Here at CSBS, we have helped hundreds, if not thousands, of our neighboring businesses improve efficiency, save money, and increase customer satisfaction by streamlining their office procedures.
Consolidating print resources, networking copiers, and developing simpler ways to get business done are important to every business, whether you sell sandwiches or software, manufacture or design widgets, do taxes, or cut hair. Printer communication issues across multiple platforms or devices, unconnected resources, or difficulty accessing your business data can cost you money, but these issues can all be resolved by leasing or purchasing a multifunction printer, or other office equipment.
Some additional advantages include the following:
- Increased efficiency, productivity, agility, and profit
- Improved communication
- Reduced errors, holdups, silos, missed deadlines, and redundant work
- Simplified employee training
- Better team coordination
- Improved document security
WHY STREAMLINE?
A process has been streamlined when it has been simplified.
This simplification is usually achieved by removing complex or unnecessary steps. There are several ways to streamline a process that includes various approaches and modern business information technology platforms to help organizations thrive. Six Sigma is one of the more famous ones, and the principles can be applied to any business process.
Even if you don’t want to dive into process development, understand that you can gain enormous benefit to your growing company by eliminating unnecessary steps, mismatched hardware and software, and man-hours lost to inefficiencies.
Access
Being able to securely and consistently access your company data across a multitude of devices, platforms, and locations is crucial to 21st century business. A unified document access system allows your employees to find files and perform tasks with less hassle or waste.Security
Keeping your data safe is of paramount importance to any business. Simplifying your printing workflow with a networked multifunction copier eliminates multiple points of the process where it can be difficult to maintain a secure data environment. Simplification helps to keep the document lifecycle visible and controlled.
Compliance
Regulatory compliance is not always an important concern for every business, but for those businesses where it is important, it is crucial. An effective document system helps identify standards and enforce legal requirements.
Cost Control
Consolidating equipment means reduced maintenance and consumables costs, better copier leasing terms, and you can better address your functional requirements. Operating cost savings from increased efficiency, fewer defects, and increased customer satisfaction are real, and measurable. The average employee’s printing habits cost a company $725 per person, on average, according to Offix.com.
Process
As your business grows, so does the complexity of your data requirements, and documentation. A clear, standardized process will stay aligned with your business needs as they change and grow. Standardization makes processes easier to train to new employees.
Digitization
The reality of data digitization means that businesses must evolve. Managing this as it happens will allow your business to stay ahead of the curve. Document capture and creation will continue to change, and a streamlined system will help you navigate these changes and stay ahead. Currently, almost 55% of documents get thrown away or recycled the SAME DAY they are printed! Productivity
How your printer or copier system functions will have a direct impact on your employee’s ability to get their jobs done well. If your printers are constantly breaking, getting jammed up with paper, are slow, or have trouble communicating, it can have a major impact on the workflow throughout the office.
A modern office network printer can increase the productivity of a team or business by:
- Allowing your team to search within scanned documents
- Enabling the ability to print from mobile devices
- Eliminating paper copy redundancies
- Reducing training through user friendly touch screens and operating systems
According to a recent Gallup poll, only 20 percent of U.S. workers were fully engaged in their jobs in 2022. Streamlined business processes not only reduce errors and speed progress, but also help clarify job duties and enforce accountability. Therefore, doing so can improve employee morale and encourage employee engagement.
And what would you suppose is the single biggest mistake made when acquiring a new digital multifunction copier?
The answer is – trying to fit the square peg of your new device into the round hole of your existing workflow, instead of adapting your workflow to suit the capabilities of your new device. Your new digital copier is an opportunity to streamline your business.
Numerous business divisions can benefit from simplified document processes:
- Human resources and administration: New employee onboarding
- Sales and marketing: Follow-up email distribution
- Finance and accounting: Vendor invoice submission
- Operations: Product delivery
- Procurement: Product orders
- Management: Employee review
- IT: Password reset
- Asset management/predictive maintenance: Asset discovery and inventory
- Supply chain management: Replenishment of raw materials
- Compliance documentation: Quarterly reporting
- Project management: Task notification
Some businesses overlook the importance of a print strategy and think of it as an afterthought. However, print makes up a significant portion of most companies’ operating costs – often, it is the second or third highest expense after labor and rent. A careful print strategy can help you take control of your print spending and save both time and money.
CONSIDER YOUR PRINT STRATEGY
According to Frevvo:
- 51% of automation initiatives are aimed at boosting efficiency.
- Over half of all organizations agree that automation and business process automation (BPA) minimizes human error in workflow operations.
- 85% of business leaders believe that automating their workload will give them and their employees more time to focus on goals that truly matter to the company.
ORGANIZE YOUR TIME
Consider time spent performing routine print tasks, time spent managing paper documentation, ordering and inventorying consumables, training employees how to use the system, and upkeep and maintenance of the system. Did you know that about 50% of help desk calls are printer related? How much of your employee’s time is wasted trying to manage disparate systems, or out-of-date copiers? How much time is wasted searching for a paper document?
ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE
While streamlining your business operations by leasing multifunction copiers will obviously minimize the footprint of your documentation system, it can save office real estate in other ways: consolidated consumables inventory takes up less space, help present a cleaner, more professional office space, and can even improve workflow by accommodating staff wherever they are working.
KNOW YOUR PRINT NUMBERS
If it can be measured, it can be managed. Knowing your print by the numbers is the best way to understand how your company can make the most of its communication workflows. Currently, over 90% of companies do not track their printing costs, according to Buyers Lab!
SAVE TIME EVERY TIME
Outsourcing the maintenance, repair, and supply lines required to keep your digital printer operating with efficiency is often the best way to simplify many elements of your print protocols, like the financing, consolidating consumables like paper and toner, or having a single source for the maintenance of your fleet.
Supplier agreements can cut operating costs up to 30% by providing reliable access to knowledgeable technical staff who can troubleshoot issues, offer preventive maintenance, and avoid costly, unplanned downtime on your printing equipment!
STANDARDIZE
Different brands of machines mean different toner cartridges. Different waste toner receptacles. Different numbers for tech support, and so on. One department requires color print, while others need only black and white. Most of the company uses one platform, but the art department uses another. Copier leasing or buying networked digital printers can resolve all those issues.
TECHNOLOGY
The way we do business is changing, every day brings new technologies and office equipment systems that improve our lives. Mobile computing and printing is stronger than ever, digitization will be a keyword going forward, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) makes editable text from scanned pages, and a document’s metadata will soon be the prime method of archive management.
Keeping up with these changes, and planning for them, will help your business thrive in a digital world.FINANCING
Let’s face it, overhauling a business is not cheap. Making major changes to the way your business does business is not something to be taken lightly, nor is paying for it all.
We here at CSBS have discussed whether you should consider renting, buying, or leasing your digital copiers or multifunction printers as part of your overall business strategy. We have shown you some of the particulars to be aware of when structuring a copier lease.
We’ve said it before, and we will say it again – your business is unique, so find a unique solution that fits your needs.
- FAIR MARKET VALUE
- In basic terms, it’s a lease agreement where you have the option to purchase the machine you are leasing for fair market value at the end of your leasing term.
- FIXED PURCHASE OPTION
- Under the Fixed Purchase Option Agreement, you have the choice to buy the machine at the end of your lease at the fixed purchase price that you and your vendor agreed upon when you signed your lease agreement.
- INSTALLMENT PURCHASE
- The Installment Purchase option would be best for companies that want to purchase their machine in cash but would rather pay for it incrementally instead of the full price upfront.
There are some important points to consider when negotiating your lease agreement.
Generally speaking, be aware of:
- Lease Term Length
- Longer leases have lower monthly payments
- Payments
- What day of the month is it due? Are there any additional charges?
- Service Contract
- Bundled services or separate? Are there quotas? Minimums? Click charges?
- Insurance
- Is it required? Is it bundled?
- Cancellation Notice/Automatic Renewal
- The details of these are very specific, be certain to note the date and set a reminder for yourself
- Buyout
- Fair market or rent-to-own?
- Adding Equipment
- Amend the old lease or sign a new one? Bundles available?
- Shipping
- Who pays the return shipping charges?
- Early Termination
- What are the specifics involved for early termination? Are there penalties?
Your business is growing, and that’s a good thing. A very good thing.
As you grow, take the time (and the effort) to streamline your operations whenever the opportunity presents itself. Whether it is your desire to consolidate that prompts your new multifunction copier, or the need for a new digital printer that encourages you to work smarter, not harder, we here at CSBS are happy to discuss the many copier lease options and digital print technologies that can help streamline your business as it grows.
No matter what type of lease you prefer, sit down and talk with someone who not only knows copiers and printers, but who takes the time to get to know your business. A local resource who has the trained technical staff, the comprehensive customer support, and the local parts & supply warehouse to ensure that they can help keep your leased copiers working smoothly.
