July 23, 2013
Document productivity, distribution and output is one of the last un-audited expenses in an organization, yet its expenses are 1-3% of the total revenue of an organization. In our last blog we talked about how to uncover your print costs with an office technology print assessment. This assessment can start you on your path to managing your print costs and potentially saving you up to 30% while increasing worker productivity.
The following components are necessary for an effective technology print assessment.
Documenting Your Equipment Inventory
Your technology print advisor will help assess your current print fleet. This includes counting and mapping your total number of manufacturers and models for all of your inkjet printers, laser printers, copiers, multifunction devices, faxes, scanners and more. The model variety, age and network capability and connection will be documented to analyze all elements that affect printing costs and efficiency.
Another consideration is the number of employees in your organization; this is looked at in comparison with the number of total devices your company utilizes. Ratios vary by industry, but most organizations employ one machine for every four employees. This ratio is inefficient; in average business settings one machine for every ten employees is suitable.
Aligning Technology with Your Business Initiatives
Understanding your business initiatives allows a technology advisor to better assess your current technology and make recommendations. For example, a medical facility will require security measures because they must observe patient privacy and confidentiality. A print shop on the other hand needs to be able to print large projects on a variety of media at a fast pace. Both businesses have different priorities and therefore require different printing capabilities.
Knowing these initiatives allows for better recommendations for workflow and processes for eliminating errors and improving productivity; in the end these practices will save time and money.
Analyzing Monthly Equipment & Supply Invoices
Gathering and calculating your current monthly service, equipment and supply costs will help assess how your money is being spent and where improvements can be made. Many organizations have multiple invoices because they own a variety of models which are serviced by a variety of vendors. Generally, the higher your number of models, the higher your cost of supplies, spoilage, obsolescence and inventory management time will be.
Understanding Employee Burden Rates
Managing and monitoring your equipment needs to be done by someone; typically this responsibility is given low priority if done internally. However, it does take time to manage inventory, purchase supplies, fix malfunctions, schedule service and process invoices. To determine your employee costs (employee burden rate) consider all employees involved with these tasks and calculate the number of hours they spend managing your fleet. This will give you a clear understanding of what it is costing you to have your internal staff take time away from their priorities and interrupt their day, to manage and monitor this equipment.
Calculating Print Outsourcing Costs
In addition to your internal costs, what are you outsourcing to specialized print shops because your equipment is inefficient or lacks the capabilities to produce these jobs effectively? These costs need to be considered because your assessment will bring to light technology solutions that may allow you to complete these projects more cost effectively internally. Outsourced print project costs are usually fairly high because you are paying for the convenience and capabilities the print shops offer. Bringing the appropriate jobs in-house will allow for immediate cost savings.
The analysis of this information will result in recommendations that will vary by company size, printing needs, existing fleet and more. Talk to one of our technology advisors to schedule an office technology print equipment assessment for your cost-saving technology recommendations.
