For many companies, printing is the last thing they want to worry about. Out of all of the aspects that it takes to run a business—from human resources and marketing, to sales, operations and accounting—printing just doesn’t rise to the top of the priority list. Unfortunately, neglect isn’t always benign. Managed Print Services (MPS) is about shining a light in the darkness of your print world to eliminate wasted time and money. Outsourcing the management of purchasing, system design, maintenance, and support ends printer headaches, and can save you as much as 30 percent on print costs in the process. Read on for an overview of Managed Print Services.

Needs Assessment– The MPS needs assessment is designed to evaluate your current print infrastructure—determining who uses which devices, where they are located, how many people share each machine, if any devices are underused, and if additional machines are needed. Your MPS provider will give their expert perspective to outline a complete picture of your needs, including everything from optimizing the functionalities of your existing MFPs, to simplifying invoice workflows.

Fleet Optimization – Informed by your needs assessment, your MPS partner designs a complete print solution. This may include consolidating several devices to one multifunction printer, eliminating underused copiers, or adding more shared print stations to your office. Your vendor will ensure that your fleet—printers, multifunction printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and desktop units—is designed for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Infrastructure Management – With MPS, your provider takes a holistic and proactive approach to your printing, which includes managing your print infrastructure long after the initial assessment is complete. Your partner provides printer help desk service, performs regular maintenance, and orders parts so you don’t have to. This frees up in-house IT staff so they can spend their time on strategic initiatives instead of daily print fleet troubleshooting.

Consumables Management – Say goodbye to printer panic with MPS. Your MPS provider monitors the supplies you need, automatically fulfilling orders for consumables like ink and toner, so you’re never scrambling for supplies.

Visibility and Control – MPS provides one of the best tools for business decision making – data. You’ll be able to monitor individual and departmental usage, like determining who prints in color indiscriminately or why a particular department’s outputs are so high. With the data and analytics available through MPS, you’ll discover where your business can save money and improve efficiencies.

With MPS, we’ll help transform printing from an overlooked afterthought into a well-managed, strategic tool for your business. Contact Golden Gate Office Solutions today to get started.