We’re going to take a moment to explain exactly what a service & maintenance agreement is and what you should expect your service contract to cover.
We get this question in a lot of different forms.
What does your service agreement cover?
How can I get maintenance done on my copiers and printers?
How will I be able to get toner delivered for my new printer / copier?
Does my maintenance agreement cover service calls?
Why do I need a printer / copier service agreement?
We’re going to take a moment to explain exactly what a service & maintenance agreement is and what you should expect your service contract to cover.
What Exactly is a Printer / Copier Service & Maintenance Agreement?
A service and maintenance agreement is the purchased coverage for your copier or printer. I like to think of it like car insurance for copiers, but with a few major bonuses added. Like an insurance plan for your copier, a service and maintenance agreement is set up so that if the copy machine ever jams or breaks down you have a certified service team on call to come to the rescue.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if your car insurance included gas and parts? That's the major bonus to a copier or printer service and maintenance agreement, it also covers all of your ink and toner for the device. With a copier or printer service agreement, it's a multifaceted approach, that covers all of your ongoing maintenance, parts, ink / toner, training and support as well as emergency repairs.
What’s Included in the Printer / Copier Service Contract?
At a minimum, a copier or printer service contract should include:
· Labor and materials required for any equipment repairs or service calls
· Part replacement (drums, fusers, etc…)
· Preventative maintenance on the equipment
· Training
· Ink and toner supply
Additionally, the majority of service providers also include an allotted number of prints and copies that are included before the additional Cost Per Page is charged.
While this is the norm, coverage can still vary between service suppliers. Labor and materials may be covered, but only for warrantied parts or training may only be included for brand new devices at installation. It’s best to read through the details of the agreement to ensure that there is no fine print with additional exclusions or non-covered situations.
The main exclusions of a copier maintenance agreement are staples and paper.
Equipment issues that result from acts of nature or customer negligence may also be considered exclusions to the service agreement. This would include situations like a customer’s employee going “Office Space” on the copier or water damage that was caused by a broken pipe at the site.
What About Service Call Response Time?
Response times vary widely among service companies, we’ve heard on-site response times ranging anywhere from 4 hours to extreme waits as long as several days before someone came out to initially look at the copier issue.
At AOS, we are committed to an on-site service response time of less than 4 hours for any printer or copier repair.
If you’re looking at other service providers, you'll want to have a good understanding of their response time guarantee and first call efficiency rate before signing the agreement. Your copier is an essential part of your company’s productivity, you can’t afford to find out later on that you’re stuck waiting days to have someone come out for a repair when your machine is down.
Is a Service and Maintenance Agreement Right for My Company?
Service agreements come in all shapes and sizes. Nearly all office equipment, from small laser printers all the way up to the most robust print shop production equipment can be covered by a service and maintenance agreement. It's always beneficial to get a free estimate to see whether the costs of a service contract could save your office both money and time by transitioning from self-maintenance.
