(Guest blog by Adam Johnson, Director of Limpio MPS)
Many organizations have implemented a form of Managed Print Service (MPS) by rationalizing and reducing their printer fleet, implementing print management software and having one supplier for all print devices. This is a good start, but we believe this only scratches the surface of a true (or Next Generation) MPS. By implementing these procedures an organization will achieve a quick reduction in expenditure, consolidated billing and detailed reporting on who and how much has been printed and associated cost.
All well and good, but what we typically find is that once this rationalization is implemented, it is viewed as “job done”, where it should be just the start of an organization’s transition to a more efficient and effective document workflow solution improving efficiencies and increasing data security. One reason for this is that the data gathered by print management software can be quite static, with the manager running reports on a regular (or irregular) basis and pouring over the findings. This is fine if the manager has the time and inclination, but what normally happens is that the service is left to tick along with issues dealt with as and when they occur. A re-active response as opposed to a pro-active one.
The Power of Analytics
The next stage once a managed print service is implemented should be how to harness the technology available to transition the documents being printed and scanned into “intelligent documents” that are integral to the document workflow and organizations back office systems. Analytics tools allow the manager to delve deeper into the data and quickly explore data in a clear visual manner rather than plain text reports. This allows the manager to make decisions based on insights, not assumptions: visualize what, when, where and how print happens.
Armed with this information the organization can then look to integrate documents into actionable data and capture them in the information systems used to run the business. By making this as easy as tapping buttons on a smart phone, office workers can convert images of text securely right from the MFP’s touch screen. The results are dramatic boosts in speed, productivity, information security and accuracy, records compliance, and environmental and cost savings.
Create Intelligence
Many organizations believe that basic scanning of a document makes it electronic, which while technically true, it is still just a picture of text. By releasing the data from a document, it becomes “intelligent” and far more productive than an image of text stored somewhere in the organization.
We believe this is the next growth area for organizations to move on from suppliers that simply provide hardware and support services to one that continues to look for ways to reduce document printing and harness continuous improvement through technology.
Limpio MPS works with organizations to improve business practice and reduce the impact that printing has on the organization. This content is shared with permission. Any views expressed reflect the opinion of the original authors.
