Go Big or Go Home: What It Takes to Deliver Enterprise-grade Managed Print Services

Managed Print Services deliver results for companies of all sizes, but large enterprises and global operations have special requirements that might be out of reach for some MPS providers. While many MPS organizations are very competent on a small or mid-size scale, a global enterprise needs an MPS provider that can be everywhere you are with all systems firing in unison.

One big benefit of a global MPS strategy is consistent service delivery that simplifies fleet management without sacrificing coverage. A large-scale approach also puts uniform safeguards in place for compliance and reliability, which reduces risk and lowers cost of output delivery.

At this level, the vendor’s organization, process, technology, training and infrastructure must be aligned by a common design and philosophy. Providers must have established, integrated global delivery centers and a tested technology platform. Interoperable capabilities, global consistency and capacity management are also things to note.

Do They Have What It Takes?
If your organization has thousands of employees and dozens of locations, make sure you choose a vendor with the scale, resources and track record to deliver at the enterprise level. This short guide can help. Ask potential enterprise MPS providers for information about:

• How many managed pages are printed annually? An enterprise-grade provider’s answer will easily be in the billions. Yes, billions.
• How many networked output devices are monitored remotely? Look for answers of one million or more.
• Global account experience? Proven providers serve thousands of accounts.
• Number of client end-users? Again, answers should be in the millions.
• Number of countries served? Experienced global providers serve clients in dozens of countries.
• Service delivery professionals on staff? Enterprise-ready providers have thousands of employees dedicated to this.
• Project consultants? Hundreds of consultants are the norm for large enterprise providers.
• Service requests processed annually? Look for answers in the millions.
• Global delivery centers? Xerox, for example, has a dozen centers.

In addition, ask about the provider’s track record in:

• Consulting and assessment services
• Service design and support
• Transition and cultural change management
• Shared service infrastructure

The takeaway is that a vendor with an experienced team of professionals and a broad scope has likely seen everything that could possibly happen and has evolved the means to deal with it. This vendor has the processes and resources in place to deal with most situations, even when your organization is global.