Managed Print Services Myth or Fact Number Three…

Consolidating devices always means big savings and reduction of your carbon footprint

The calculations are in…$0.006 for black and white prints and $0.06 for color saved your organization over 34% by your calculations!  It’s easy math, so no way to argue it.  You submit your yearend report to the CFO and can’t wait to hit him up for the raise.  When you get the call to go to his office, you’re not surprised.  He probably can’t wait to give you not only a raise, but a big fat promotion too!  When you open his door and see the Business Manager and CIO in his office too, you are a bit puzzled.  It seems the Business Office got stuck with the leases and maintenance agreement portion of the MPS agreement and it increased their costs by over 40%.  When those costs were added to the click charges, the actual cost-per-page rate was at 15 cents for mono and 29 cents for a color page.  Not only that, but the page counts increased by 12% over last year so costs went way out of control!

You struggle to find the silver lining.  What about the reduction in the carbon footprint, huh?  With less devices, there is less electricity consumed, less consumable waste.  It’s worth something to exhibit ecological responsibility, wouldn’t you agree?  Then comes the report from new software that measures the kilowatt usage.  Turns out multi-function devices have a lot more moving parts, hence require more energy.  Section two of the report reveals that only 2.5% of the prints were tabloid prints and they were all being printed by 3 end users that are in two departments.  It looks like out of the twelve tabloid multifunction devices you spent significantly more money on, you only needed two with tabloid feature.  Even worse, there was only 10 faxes all year by one end user.  Twelve fax boards totaled an additional $10,788.  Well how could you have known that information?   There were reports that told us who was printing the most and how many pages per job.  Turns out the labor hours lost by users who were printing thousands of 1-4 page jobs a week far exceed any saving possible on a shared device, even if it really only cost .006 and .06.  Wow!  Who would ever have thought that was possible to find out?

Turns out the CIO met with a vendor who offered a free analysis utilizing software that not only could tell what the devices were doing, but end user habits too.

"Would you consolidate your devices?"

So after hearing the “shpeel”(really spelled spiel, but I thought I would let my New York accent come through…) from two copier guys, two printer guys, the office supply guy and your best friend’s mother, you finally have decided to go with consolidating devices  and a cost-per-page program.  Brilliant!  That’s got to mean you’ll save at least 30%!

Managed Print Services Myth or Fact Number Two…

Managed Print Services means Cost-per-Page and device consolidation

So after several meetings and a walk through at your building the simple solution is presented.  Your Managed Print Services provider suggests removing all the desk top devices you already own and replacing them with brand new shared multi-function devices.

Now it’s your turn to shine – you convince the CFO that all the end-user grumbling is worth it; after all, you are instituting healthy habits and saving them the need for a health club membership too!  You couldn’t be happier as your MPS expert assures you that those nasty desktop printers cost you three times as much as the $0.006 you will pay for black and white prints and $0.06 for color.  How can you not save at least 30% when the page cost includes everything but the paper – or does it?

The industry is abuzz with cost-per-page and device consolidation.  Every day we are asked by customers if a cost-per-page is the best billing plan and should they take away all desktop printers.  All I can tell you is “sometimes yes, and sometimes no”.  Without knowing end-user habits like what applications they print from, the job sizes and actual page coverage you can’t say whether a cost-per-page is a money saver, or money sucker.

SO can the MPS expert you have chosen honestly tell you that removing devices will really save costs?  Can he/she provide the total cost of ownership information for the devices they are proposing vs. the ones you already own and honestly tell you that the “clicks” are all you will be paying for?  Where are the hidden costs – lease or purchase price, maintenance fees, or shipping charges?  Have you really found your savior, your Eumaeus, or is this really Melanthus or Eurymachus in disguise?  Are you headed on the course you set out on, the way to saving costs, or are you really headed into the land of the Cyclopes???

When someone contacts Reliable looking for a new or refurbished HP machine they are very likely to talk to me.  Some people know exactly what they are looking for – these people did their research and are usually well versed in the printer industry.

Sometimes I have to recommend a printer.  This is easier with the more information I get – how many pages per month, what printer(s) or machines is it replacing or working with, budget constraints, number of users and other variable information.  With so many things to choose from the biggest determinant is usually the budget and page needs.

With nearly every printer quote and comparison I put out there people have questions about how the warranty works.  We have had a lot of experiences here with the whole gamut of warranties.  Care Packs, factory one year warranties, extended warranties, refurbished printer warranties, and out of warranty special claims.

Well, I can’t answer all these questions in a blog post – it would go on for ever and be very, very boring… so I created a PDF for you to download and learn more -  HP and Reliable Warranty.

I’m sure that won’t answer all the questions, but it’s a start.  My other piece of advice is to register your printer – Julian had some great information about how and why here.

Got a question we didn’t answer?  Please ask it here!

Artist: Erwan LeBott

The customer service area where I spend my days is in front of expansive windows facing west.   I might work indoors all day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the nature so close by.  With our windows open we can hear the Merrimack river lapping the tree-lined shore below.  The trees sway in the breeze and filter the sun through our ceiling high windows.  Hawks hang out on the tree branches – occasionally we hear one screech, or witness a young hawk get bullied by a flock of blue jays.  Swallows swoop over the river for their dinner.  Robins nest in every nook and cranny they can find – including the building entry awning!  We hear quacking from mallard ducks on the river bank below, a sound that always makes me smile and open my window.  A couple summers ago I walked the River Walk path behind the Fishercats Stadium on my lunch breaks and found a dozen Monarch butterfly caterpillar eggs.  I took them home and raised them with my kids.  It’s the time of year to start looking for those again!

I often joke with my family that I’m going to move into Reliable’s office.   The spacious mill suite has high ceilings, a kitchen, huge windows and a couple comfy sitting areas that I like to take breaks in.  The space is still a work in progress, but it’s shaping up beautifully.  We have various types of art on the walls, beautiful wooden doors on the office and conference room and a comfortable open concept that is wonderful for claustrophobics like me!

There are several art galleries and photographers in the building – and just walking through the halls to get to our suite can be relaxing.  The Hatfield Gallery has beautifully appointed the 3^rd floor hallway walls with framed art of the city and other New Hampshire locations.  Our many neighbors have architecturally interesting entry ways.  I love seeing the original wood floor and old rolling doors that were part of the original building design.  I visit Be Day Spa on the 2^nd floor on occasion.  I’ve gotten a variety of services there and loved every single one of them.

There is a great Mexican restaurant and bar – Pochito’s at the other end of South Commercial Street.  Super yummy and authentic Mexican is one of my many favorite kinds of food!  The only thing I think is missing from Langer Place is a café – we don’t have a place that we can walk to just get a quick soda or sandwich when we forget to bring things in.  Although, Market Basket is moving in just up the street and I hear they have a “café” on site.  It’s so nice to be a part of downtown Manchester’s development and evolution.  Can’t wait to see what comes next!

Managed Print Services Myth or Fact Number One…

Any Managed Print Service Provider knows how to, and truly wants to, help you reduce costs by 30%

So here he comes, your savior, your Managed Print Service Consultant.  Sounds important right?  Sounds unique right?  Well, actually yes and no, just in that order.  What I mean is yes.  It is fact that, when fully understood by both the provider and the customer, Managed Print Services can be critically important for not only controlling costs, but increasing efficiencies across departmental platforms throughout an organization.  A task so monumental, it is guaranteed to cement your position with your company for eternity!  And I also mean no, the title is not at all unique to the document imaging industry; the real deal is.   In fact, in most cases, it is just a load of you know what… CRA___  !!!

The truth is, MPS has become a buzz word for industry reps and if they don’t have the experience and training, then they won’t be important or effective at what they claim to be their expertise.  So how do you cull out the real expert, the one who is going to make you a company legend?  It’s like trying to find your loyal Eumaeus in a driving rain storm of copier dealers, printer companies and IT consulting firms.  The more of them that rain down upon you, the cleverer the crafting of the Cost-per-Page offerings, the harder it is to find the real deal.

I am not saying he or she doesn’t exist; it just can be as frustrating and full of detours as Odysseus’s homeward journey trying to find one who really has your organization’s best interest in mind.   Why? Because depending on whom you speak to, the definition of Managed Print Services can be as varied in meaning as the many disguises and deceptions Odysseus employs to navigate his homeward path.  Photizo Group, a leading research and consulting firm specializing in the Managed Print Service Industry(MPS) stated it best …  “As companies seek out possible MPS partners they need to be able to discriminate between sales fluff and real experience.”*

SO who is your savior, your Eumaeus?  Is it the copier guy, the printer guy, your trusted IT consultant?  Who has the answers?   Stay tuned…

* Facts provided by Photizo Group’s eBook: “A CXO’s Guide to Managed Print Services”.  E-mail me at pbemis@reliablenh.com, or call 800-346-7890 x108 to learn more!

Anyway, this got me to thinking about paper clips, and if they’re going to go the way of White Out? I started to think about how often I use them now. I did use one the other day, but it wasn’t to hold papers together. I formed it into an S hook so that I could hang my headset from my desk drawer when I’m not using it.

Some experts claim that we are decades away, if ever, from a “Paperless” office.  However, being in the business of helping companies reduce their print volume, I think we are rapidly reaching the tipping point of the “Less Paper” office!

So this brings me back to the question of what to do with the billions and billions of paper clips that are setting in people’s desk drawers and office supply cabinets around the world?  After giving it some thought, I think I’ve used about eight paper clips in the last month.  Three to hold papers together and five for other purposes listed below:

• The S thing I mentioned above.
• To unclog a glue bottle
• To clean my finger nails (I didn’t put it back in the box)
• As a shirt collar extender (hidden by the tie)
• As a picture holder in a cubicle.

What are you using yours for these days? Let me know, as I will begin to compile a list!

Admins and Users

Everyone who logs into the system is either an “Admin” or a “User”.  If you are the only person in your organization who logs in to place orders, you are probably an admin.  Admins can change passwords, view all order histories and billing information.  Some organizations have admins approve user orders before the order comes through to fulfillment – this assures PO’s are assigned correctly and that there are less mistakes in ordering.

Purchase Orders, budgets and cost centers

PO’s can be set up as blanket PO’s with a budget amount, or a single new PO number can be entered for each order.  You can also have a budget for a set period of time so that users don’t go over the budgeted amount.  Cost centers give you a way to departmentalize the expense.  These features are all set up by a Reliable employee on the back end only take a few moments to activate.

Order Tracking

Earlier this year we activated tracking order e-mails.  This is an e-mail that notifies you that a tracking number is available and the item(s) are on their way.  If you don’t want this e-mail you can opt out of it in your account settings.

If you would like to learn more about these features or add and of them to your account please give me a call in customer service a call at 800-346-7890 x106.

What is personal branding and why should we care about it? It is what you would like a personal acquaintance or business contact to say when asked what they think and know about you! What it really comes down to is “If you’re talking the talk, are you walking the walk?” Do you communicate and act the way you want to be remembered and thought of?

How you’re perceived can literally change overnight, IE: Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, etc… Don Yager suggests monitoring your name with Google Alerts. It’s a free app that allows you to get alerts on just about anything. I set it up to get daily alerts on several variations of my name. I haven’t gotten alerts about me specifically yet-I guess that’s good- but I have been getting alerts about other people with the same name as me. I’m finding them to be quite interesting! One is the Cop on a Gang Unit Task Force in Youngstown PA, another, the Photographer. Then there is the Musician, the Head Teacher, the Civil War Buff, the Executive Director, and, of course, Mike Lambert the All Round Cricketer. But the one I got the other day that caused me to pause and reflect on my own life, was an Obituary. This “Mike Lambert” was 38 years old, married, with two children. It did not say anything about who he was or what he did, just that he died. Quite sad…

All this brings me back to the essential question- “What’s my branding”? I guess it’s never too early to start working on the things I would like to be said about me now and later…

Think green. Save green. Print smart!

More than 500 million OEM toner and inkjet cartridges are manufactured every year. If these cartridges are not diverted from our landfills, it would equate to almost one-thousand tons of unnecessary pollution that could enter our waste stream every day. In addition to this potential waste, more than three quarts of oil are consumed during the manufacturing of every OEM cartridge. This equates to more than 375 Million gallons of oil consumed every year to make toner and inkjet cartridges.

Even worse than these staggering atrocities is the fact that  many cartridges end up in cities like Guiyu, China where they are incinerated or dissolved with hazardous chemicals to extract residual metals. These processes contaminate the local air, soil and groundwater and one in ten children in Guiyu have birth defects due to this horrific pollution.

Do you know what happens when you send a used laser toner cartridge to Reliable Technologies for recycling?

All cartridges come to our warehouse in Manchester New Hampshire, where they are pallet-wrapped for truck pick up.  We only ship full pallets in an effort to reduce shipping carbon emissions.  They are shipped directly to our manufacturing facility.  Upon arrival they are inspected, sorted, cleaned, and worn parts are removed.

Some toners are unusable for remanufacturing.  An InfoTrends study in 2009 commissioned by HP found that 21% of used toners can’t be recycled properly.  They also discovered that nationwide, 71% of unusable toner cartridges and replacement parts go to a landfill.  At our facility unusable components are put in an industrial shredder.  The small particles can be used for things like pavement, tires, and other industrial plastic components.  Every effort is made to keep e-waste out of landfills, here abroad.

Because the costs associated with recycling cartridges in the most environmentally responsible manner possible are high, we do not have the ability to provide a cash-for-cartridges program.  Efforts to donate cartridges to only responsible recycling facilities provides a greater reward than a few bucks, it helps keep our one and only earth healthy, and that’s something we can all benefit from!

We welcome your comments and questions!

Recently we were contacted by a new employee from a business we’ve had the pleasure of working with for many years.  She told us that our regular contact was gone, but that she was given specific instructions by them to order from us.  Wow – that blew my mind!

And that’s not all – several of our customers who moved on to new jobs call us shortly after they start at their new job.  There’s also been several new accounts we started working with recently that are strictly referrals from our current customer base.

There is no greater compliment to a business and its employees than repeat business and referrals!  Knowing the hard work you do plays an important role in your company’s success makes it a joy to go to work every day.  I know it sounds corny, but it really does make you want to whistle while you work!

Now for loop two of the roller coaster.  As many successful companies do, we have continuously evolved and added new solutions to meet customers’ needs.  Smart, right?  You bet, but if we don’t let everyone know what we are up to, we might get off the tracks!  Keeping existing customers informed about all the new products & services we offer isn’t an easy task.

So, what is the best way to keep our customers informed about our ever changing and evolving products and services? The answer was right under our noses.  The  changing technology is what keeps us evolving, so we needed to look at changing how we communicate to fit the times!

We recently implemented a customer outreach program by assigning a dedicated customer service rep to each account. We updated the way we communicate to include not only phone and e-mail, but have added social media like blogging, Facebook and twitter to help keep our precious customers up to date.

I think there is a lot that we can learn about each others business.  As we move towards global content management and the less-paper office our services will continue to evolve and adapt.  Everyone has different ideas and we would  love to hear yours.  Let us know if you have any unique ways to communicate your services, or any ways we can serve you better….