A managed print service is the latest must-have in the business world. Virtual breakfast meetings are buzzing with talk about the versatility and efficiency that a managed print service can offer your business. But what is a managed print service? And why do we need it?

The challenges facing printer users today

In recent weeks, headlines warning of huge energy hikes have hit the press and, as February approaches, the industry is expecting Ofgem to announce a further rise of the energy pricing cap. Trade body ‘Energy UK’ speculates that the cost of energy could increase by up to 50% by Spring 2022 as a result of high wholesale gas prices and a spate of energy supplier collapses.

According to PrintWeek, paper prices are also on the rise. And then there’s the lack of certainty over use. Are we working from home, working from the office, hybrid working, or something else? If we’re all working from the office, printer usage is easier to gauge. If we’re all working from home – again, it’s easier to work out that there won’t be much demand. But the fluctuation that results from the uncertainty is harder to manage.

And there’s cost. Pressure from owners and shareholders to keep those costs as low as possible, and pressure from the customers to keep prices rock bottom. Global competition means that there’s always someone else waiting in the wings to supply your products more cost-effectively.

To keep costs down, we need to minimise the amount of waste, reduce the capital investment sat idle, and limit outgoings to those that are really needed.

This is where managed print services come in to play.

What is a managed print service?

Managing a fleet of printers, or even just one printer can be a challenge. Bad management can lead to lots of wasted energy, wasted resources, and unnecessary time offline. However, effective management can help your business to work more efficiently, helping you to make the most of the time you are paying your employees for.

However, this can be a full-time job:

  • Ordering the right ink, and the right toner for each machine, at the perfect time to avoid money tied up in ink and toner stores sitting redundant.
  • Managing service calls to ensure reliable ongoing operation.
  • Ensuring the fleet of printers works for you – giving your staff access to printing capabilities when they need it, wherever they are based.
  • Recognising when it’s time to replace a printer with one that better meets your needs, and then securing a good deal.
  • Keeping an eye on printing use, ensuring printed documents are kept safe and that the printer is being used responsibly, and not regularly spewing out tonnes of paper to the office floor.
  • Ensuring that any required processes are set up to safeguard data from prying eyes to maintain compliance with data protection regulations.

Yes, printing is a full-time job. But with a managed print service you don’t need to employ someone to do it. These tasks don’t need to distract your administrative staff, or your marketing team, from their day job. With a managed print service they can keep their eye on the more strategic picture and leave the responsibility of ensuring that your fleet of printers continues to run smoothly to the experts.

And of course, when you work with ASL, we manage printer fleets for a wide portfolio of customers, which means we buy more printers and printing hardware, toner, ink and paper. And by buying in bulk, we’re able to secure our customers better prices.

So, what are the benefits of a managed print service?

A managed print service brings with it an array of benefits including:

  • Less administrative time caught up in managing your printer fleet.
  • Energy saving with more effective energy management for better fuel bills and a lower carbon footprint.
  • Access to better prices on your printer hardware, meaning you can upgrade to the printer you need, when you need to upgrade.
  • With regular monthly fees, you can spread this cost.
  • Better value for money on printer fleet consumables such as toner, ink and paper.
  • Fewer stock cupboards taken up with obsolete ink from printers that are no longer in use or money tied up in ink that won’t be needed for another year or two.
  • Technical support on hand when you need it, meaning less time offline.
  • With ASL Flex (see here for more information on this additional service) you can scale your fleet up or down depending on your business’ needs.

There are plenty of reasons to use a managed print service, and with technology changing as rapidly as it does, the flexibility that a managed print service offers when it comes to upgrading devices as new technology hits the market is a huge draw for organisations looking to keep their workforce efficient and effective.

For more information on how ASL’s Managed Print Service can help you save time, money, energy and space with a managed print service, visit our website

ASL Flex | ASL Group (asl-group.co.uk) or contact us today.