Equipment salespeople already know how confusing the purchase can be so they are advantaged when dealing with those of us who lack the knowledge to make reasonably informed decisions.  Fortunately,  most multifunction salespeople use identical, time-honored skills during the sales cycle.  They all sit at the foot of the same grand-master to learn their craft and they follow a very predictable selling method.  Anyone who knows what motivates office machine salespeople during the assessment, negotiation and buying process has a terrific leg-up. If you know what questions to ask, you can narrow the field of potential devices, lower your cost and usually end up buying less equipment in the first place.

Here, unclassified for the first time, is the office machine salesperson’s manifesto. It was obtained using enhanced interrogation on several successful highly-trained multifunction equipment-sales operatives.  This condensed, one-page document will explain their rationale and methods.  It will also give you short, practical tips to counter their techniques and it’s yours just for asking.

Click here to get your copy of  The Six Tenets of the Copier Company (the breakdown)

DocuSense – Complexity Simplified!

A) Equipment Acquisition Cost
B) Supply Costs
C) Service Costs
D) Administration and IT Cost

Answer:  D

Industry analysts generally agree that printing, copying, faxing (Document Output) is expensive and the costs are largely undocumented and unmanaged in most firms. The cost of document output (measured by adding up acquisition, supply and service expense) is somewhere between one and three percent of total revenue.  Acquisition, supply and service expenses are easily measured.   However, the costs of managing devices across business networks are much larger and more difficult to measure. 

IDC research estimates that for every $1.00 spent in document output costs (acquisition, service and supply) firms spend $9.40 in IT support,  administration and document management.  So the answer is D.

If workgroups use varied equipment, the cost can increase quickly.  Multiple equipment often entails more training, IT expense, multiple vendors, contracts and service options; increasing managing complexity.  It pays to try to simplify the equipment and support options. 

To plow through the increasing rush of daily information, corporate employees today typically spend up to 45% of their day working on paper and electronic documents.  Multifunction printers can play a huge role in streamlining duplicated and often cumbersome processes but it’s extremely important to pick the right mix of equipment for your business.

For more information or advice in making this important business decision contact a support specialist at DocuSense by calling 1-800-422-0080. 

DocuSense – Complexity Simplified!

For most businesses the acquisition and supply/service price for a new multifunction printer is a only small part of the potential cost.   If your new device won’t easily integrate into your existing network you’ll pay IT costs that far outweigh the differences in price between a good machine and the best one!  Attend to features first, then price.   Here are a few tips to help you keep you focused before buying.

A) Will you need to train your staff?  How easy is the device to setup and use?  If you will need training will the seller, when needed, come out and help.  Ask this now, before you buy and find out it isn’t available.

B) How easy is the software driver to install?  The best manufacturers understand that an IT professional might not always be available to install a driver or re-configure software.  Look for easy-to-use software installation wizards that walk users through the networked driver installation.

C) Look for Easy Troubleshooting   Try calling the prospective manufacturer’s or dealers help desk.  If you get lost in the menu system, put on hold forever or reach a technician with little knowledge, you might rethink your purchase.  The best manufacturer’s have pro-actively installed software that see any problem the user might be experiencing and will pop their screen to suggest ways to troubleshoot. 

D) How Easy is it to Upgrade or Replace?  Many devices need firmware upgrades or have accessories that you can add later.  Is this easy to do?  Will the seller do it for you as needed?  Some top manufacturer’s have made it very easy to install more features.  If a tech needs to do it, be sure the seller will help at no cost.

Next topic.  Know How Easy It Is to Use.  Have any questions or comments about this article?   Visit us at DocuSense or post a reply

Previous articles:
1. Know your requirements
2. Know the Total Cost of Ownership
3. Know what third parties have to say

Upcoming articles: 
 
 5. Know how easy it is to use
 6. Know its multitasking abilities
 7. Know its bi-directional communication capabilities
 8. Know the available device management, remote intelligence, and support
 9. Know whether it provides the level of security and confidentiality you need
10. Know what software and solutions are available

Multifunction printers can help you streamline duplicated and cumbersome document processes and electronically organize, edit and archive your paper documents. With an MFP and a simple software application you can turn paper documents into electronic format and send to multiple destinations – email, document repositories, network folders, even remote printers – with a single scan.

Once you’re armed with the knowledge you’ve gathered by asking these questions, you’ll be prepared to make the right decision for your business.

Please contact us with any questions. Docusense 1-800-422-0080

It pays to look beneath the hood before you purchase a multifunction device.  The easiest way is to check on-line ratings.

Manufacturers will always paint their products in the best possible light.  That means their published speed, duty cycle, supply costs etc… will always feature best-case scenarios that rarely reflect real-world use.  So the easiest way to get another opinion is to see what the product users have to say. 

Try looking the device up on-line at retrevo.com.  This site aggregates consumer and technical reviews.  PCworld.com, Cnet.com and zdnet.com  are other sites  having product reviews as well.  Look for information regarding the actual device speed and user comments on ease of use etc. 

Understand what the experienced people in the industry are saying about the product you are researching, and you’ll make a more informed decision.

Previous articles:

1. Know your requirements
2. Know the Total Cost of Ownership

Upcoming articles: 

 4. Know how easy it is to connect to an existing network
 5. Know how easy it is to use
 6. Know its multitasking abilities
 7. Know its bi-directional communication capabilities
 8. Know the available device management, remote intelligence, and support
 9. Know whether it provides the level of security and confidentiality you need
10. Know what software and solutions are available

Multifunction printers can help you streamline duplicate and cumbersome document processes and electronically organize, edit and archive your paper documents. With an MFP and a simple software application you can turn paper documents into electronic format and send to multiple destinations – email, document repositories, network folders, even remote printers – with a single scan.

Once you’re armed with the knowledge you’ve gathered by asking these questions, you’ll be prepared to make the right decision for your business.

Please contact us with any questions. Docusense 1-800-422-0080

Philadelphia, PA

DocuSense announced today they’ve signed a 5-year agreement with the Philadelphia Inquirer to provide print managed services for all their locations.

Under the agreement, DocuSense will be updating all of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s office printer equipment and providing a simplified “cost-per-page” billing.  “We are able to cut their office document printing costs and refresh their equipment with newer models at the same time” said Donna Melso, President of DocuSense.  “We’re reducing the variety of devices the Inquirer uses from 20 different types of equipment  to 5 basic models.” 

DocuSense will provide a monthly report showing print/copy volume and cost.  “The Inquirer wanted to get a handle on costs and spending for the equipment in all of their offices”, explained Melso.  “Using cost-per-page, DocuSense will provide this data and, at the same time, shrink dozens of monthly purchase orders and invoices to just one.  That’s Complexity Simplified.”

DocuSense (formerly Laser Supply), celebrating its 20th year, is a Hewlett Packard authorized vendor and Xerox Peak Elite authorized partner.  DocuSense consults with clients to help them understand, manage and reduce their office printing, copying and faxing costs.

For more information, contact DocuSense at 610-719-8700 or visit their website at www.docusense.com

Acquisition cost per page is determined by taking the purchase price divided by the number of months of estimated service divided by the estimated pages you will copy/print per month.  Add the acquisition and service/supply cost per page to get total cost per page for the device.  Or, call DocuSense and we’ll help you do the calculation.

DocuSense can help with all your questions. 1-800-422-0080 we supply MFD service and solutions.

Understanding how much the device will cost is only a small part of truly understanding expense.  Supplies and service costs will sometimes far outpace initial acquisition expense over the life of the equipment.  For example, inkjet all-in-ones are usually very inexpensive to purchase but can cost more to supply.   That can be alright if you print/copy less than 30 pages a day.  However, large amounts of pages printed on this type of device can be expensive.

For most office multifunction or printing devices, if you are buying supplies and service separately, you can check the manufacturer’s stated cost per page.  Some manufacturers understate this cost so, if you want to verify cost per page, you’ll have some math to do.  DocuSense is  known for simplying the complex and we will do this calculation at no cost for anyone interested so contact us if you want it done for you before you purchase.  Otherwise, click here to learn how you can do the calculation

Traditional leased devices sold with per-print service/supply plans can have a low service/supply cost per page.  But don’t forget to divide the anticipated monthly pages into the monthly lease to understand your acquisition cost per page.  Because they have high acquisition costs, underutilizing this type of device can be very expensive. 

TCO (total cost of ownership) encompasses more than the cost of acquisition, supplies, service etc.  TCO can also increase significantly for devices that are hard to use and maintain, are unreliable, or lack the features and capability to efficiently produce the results you need.  Quantifying the cost of unreliability or lack of features is hard to do but most experts agree that reliability, ease of use and features must be met first, then you can compare costs.  Significantly sacrificing your needs for a lower cost per page is usually a bad idea and will result in a higher TCO.

Your multifunction printer can become a useful asset in managing and controlling costs for printing and imaging, and can also add new capabilities to your organization if you choose wisely.  Making the right choice will help you move documents easily though your organization, and improve business process efficiency.

Previous articles:
1. Know your requirements

Upcoming articles: 
 
 3. Know what third parties have to say
 4. Know how easy it is to connect to an existing network
 5. Know how easy it is to use
 6. Know its multitasking abilities
 7. Know its bi-directional communication capabilities
 8. Know the available device management, remote intelligence, and support
 9. Know whether it provides the level of security and confidentiality you need
10. Know what software and solutions are available

Multifunction printers can help you streamline duplicate and cumbersome document processes and electronically organize, edit and archive your paper documents. With an MFP and a simple software application you can turn paper documents into electronic format and send to multiple destinations – email, document repositories, network folders, even remote printers – with a single scan.

Once you’re armed with the knowledge you’ve gathered by asking these questions, you’ll be prepared to make the right decision for your business.

Please contact us with any questions. Docusense 1-800-422-0080

Learn more:

1. Know your requirements.  
You need to really understand what you will need the device to do before you buy it.  Many times, requirements aren’t well understood or, worse, are dictated by the device salesperson.  Here are some questions you could ask yourself before diving in and buying.

A) Will you need color?  Not just today but perhaps in the coming months or years that you will use the device.  Thinking about this question before you buy will make a big difference in how your office functions and the way you will use the device in months and years that follow.

B) What size prints or copies will you need to make?  Many devices can print/copy up to tabloid but this feature adds acquisition cost.  If you can do without printing or copying 11×17 size, you’ll save money.

C) How fast does it need to print/copy?  Don’t be fooled into thinking that the device’s manufacturer rated speed is the speed it will print/copy.  Most manufacturers overstate this speed significantly.  Test it yourself or ask your device’s sales rep how many pages per minute the device is typically capable of outputting.  If you take the published speed for granted, you’ll pay a premium for equipment that won’t live up to your expectations.

D) How many people will use the device?  Try to understand who will be using the device, how often they’ll need to use it and how far you will want them to walk.  In most corporations, having to walk more than 50 feet will create complaints from users.  

Next topic.  Know the total cost of ownership
Have any questions or comments about this article?   Visit us at DocuSense or post a reply.

Upcoming articles: 
 2. Know the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Cost/Value benefits
 3. Know what third parties have to say
 4. Know how easy it is to connect to an existing network
 5. Know how easy it is to use
 6. Know its multitasking abilities
 7. Know its bi-directional communication capabilities
 8. Know the available device management, remote intelligence, and support
 9. Know whether it provides the level of security and confidentiality you need
10. Know what software and solutions are available

Multifunction printers can help you streamline duplicate and cumbersome document processes and electronically organize, edit and archive your paper documents. With an MFP and a simple software application you can turn paper documents into electronic format and send to multiple destinations – email, document repositories, network folders, even remote printers – with a single scan.

Once you’re armed with the knowledge you’ve gathered by asking these questions, you’ll be prepared to make the right decision for your business.

Please contact us with any questions

Learn more:

One time-saving function of the Customer Portal at DocuSense is the ability to order supplies without knowing the part number of the item you need. Customers can enter an order just by looking up the device they need to supply.  Here’s how it works.
 

Once logged in to your account, click “Enter Sales Order”.  Then click “List Equipment” The DocuSense Customer portal looks at all the items you might need to purchase for the selected device and displays them on the screen along with their yield and your negotiated price.  This is valuable for a couple of reasons.  
 

First, you might not know that a higher capacity supply is available for the equipment.  If you are looking for Hewlett Packard supply items, these supply numbers typically end in “X” or “XX” and they can sometimes double the yield of the supply item while adding only a little to the cost.  Other manufacturers like Xerox and Lexmark etc have similar higher-yielding supplies and you’ll easily see the choices listed for those items as well.  Buying increased capacity supplies is a great way to save money.
 

Second, you’ll eliminate guess-work.  We’ve done all the work for you and as long as you’ve picked the right equipment or model, you can’t make a mistake in ordering the wrong item. 
 

The DocuSense Customer Portal is up and running 24/7 and it’s very easy to use.  All you need to do is click here to get a login and password or call us at 1-800-422-0080.  
 

The Customer Portal at DocuSense:  That’s Complexity Simplified!

Multifunction printers copy, scan, fax and print with the tap of a single button. Multifunction printers help manage documents, reduce paper, simplify work-flow, manage forms, etc?  How many copy, print, fax, scan, and email jobs do you run each day? How many users share a printer, a copier, a scanner, a fax machine? How many machines do you have in you office? Reducing this overhead can save time and money. Take a look at some of the top brands available to you at Xerox and HP they are both in the ‘Leaders’ Quadrant in the MFPs and Printers Magic Quadrant released by Gartner in 2008. 

Software solutions designed by Sitrof work hand and hand with these machines to produce time saving, miraculous results to your document management.  DocuSense partners with all the above named players to help you find the solutions that best meet your needs.  Our motto, DocuSense, complexity simplified.

Cost per page solution is another option not often thought about. Do you know how much it costs to print one single document?  There are paper cost, toner costs, storage costs and maintenance costs and additional monthly invoices to match all of these expenses.  DocuSense can help combine all these expenses and reduce your bottom line at the same time on one contract.  Saving you both time and money.