How Can a Managed Print Services Solution Improve An Existing Process?

Last week, I wrote on the topic “How Do You Demonstrate the Value of Managed Print Services to Prospects Who Seem Happy with Their Current Processes? So now, let’s take a closer look at a print management process, and see how an MPS solution could add value. Let’s look at a “printer swap out process” as an example. Assume that the current process is one in which the customer carries spare equipment to hot swap when a print device goes down. This print management process is more concerned with up‐time than with managing costs and improving processes; this is a process ripe with inefficiencies and unnecessary costs. To start, you should be asking the following question: Why are these devices going down and what can you offer to reduce the frequency of the swap‐out policy currently in place?

Maybe they don’t that with today’s technology, strategic Service Provider have the ability to remotely manage the operational needs of all devices under management, in many cases before the end‐user is unable to print. Maybe they don’t know that the right Service Provider, providing the right solution, could proactively schedule service, visit the device, identify the issue, and have it resolved before it creates the need for a device swap‐out. Wouldn’t that sound like a more prudent approach to managing a process?

Obviously, the current process incurs financial expenditures relative to time, energy, and productivity, not to mention the ongoing repair costs. Just how much value are they really getting for those expenditures? More than likely, their current process does not fully address other value points, such as cost avoidance, cost containment, and process improvement. So an assortment of questions arises, such as: Why are the print devices going down? Would avoiding this be of value? Why are they going down? Are the devices being properly serviced? Is the current Service Provider performing preventative maintenance on a regular basis in order to extend their life and reduce the incident of print issues? Which devices need more preventative maintenance services than others; based on volume and usage? How many device swap‐outs are they doing per month? If you could reduce that by 60‐80 percent, what kind of value would that represent?

It could be that the person responsible for managing this process is too low in the food chain to understand that throwing devices at a problem is not a solution. They may just not realize that there’s a better system available for managing their print environment; one that can improve on current processes.

This customer should be asking questions of their current process, such as: How many device swaps are we doing per month and why? How could we better manage our environment to reduce this number and how would that benefit us? How many fuser error codes appeared before the device went down? How many paper jams occurred before a device was swapped with another?

Think about this current process for a moment. The user has to identify that the device is not working, diagnose that the problem and or contact the help desk. Someone must then determine the issue is severe enough to warrant a swap, and then go through the swap process. In reality, data should be tracked and monitored. Questions should be asked and improved processes should be implemented. If no one is addressing the problem, then an inefficient process will continue.

Additional questions that should be asked include: What is the swap‐out process? How many people are involved? How long does it take? Just how time‐consuming and disruptive of a process is it? How do you ever identify if it is a user‐generated problem versus true print issue which led to the swap‐out? If your prospects are not asking these questions of themselves, you need to ask these questions for them.

While this is an example of a mismanaged process, there are dozens of inefficient processes just like it, each requiring questions and answers. Perhaps these questions have never been asked?

Managed Print Services is about looking at the processes of how people manage print, and then asking questions: If we can change the process, how could that generate an immediate or long term benefit? How could that help to reduce total cost of ownership? How could that add to operational efficiencies? How could that help to identify print issues from usability issues? How could that extend equipment life? How could that free‐up equipment for potential use elsewhere? How could…? If whoever you’re talking with has an inefficient process, and they don’t understand the value of improving it, then your value statement needs to be improved, clarified, and reiterated. If they understand the value, but are concerned about the cost and time involved in changing the process, then that’s a separate issue that needs to be addressed. If, however, they understand the value proposition, but just don’t care about changing the process, then you’re probably talking to the wrong person. If you’re talking to the right person, but they just don’t care, stop wasting your time, and move on.

Again, Managed Print Services looks to identify and reduce costs. Your target audience has to care about identifying current procedures and agree that better processes can equate to lower costs and greater value. If they don’t care, then you need to find someone in the organization that does. It’s your job to ask the questions, listen to their responses, and educate them on the value you can bring through a more efficient MPS approach to managing print as a business process. Remember, your solution is strategic. It’s about fiscal responsibility, control, cost containment, cost avoidance, and process improvement. All of which are important and should matter!