Starting a new contract with a managed print service, or an MPS? Then you might be unsure of how this change could affect your current IT strategy.
Even if you’re confident about the long-term benefits of a managed print partnership, it’s normal to feel intimidated about how well the service will integrate in the short-term. You might wonder:
- If your IT strategy should be updated
- Are your IT department’s time and resources properly utilized?
- How in-sync your IT department and MPS partners are
- Will employees react positively to print and workflow changes
There are easy steps you can take to make sure the transition to managed print is smooth and steady. By communicating with your new MPS partner and those within your organization, you’ll find the process of integrating print management to be simple.
1. Reevaluate your Current Print Practices
To get the most out of a managed print service, you have to be able to compare your current and future partnership with each other. That means having a strong sense of your current print workflow practices.
We suggest a thorough evaluation of how your IT team and as well as your general company employees interact with your print process. Identify and record the answers to print-related questions like:
- How much time does IT spend on the office print process?
- Who spends the most time fixing and maintaining printers?
- How many print-related Help Desk tickets come in weekly?
- What does your current printer repair process look like?
Armed with actual information, you’ll be well equipped to communicate with your new MPS partner on how to achieve your print workflow goals. You’ll also have great data to compare your print process before and after working with managed print service.
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2. Keep Open Lines of Communication
For the smoothest transition from internal print management to external print management possible, everyone needs to be kept in the loop. If anything, over-communicate any potential changes adjustments to your team member’s daily workflow.
Draft a series of emails to your company’s employees detailing the transition and how it will look. Transparency will keep them from feeling blindsided and offer an opportunity to express any concerns. Even the most seemingly minute changes could disrupt someone’s process in surprising ways.
In these emails, outline the changes they can expect to their current print workflow. For example, what the new devices will be, where they will be located, when they will be installed, and how can employees learn how to properly use them.
Questions will undoubtedly arise so preempt as many as possible with ample time before the transition. With the right answers, everyone will feel informed and prepared for the big switch.
3. Ask your MPS for Metrics and Analytics
Ideally, your managed print partner has already provided you with a complete, thorough print environment assessment and audit of your existing print processes. If so, you’re in luck: these are the kinds of numbers that provide a perfect baseline to both enhance your regular metrics report and prove the ongoing value of a managed print partnership.
Coordinate with your managed print partner to see how they will regularly monitor your print use and what they can report on. See if there are certain KPIs your CEO is most interested in receiving about print, and relay that information back to them. They’ll be able to provide reliable metrics, and you’ll have more comprehensive reporting because of it.
Interested in learning more about how managed print can help you out? First, it’s worth reevaluating your current printing costs. Download our free eBook, 10 Steps to Finding Your True Printing Costs, to learn more.
If you haven’t already secured a managed print partner, we’d love to connect with you and offer more insights on launching a great print strategy. Click below and let’s set up a time to talk about how we can help your team!
Starting a new contract with a managed print service, or an MPS? Connect with me on Twitter and LinkedIn and keep up with my company imageOne. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
