of organisations are lagging, with digital business models coming together. To realise valuable change on a relatively short timeline when dealing with printing and the related workflows, tech leaders can turn to MPS providers.
Often, process improvement through MPS use involves an increased focus on automation. Having too many manual processes is a hallmark of a company being held back by legacy technology. Giving employees time back in their day is a value driver, one that pairs well with the direct monetary advantages of identifying and eliminating budgetary waste.
Simple cost structure
When dealing with a traditional model of hardware and software procurement, companies have to make large up-front investments. Organisations that don’t have maintenance contracts in place need to pay out of pocket for essential repairs. Working with an MPS provider to receive services, and potentially hardware, is a way to turn these capital expenditure spikes into manageable and predictable operating expenditures.
MPS contracts come with a number of payment options, meaning a business can negotiate a suitable level and schedule of expenditure for its own needs. Forecasting a budget far in advance with the help of an expert MPS partner is a great way to keep funds available to deal with other needs that may occur, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be required for printing expenses. All types of business can benefit from such assurances, predictability and affordability.
A customised, bespoke approach
One of the primary reasons why MPS solutions are suitable for so many companies is that they are not one-size-fits all propositions. From the beginning of a print assessment, the MPS provider’s objective is to find out what makes the organisation unique, how it is currently managing printing and related processes across its locations and what it could be doing better. The answers will differ widely, as will the proposed solutions. While some businesses will be most suited to a widespread deployment of the latest tech tools, others will have much more modest volume needs. The average solution will naturally fall somewhere between the poles.
All companies have their own objectives and paths to profitability. Getting a good MPS solution means working with a partner that will keep these unique factors in mind and design strategies that fit neatly with what those organisations are trying to accomplish. Understanding current workflows is the key to creating new and better operational models. When an MPS provider takes the time to make a thorough assessment, this level of customisation is part of the contract.
Flexibility and scalability
Small and medium-sized enterprises are the engine of the Australian economy – especially those that are actively levelling up and becoming leaders in their field. Government research identified these ambitious SMEs as a central part of Australia’s maturing markets. In the years between 2012 and 2016, 146,000 new jobs opened up at large organisations that were considered small before their growth spurts. These businesses are targets of support from government programs eager to see their expansion continue, but they can help themselves in other ways.
Due to the fact that MPS contracts are designed with companies’ needs in mind, they can flexibly adjust over time as those businesses grow and their technology needs change. Even organisations staying roughly the same size can fine-tune their contracts. The communication relationship between an MPS provider and client does not end when the contract is signed, and if performance data over the months and years ahead confirms that change is needed to improve operations further, it’s easy to make that move.
Ease of access
Many times, technology changes don’t occur because companies feel stuck – stuck with the technologies they currently operate or the age-old workflows that have defined them for so long. The first step in seeking out MPS solutions – scheduling an assessment – is a way to break this deadlock and see what could be possible with a new approach to printing. Print and the related functions may be occupying a surprising amount of a company’s unnecessary spending, and that fact could go unappreciated without an assessment. Those hidden costs should not be allowed to remain undetected.
While print is only one area of a company’s functionality, improvement in this area can help organisations make significant strides in other areas, from getting more productivity from every employee to future-proofing the business as tech trends change and growth beckons. Consultative service is based on give and take between a company and its MPS partner, and this fruitful relationship can start with a single moment of outreach.
Start your MPS journey by scheduling a free print assessment from Brother today. There is no obligation involved, and the overview will help you see the ways your organisation could improve – no matter what it does.
