Even in a world as digitized as Corporate America, there will always be a huge need for printing in your small business operations.

Whether it's printing collateral for a sales convention or the invoices that you send out to clients, the needs will continuously increase as your organization grows.

However, all of those needs can start to add up quickly. If you're thinking of buying a printer or copier for yourself, you might want to look at additional options to get you the best deal on equipment, toner and maintenance such as Managed Print Services (also referred to as MPS).

We’ve spoken with several small business owners to find out what benefits impacted their offices the most after choosing to partner with a Managed Print Service provider. Here are the top 4 reasons that they gave us for going with Managed Print Services.

1. Cost-Savings

Perhaps the biggest benefit of managed print services is the amount of money it can save you on your printing costs.

Research has found that small businesses typically spend between $77 and $92 a month on supplies per employee. If you’re not sure how much your office is currently spending on copy and print costs, your organization could be spending even more than this on supplies. We’ve seen offices spend thousands of dollars on using small store-bought printers without realizing how much it was adding up.

A Managed Print Service provider will be able to assist you in calculating your printer and copier cost per page to determine what you’re office is really spending. Your current costs are almost certainly more than what would be available to you through opportunities to lease new equipment with the latest cost-saving technology.

If there are no apparent cost-savings in making the change to Managed Print Services, then you can always stick with your current printers. Most Managed Print Service providers offer a no-cost managed print needs analysis that allows you to utilize their team to get a clear assessment showing the current costs of your printing devices along with the proposed cost of leasing new equipment.

2. Operational Efficiency

How many times in your career have you had a simple task, like printing an invoice turn into a frustrating process that’s been complicated by copier or printer issues? Either the machine has run out of toner or there’s a new paper jam waiting to be resolved.

Unless you or someone else in your office has prior experience with copiers and printers, you could be stuck there for hours trying to solve the problem on your own. When you finally call someone to come in and repair it, they inform you that it will take several hours and no one will be available to come on-site until the next business day.

Imagine the relief you would have, knowing that you and your employees don’t need to burden yourselves with spending time to try to fix a jammed or broken machine. With Managed Print Services, you’ll be able to rest easy with the knowledge that you have a team of experts available to quickly diagnose and fix any problems that should arise.  

When it comes to toner, the benefits are even more apparent. Remote monitoring allows Managed Print Service providers to ship toner to your location before the device has even alerted you of the need! Imagine how much time you could save your team if they didn’t have to worry about having to order toner or running out when they really need it.

Now your staff can focus on the organizational responsibilities that need their attention, rather than spending a bunch of time struggling through technical issues with the office copier. Managed Print Services allows you to streamline operations for your business, create better workflows and increase employee satisfaction.

3. Strategic Planning for Your Devices

It’s a difficult task for businesses to determine the exact number and type of printing devices necessary for optimal efficiency within their offices.  Dealing with these decisions without utilizing industry insights may lead you to find that you have over or under estimated the copiers and printers than your office needs.

If you purchase more devices than you need, then your business has wasted valuable capital on equipment that it won't be able to utilize. If you purchase too few, you'll slow down the entire operation, risking a loss of productivity and frustration among your employees.

A quality Managed Print Service provider will use their experience to ask you the questions necessary to determine the right copier or printer for your office’s specific needs.

For example, if you operate out of a larger building with lots of users, they may recommend having two printers installed and suggest specific locations to create the best workflow for your team. Conversely, they may recommend optimizing your print fleet by combining devices located within the same area to offer additional cost-savings without hindering the workflow and productivity.

4. Access to the Best Technology

As a manager, you have a lot of things already on your plate. You have to constantly think about aspects such as marketing, financials, operations, manufacturing, sales, etc. Who has time to think about printing technology in addition to everything else?

Not to mention, unless you're passionate about the printing industry, why would you want to spend all of the time that it takes to become familiar with the best brands or newest models?

There are sure to be printer features that could help your business thrive. Teaming up with a Managed Print Service provider means that you're joining forces with a team that knows the ins and outs of the print and copy industry. It's their job to keep up to date with constantly changing technology so that they can supply the best solutions to their clients.

Managed Print Service providers offer the opportunity to lease office equipment on a refresh cycle that allows your organization to consistently upgrade to the latest technology without increasing costs.

Invest in Managed Print Services and Start Cutting Costs

Now that you've seen all the benefits of Managed Print Services, it's time to find the right company for you to join forces with. At AOS, we welcome your questions and would be happy to discuss all of the options available to you through Managed Print Services.

For more inquiries, please feel free to reach out via our online contact form and we'll be happy to assist you further.