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Web Enabled Laser Printers. Do You Get It?

Gary Skalyo — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

For the last 2 Years, we have heard an evolving buzz about Web Based Printers and Printing. Hewlett Packard, Xerox and other Printer & MFP manufacturers have built this functionality into their newest printers and have also included cloud-based infrastructure to accommodate this.

Despite being a document professional, I didn’t get it at first. With all of the talk of Paperless Office and the Paper-Less Office, Tablet Based Apps and all of the technology change that is occurring, I thought “How could this be useful?”. Certainly with a largely mobilizing workforce, new processes and Apps would become available to continue to take paper and printing out of the process.

I am now starting to “get it”, after having used it myself, and assisting clients and their workforce evolve with this technology.

Let’s take a look at the concept of Web Based Printing using Hewlett Packard’s ePrint Technology and Platform as a template.

HP’s Promise: “Print from Virtually anywhere”, Now you can use your PC or Mobile Device to print from anywhere, anytime.

Working remotely? You can email a document directly to your HP ePrint-enabled printer from virtually^* any mobile device (smartphone, tablet, laptop) and have it ready for you when you get in. It’s easy to set up and even easier to use.

Here is how it works: First, you have to have an ePrint enabled HP LaserJet Printer or MFP. This can also be done using ePrint enabled Large Format HP DesignJet Printers (plotter). Then you must register your ePrint enabled HP Printer and create a user account(s).

Here is what HP ePrint has to offer:

ePrint – Use this HP feature to print from anywhere with a Web connection by sending an email to your printer's email address.
Print apps – Enjoy instant access to printable Web content from your printer's control panel, for select Internet-capable printers.
ePrintCenter – See your printer status, add and remove print apps, and manage ePrint settings and job history from any Web browser, at home or on the go.

HP’s ePrint Platform is offered to businesses and organizations based on size. They have HP ePrint for Home, ePrint for Business and ePrint for Enterprises. Each category has features that are specific to the size and type of organization you work in.

HP Mobile Printing Apps - HP ePrint Home & Biz makes ePrinting even easier by offering more controls to help you print digital content (Microsoft® Office documents, web pages, PDFs, photos and email attachments) to over 200 HP printer models directly from your mobile device.You can download HP ePrint Home & Biz from Android Market, the iTunes App Store and Ovi Market directly to your computer, then manually sync to your device.

HP ePrint Printer Apps - With HP printer apps, you can print perfectly formatted Web content directly from your HP ePrint-enabled printer without being connected to a PC.^* You get direct access to great content from HP and other leading brands that help make printing faster, simpler and more useful than ever.

HP ePrint & Share - Now design professionals can easily and intuitively access large-format files from the cloud and print them on the go directly to HP DesignjetePrinters and MFPs.

HP AirPrint - iOS users, print directly and wirelessly to your HP Printer over a Wi-Fi network with your iPhone^®, iPad^® or iPod Touch^®.^† No downloads required.

What is important to understand is that Hewlett Packard did not just create printers that can receive Print Jobs from the internet. They created an infrastructure to allow for dynamic processes to be performed making ePrinting more valuable.

Here is what I really like: Most of my clients are not just CIOs and CFOs, they are also IT Managers and IT Technicians. These guys are often burdend with the task of keeping their companies user groups up to date with new PCs, Servers, etc as well as managing their interface with Printers, called Print Drivers. This is becoming more of a challenge for these guys and gals as the workforce mobilizes and the need to print stays constant. Much of the driver configuration, management and troubleshooting is completely eliminated using ePrint, saving organizations thousands of hours a year in IT Staff Time.

Is your Company or Organization using Web Enabled Printers? What are your thoughts?

Paper-Less? Why would you? When is the Best Time to do it? and How?

Gary Skalyo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:01:00 GMT

Going Paperless! Or Paper-Less!, you hear about this all the time. Large Organizations, Small-to-Medium Size Businesses, Non-Profits and Government Agencies are all flocking to this concept for Green or Environmental reasons. Heck yah, I am on Board for Green Initiatives as much as anyone, or more.

But what is the Real Value in taking your Office Paper-Less? When is the Best Time to do it? and how do we do it?

Let’s start with When. The short answer is right now. Let’s face it someday there will be no Paper. Yes I said it, it will take a long time, but that will be the culmination of paper’s existence in the workplace. So someday, your Organization will NEED to Go Paper-Less, so why not start with Paper-Less now?

Your Staff is comfortable with working with paper you say? Have your staff make the cultural change now - In these times of downsizing and layoffs, motivated Staffers are more willing to be flexible and transformative, which is exactly what Companies & Organizations need from their workforce. Sure, there will be some resistance that is natural; but doing it now will save you from being forced to do it.

What is the Real Value in taking your Office Paper-Less? Environmental Reasons and the Green Office are just the tip of the tree. Here is some of Paper’s Inefficiencies that make really compelling reasons to Go Paperless:

Disaster Recovery – Many times we are contacted by Businesses and Organizations who have just experienced a fire, flood, theft/vandalism or other disaster that rendered their filing cabinets full of important records useless.
Paper is Non-Collaborative - More than 1 Person cannot View or Work with a Document at the same time. With Paper, you have to be located in the same building as the document or at best have someone fax or email you an unmanaged “copy” of that record.People are always searching for information and/or documents that have that information. They call, email, run around the office. It is very inefficient.
Workflows with Paper are Disruptive and Inefficient – Like #2 and its lack of collaboration, Paper needs to be routed from department to department within organizations to accomplish tasks, like Purchase Goods & Services, Pay for them (AO), etc. Many of us are still using a folder system to route these workflows, others even less efficient where there is an extraordinary amount of communication taking place for what should be an automated task.
Security & Fraud - Unmanaged Documents (like paper and subsequent copies, sticky notes, etc) present a tremendous opportunity for fraud within organizations. Because they are very static and untraceable, documents are often discarded or manipulated to allow for fraud and other internal threats.

The above are just a few of Paper’s shortcomings...

How do we Go Paper-Less? My advice is to use a Database or Document Management Software (DMS). There are a lot of Solutions and it is confusing. The best way to approach it is to define what your needs are and what your fears are; and use the Solution that addresses those issues.

Let’s address the above listed shortcomings of Paper:

Disaster – In the event of disaster like theft, floods, earthquakes or fires, all of your important documents and records are safe. Most Document Management Solutions offer cloud based or are self hosted with offsite back-up strategies in place.
Collaboration – Electronic Document Management Solutions can be very collaborative. They allow for many users to simultaneously view, edit, revise or to work with in general. DMS will allow your staff to stay in their offices and have access to all of the information they need to complete their tasks.
Electronic Document Workflow - Most DMS Solutions provide a means to create “Workflows” for various processes. These automated tasks generally involve multiple staffers and departments. Providing an elegant means to accomplish repetitive but very important and meaningful tasks offers great value and ROI.
Security, Compliance and Fraud – Imagine having 100 4-Drawer Filing Cabinets in your organization. Now imagine the ability to electronically limit access to all types of documents to just the staff that has the need and permission to access them. Now imagine having a record of every time someone views, routes, edits, changes, revises, prints, etc. a document. Imagine having very granular control over rights and privileges and a complete audit trail. This makes demonstrating compliance manageable.

Yes Document Management Solutions makes Going Paper-Less Manageable and Profitable.

What challenges does your organization have with documents and paper?

Copier Leases & Managed Print Services, DON'T Sign Until You Read This!

Gary Skalyo — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:34:00 GMT

Has anyone else noticed how things continue to change in the workplace? Technology, Hardware, Software, Devices, Apps. These are things that continue to change the way we work. These are the things that are slowly taking paper out of a lot of our routine business processes. Understanding that your Copier and Print Volume is going to decrease even in a growing enterprise going forward, is key to capturing savings that would normally be rubber stamped.

The copier industry knows that their “Machines in Field” (MIF) as well, will continue to decrease over the next X number of years. They have think tanks like Gartner, etc. telling them what to expect, and it doesn’t look good in terms of growth. As proof of this, major copier manufacturers and mega dealers are attempting to replace a lot of this business with “Solutions” based products for revenue and of course they are attempting to manage your Laser Printers, this is called MPS or Managed Print Services.

The current reality is that Sales Staff from Copier Dealers are struggling to keep their MIF quota, which is how they get paid, but doing a poor job (generally) with “Solutions” based products like Workflow, Archival and Document Management Software. Many of them are doing pretty well with selling Managed Print Services and this is helping them, because copiers are going away. In the short term, the Dealer and the Sales Staff has to make a living until this thing shakes out.

Copier Dealers have developed some short term strategies that will keep them afloat, but they seem to revolve around predatory lease agreements that will cost your organization dearly in “Pages” that you will never use, and certainly pay for anyway. Even worse, they use their historical copier lease methodology to combine copier sales and Managed Print “Pages” which fosters their rubber stamping. Score!

This is what you need to look at before you Sign a Lease for Copiers and/or Printer “Pages”:

“Pages” – “Pages” are the sheets that you print from your contracted copiers and printers. A “page” normally consists of toner, maintenance, service and sometimes support. Is the lease you are considering signing making you commit to a number of Pages Monthly? We already know your page volume is going to decrease organically over time. Ask for an agreement that allows you to pay only for the pages you print or copy. Sure your payments will be variable month to month, but they will probably continue to decrease.
“Buyout” at the end of the Lease Period. One of the reasons copier dealers like to bundle “Copiers” with laser printer “Pages” in their leases is because the hardware allows them to use Fair Market Value (FMV) Lease Agreements. This is what forces a lot of companies to continue to renew or rubber-stamp leases for products and services that they don’t need. Always insist on a $1.00 buy-out lease, so at the end of 36 or 48 months, you have all of your options available to you and can move forward with what is current and not historical. History plays less of a role as technology continues to evolve.

These are just a couple of things. More on copier leases in another post...

Is your Office Printing as much as you did in 2007? Will your Costs Change?

Gary Skalyo — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:17:00 GMT

Every day we witness changes in Printer Page Volumes in our client base. Despite the surge in Legal Documents related to housing foreclosures, we are basically noticing a trend downward in Monochrome Printer, MFP and Copier Page Volumes.

Color Printers, MFPs & Copiers have enjoyed a modest increase over the past several years but are currently plateauing.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons for these page volume drops:

From a very broad perspective, there are a lot less people employed currently than in say, 2007. While this might not be the case in your company or organization, it is a big reason for declining printing. There is less work being done from an odd perspective.
Companies are using Solutions & Processes to avoid Printing and Mailing. We at QLS no longer print and mail invoices; this is handled more efficiently and less costly using email and automation. Plus it makes our Office More Green.
Organizations and Businesses are turning to Document Management Software and Solutions to accomplish more with less staff and operate more efficiently in general. So the Invoice they receive from QLS is no longer printed and filed in a folder, it is being stored directly in the Software Solutions Repository (Virtual Filing Cabinets)
Web, Tablet & Smartphone Applications (Apps) are changing our business processes and are taking paper out of the equation.
Even in Health Care, Paper is being reduced via EMR (Electronic Medical Records) and the Government is even imposing guidelines to reduce paperwork and become more green in this growing service industry.

So Paper is declining. What is the takeaway here?

You have to ask yourself a question about your organization and its Printer, MFP & Copier Fleet. What will my print Volumes be in a year? 2 Years? 4 Years? And what will my costs be?

Another Question, every bit as meaningful is “What can I do to Fix My Costs without Committing to any Volume? This is huge going forward as many Dealers offering Managed Print Services and Copiers will be trying to get you to commit to Volumes for 36–60 months. Don’t Sign that Lease if it includes any Page Volumes. One thing is for sure, once you have signed that Lease, you will be using those prints or feeding them to your kids at the end of each month.

Look for Solution Providers that are very sensitive to your requirements and your ROI. Many Copier Dealers will want to sell you 11 X 17 Paper Size Copiers (called A3), even though you don’t use 11 X 17 Paper. The Gross Margin on A3 Copiers is what the Copier Industries’ Salesperson Compensation Model is based on. If they sell you Copiers or MFPs (Multifunction Printers) that are Letter and Legal Paper Size (commonly called A4), they won’t meet their revenue quotas. Look for a Solution Provider who is putting your Organizations Needs and ROI before thier own.

Below is a Graph of a company who increased their revenue exponentially by adopting a Print Management Solution.

I urge you to look at your Hard Copy Device Fleet and actively seek ways of freeing your company contractually from any commitment to page volume. Better yet, the day you will no longer be strapped to endless lease cycles is almost here, regardless of your company’s size. You can now Lease with a $1.00 buy-out and enjoy a better ROI on your document processes.

How has your volume changed and how will it change? Any Ideas?

HP Announces Price Increase Making a Business Case for Managed Print Services & Aftermarket Toner

Gary Skalyo — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:10:00 GMT

Hewlett Packard Announces a Price Increase on Original HP LaserJet Printer Cartridges effective January 1^st, 2012.

HP will increase the Cartridge prices of its popular Line of Business Laser Printers and Multifunction Printers (MFPs), the HP LaserJet by approximately 2%. But more importantly HP will increase list prices on twenty-seven (27) select HP legacy toner cartridges from 12-17%. Legacy Toner Cartridges are supplies used in “Legacy” Printer Models such as the ageing HP LaserJet 4000, 4100, Color LaserJet 4600, etc.

While the announced increase does not include ink, HP is increasing the price on select parts, drums, and maintenance kits. According to HP, these price increases are in response to global economic conditions, including currency volatility.

Xerox, Canon, LexMark & Ricoh also are implementing pricing increases on their Printer & Copier Supply items early in 2012.

In 2012 print will continue to be replaced with gadgets & applications, emailed .pdf documents, etc. Despite this, it doesn’t make any sense to have no control or even to be able to budget for printing and imaging processes related to printers, MFPs, copiers, fax, etc.

Managed Print Services (MPS) Programs offered by your local “Printer Guy” can insulate the business from both price increases and declining volume needs so that you can concentrate on your core business and mission.

My advice would be not to commit to any volume on your printers and copiers going forward, your printing needs will decline. I know your “Copier Guy” wants to get that Copier and Printer Volume Contract signed ASAP, don’t do it!

Do you think there is Value in having Fixed Costs going forward for 36–60 months that are based on the volume that your enterprise creates? And not on the volumes you did yesteryear when print was the primary process tool.

HP Responds to Claims of Printer Vulnerability to Hackers & Potential Office Fires

Media Room — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:59:00 GMT

Hewlett Packard Corporation has published an Official Statement to claims alleging security vulnerabilities by hackers with certain HP LaserJet Printers. This is in response to a controversial MSNBC Report.

The allegation contends that HP LaserJet Printers could be used to start a Fire in your Office if Hackers were able to disable certain safety protocols that are embedded in the firmware of the printer. This is the claim made by Columbia University Professor Salvatore Stolfo, the article states.

"Speculation regarding potential for devices to catch fire due to a firmware change is false. No customer has reported unauthorized access," HP confirmed.

"[Our] LaserJet printers have a hardware element called a 'thermal breaker' that is designed to prevent the fuser from overheating or causing a fire. It cannot be overcome by a firmware change or this proposed vulnerability."

HP’s acknowledgement of Professor Stolfo’s sited vulnerabilities were countered with their claim that certain HP LaserJet Printers could only be hacked if connected to the internet without the use of a firewall.

On a Protected or Private Network, some printers may be vulnerable if a malicious effort is made to modify the firmware of the device by a trusted party on the network.

HP added “in some Linux or Mac environments, it may be possible for a specially formatted corrupt print job to trigger a firmware upgrade," and “that it was coding a firmware upgrade to "mitigate" the issue and recommended users follow best practices for securing devices by placing printers behind a firewall and, where possible, disabling remote firmware upload on exposed devices”.

Columbia University

This time-lapsed image of a screen on an HP LaserJet shows the impact of a rogue print job used to reprogram the device.

Where to Buy Managed Print Services & What Type of Service to Expect

Gary Skalyo — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:01:00 GMT

So you figured out that using several staff members to buy printers, toner, maintenance & service is very expensive. While Printers still figure in very prominently in Business Processes, having half your team involved in supporting them take focus off of your core goals and mission.

Think about it, using IT, Office Administrators, End Users and AP to buy toner, etc and to manage your printer fleet consumes a lot of time and effort.

You have discovered that Managed Print Services (MPS) is no longer just a buzz word, but a very effective and cost efficient way of outsourcing all of the effort and reducing it to a Contract Administration function that can be handled by one manager in about 30 minutes a month. Other than AP, no one else needs to put out any effort to supply and maintain your laser printers, MFPs and other devices.

But Where do you Buy Managed Print? Who do you trust with your fleet of printers and the important role that they play in much of your companies’ business processes? And What criteria do you use in choosing a supplier?

Who Sells Managed Print Services? What Types of businesses offer this and what are their qualifications to manage your Fleet? What Level of Service can you expect from these providers? Lets look at this closer:

Copier Dealers, VARs (Value Added Resellers [IT]) and MSPs (Managed Services Providers [IT])

Why do Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs offer MPS? - Copier Dealers have ignored laser printers for years. They were never concerned because frankly there is not very much Margin in selling $400.00 - $2000.00 printers. Heck, they are used to taking (up front) $2000.00 or more in Gross Profit on each Copier they sell. The copier dealership typically rewards Sales Reps for selling Hardware.

Dial forward to Today. Installations of Copier Hardware have been in decline for several years and will continue to decline for the foreseeable future.

Copier Dealers realize now that it’s the Pages that are produced from both copiers and printers that are the brass ring. The key for their survival is to try and capture the “pages” or “volume” from the printers to justify keeping a “copier” (or copiers) in the fleet. They also have figured out that because they have a recurring, contractually financial relationship with their clients (typically prolonged indefinitely using Lease Instruments), that they can also add the pages from the existing laser printers to their Cost-per-Page Agreements.

For VARs & MSPs, Managed Print is not much different than the other IT Services that they provide. You know Server & PC Maintenance Agreements, etc.

How do Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs accomplish MPS? - Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs and their Staff surprisingly have very little acumen with Laser Printers and because their Service Techs are already supporting “copiers”, servers, routers, etc; they tend to outsource Managed Print Services (MPS) to other companies. Yes that is correct; Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs outsource the services that you are outsourcing to them. There are National Companies whose roots are in the Office Supply Distribution, Printer Cartridge Distribution, Printer Parts Companies, Office Equipment Leasing Companies,etc. These companies have designed programs to engage inexperienced (with printers) Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs with the tools to manage, supply, service & maintain end-user Companies Fleets of Printers.

What does that mean? - It means they drop-ship toner to your location via UPS or Fed Ex with routing labels so the end-user knows what printer it is for. It also means that they outsource the Printer Repair and Maintenance to companies. Technician of the day, if you will.

What Level of Service should I expect? - Since they lack Laser Printer expertise and because they virtually outsource all of the working parts of a Managed Print Services Agreement, their Service Levels are lacking. Toner is always shipped to you, empty toner cartridges need to be shipped back to them or recycled.

Laser Printer Repair and Maintenance generally takes several days for a technician to arrive and because the National Company that outsources to Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs, pay the least amount possible for technicians, they are often not qualified and arrive unprepared to resolve Service or Maintenance Issue.

Pros: Because Copier Dealers, VARs & MSPs have traditionally not profited from printers or the “pages” they create, it is all new business. They don’t need a lot of margin, at least for the first few years. So they sell Managed Print Service (MPS), Cheap.

Cons: The low cost only lasts so long. After they wrestle the “pages” away from the prior provider of toner, service, etc. Copier Dealers will raise the cost, perhaps “wrapping” those “page” costs in to the next lease. The other downside is the lack of reasonable service and repair. Copier Dealers, VARs and MSPs do not know printers. They have commoditized the entire fleet and have taken the focus off of Quality of Service.

You’re Friendly Neighborhood Printer Dealer (you know the guys who sell Laser Printers & Multifunction Printers (MFPs), Toner, Service & Support)

Why do Printer Dealers offer MPS? - This is what Printer Companies do. They sell laser printers, toner cartridges, offer Service, Repair & Maintenance for Printers, MFPs, Fax Machines, etc.

How do Printer Dealers accomplish MPS? - Printer Dealers typically perform all of the “working parts” of an MPS Agreement themselves. They deliver toner and remove empties (often rotating stock). They use Printer Fleet Software to manage the Service, Maintenance, Support and Toner Functions of an MPS Agreement.

They typically use their own Technicians, Delivery Staff and many have developed MPS Programs to ease the transition from transactional services to Managed Services for their end user customers.

What Level of Service should I expect? - You should expect a very high level of personal service. Printer Dealers don’t like their “space” being commoditized and distinguish themselves with a level of Support & Service that non Printer Dealers are simply unable to provide.

Pros: Expertise and High Levels of Support and Service are worth more than saving $50.00 a month. Businesses & Organizations still place a high value on the printers they use to accomplish their tasks. Lowest cost sometimes is not the best value.

Cons: Like restaurants, Printer Dealers come in a wide range of flavors (Diners, Fast Food, White Tablecloth), and many don’t get Managed Services. You need to find a Printer Company that has Programs in Place for MPS.

You wouldn’t count on a supermarket to maintain your car. Why would you choose a company with little to no experience with Laser Printers to support your fleet?

6 Myths About Document Management Solutions & Why Your Office Should Go Paperless

Gary Skalyo — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:17:00 GMT

It is late 2011 and most Organizations are responding to evolutions in technology; buying new tablet devices and other gadgets as well as their Apps. These devices and technology are often implemented without an ROI Assessment and generally deployed as necessary to remain current. What about Businesses & Organizations embracing Document Management Software and Paperless Office Strategies? With such an obvious ROI and many other environmental, productivity, security and compliance benefits, you would think there would be a race to make your office less papered.

Here are 6 Myths that many Companies and Organizations believe about Document Management Solutions and the Paperless Office, as well as the Reality and Opportunity with ignoring these Myths:

Myth #1: "We can’t afford Document Management or a Paperless Office"

The Reality is working with a combination of paper and electronic documents is very expensive and inefficient, and inefficiency costs money. If you were a fly on the wall in many offices you would find a great deal of time is spent looking for information from documents and records in order for staff members to complete their tasks. They are always looking for folders and documents that are not always readily available, often times on people's desks or in salesmen's cars. This is real money and if the records, documents, etc. were always available to everyone in the workgroup, there would be a lot of man hours available for other tasks and initiatives.

Inversely, even very high end Document Management Solutions that include Software, Hardware, Integration, Training & Support can usually be deployed using a Lease with a very manageable monthly cost over a 36 month period and these leases are $1.00 buy-out. The return on investment happens in the first month and continues every subsequent month. 100% ROI generally occurs within 18 months. Can your office really Afford to continue working with Paper?

Myth #2: “The Paperless Office is All or Nothing. Paper must totally be eliminated”

The Reality is Going Paperless is a gradual & deliberate Process. Sure, reducing paper that arrives in your office is a great metric to focus on; but the real Value in a less Papered Office are made by taking an unmanaged/unregulated process (the mix of paper & electronic documents)and using a Solution to Manage your Records and Automate Document Processes that are currently manual.

There will always be some paper in the Office, don’t get distracted by this. All of the important enterprise records and documents are managed, compliant and secure. Something your organization has never had before.

Myth #3: “Dedicated IT Staff are required to Maintain a Document Management Solution”

The Reality is while it is True that each Company or Organization that is Going Paperless should have at least 1 “Champion”, someone who really gets it and is willing to evangelize and assist with the administrative functions required. Today’s Software Solutions for Document Management are very user friendly and geared toward end-user adoption.

Myth #4: “Employees will resist the change to a Paperless Office”

The Reality is, few people actually like change being brought upon them but staff members are getting used to it. They have been working with paper for years and it isn’t much of a change for them to receive documents via email, etc. and print them to paper, so that’s what they have been doing.

But when they realize that they can have their documents and related information in seconds rather than minutes or hours, they will really start to warm up to this.Additionally Document Management Solutions make unmanaged business processes more structured. This means your staff will quickly be more productive and have additional time for other initiatives and tasks.

Myth #5: “Paper is More Reliable than Document Management”

The Reality is people are comfortable with holding Paper Documents and working with them. But paper documents are not always reliably available when you want or need information from them. They are often is a “workflow”, on someone else’s desk or car, or simply misfiled or loss. This is not reliability.

Theft, Fire, Flood or any other disaster can completely destroy a Company or Organizations Documents in a very short period of time. Because this is typically a multi-million dollar asset or expense, and there is no chance to restore burned or flooded documents, the expense to replace or at least continue to operate without them is immeasurable.

How many Companies and Organizations lose all of their Important Documents and Records during Hurricane Katrina? Do you think this loss might have contributed to the Company not resuming operations or going out of business? Was the expense associated with losing their documents overwhelming them?

On the other hand, scanned paper documents along with electronic documents, when managed properly, are 100% reliably available. If you have a fire or theft at you location(s), your documents are still safe as your back-up strategy provides one or more redundant assurances that your documents have been preserved.

Myth #6: “Paper Documents are More Secure and easier to demonstrate Compliance”

The Reality is Controlling Access to Paper Based Documents with a series of Locked Cabinets and Rooms creates a large opportunity for theft and loss of documents. A very unmanaged process of unlocking cabinets in the morning and locking them in the evening provides no ability to demonstrate that the information has been safeguarded and are protected. This process is also very laborious as after finding a document, you generally have to replace it back in the same drawer and folder, many documents are lost or discarded by unconcerned staff or temps.

Document Management Software replaces this cumbersome and unsecure process with document-level access control, using passwords, document encryption, assigning of permission-based roles to users guaranteeing that your documents cannot be viewed, duplicated, destroyed or otherwise from an unauthorized user.

Ready to take another look at Going Paperless? What would it take to do so? Reach out to a Document Management Specialist, or better yet, a couple and see what Solution, Methodology and Cost would be right for your Company or Organization!

Choosing the Right Document Scanner

Luke Collard — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:50:00 GMT

Like all popular technology hardware, document scanners come in all different sizes and shapes. There are so many different document scanners to choose from these days. With a huge selection of different brands and features, how do you choose the right document scanner? When choosing the right document scanner, follow these three simple guidelines in order: Application, Volume and Budget.

Application: Looking at your application means, what type of documents are you looking to scan? Are you looking to scan a large volume of documents in the back office? Are you looking to scan light volume scanning of customer information and mail at the front desk? Are you looking to scan extra-large documents like maps or blueprints? Or are you looking to scan health cards, driver’s licenses or books? Figuring out what types of documents is the first step in choosing the right document scanner.

Volume: The next guideline you want look at is volume. Know your volume; don’t answer by saying “A LOT.” If you ask ten people in our office what “a lot” means when it comes to scanning, I guarantee you will receive 10 different answers. How many documents are you going to be scanning? Are you going to be using the scanner for routine office tasks by one person or is everyone in the office going to use it? Knowing your volume, you help figure out whether you need a workstation scanner, a departmental scanner, or a production scanner.

Workstation Scanners: Workstation scanners offer an affordable solution for medium-sized applications requiring less than 1,000 pages a day. Designed for a single user, workstation scanners can accommodate different paper sizes in either flatbed or sheet-fed models and have an average scanning speed of 25-30 Pages per Minute.
Departmental Scanners: Departmental scanners work best within larger organizations with greater scanning demands. Averaging 50 Pages per Minute in scanning speed, departmental scanners are designed for higher throughput, faster speeds, and additional features.
Production Scanners: Production scanners address tremendous capacities up to 100,000 pages per day. In addition to extremely high volume, production scanners perform functions at speeds as fast as 90 to 135 pages per minute or more. Production scanners provide exceptional quality, high capacity and come with a wide selection of features.

Budget: You have looked your application and you have figured a hard number for your volume, now you are ready to set budget parameters. People always ask me, "shouldn’t I set my budget first?" No, it is a waste of your time and money to set a budget first. Buying a document scanner is an investment and you want to take maintenance costs into consideration too. If you budget for a workstation scanner to scan 5,000 pages a day, you will ruin the scanner in a few months and will be looking for a replacement. To determine your budget on a new document scanner, you must look at Manufacturer, Type and Features set. A document scanner can cost a couple hundred dollars or a couple thousand dollars, but you need to make sure the new scanner will meet your needs and improve your workflow and processes.

What type of documents is your company scanning on a daily basis? Does your current document scanner meet your applications and volume?

Is Outsourcing Document Scanning Right for Our Company?

Luke Collard — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Many companies ask the question what are the benefits of outsourcing document scanning projects when they could hire their nephew or niece while on college break and rent a high speed scanner for a couple months to scan old documents. The two biggest benefits are Experience and Capital costs.
Experience:
Companies rarely have trained employees to handle scanning projects and the cost to train part-time workers on hardware and scanning software is very costly. Hiring temporary staff or redeploying internal staff drives management costs up and doesn’t always live up to expectations.

Leveraging an experienced staff from a Document Scanning company like QLS Solutions Group Inc., eliminates:

In-House Training
Management Costs
Employee Overhead

By utilizing QLS knowledge and trained workers will help deliver a much faster return on investment.

Capital Costs:
In today’s economic climate, companies need an edge to keep profits steady and stay ahead of competition. With that being said, companies need to invest their capital into:

Products
Personnel
Hardware that Directly Generates Revenue

High-Speed Scanners, IT Infrastructure, and Document Scanning Software are investments that don’t align with many companies’ core strategies; outsourcing will Reduce or Eliminate any capital investment for this equipment. Outsourcing converts variable costs into fixed costs, which allows companies large or small to employ the capital in other areas of their business that will help create revenue.

Every project and investment within any size company carries an element risk. Outsourcing your Document Scanning will help mitigate that risk and help your company avoid any drawbacks when your company decides to convert paper documents to digital images.

What are your thoughts on Document Scanning in your Organization?

Document Management on a Company’s “Shared” Drive?

Luke Collard — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:38:00 GMT

85% of documents stored on a Shared Drive are never retrieved. 50% of documents stored on a shared drive are duplicates and 60% are obsolete. Recent research has shown that over 50% of employees openly admit to not being able to find documents which have been stored on the company’s shared network folder or an employee’s own computer. For these reasons, it is imperative to understand that a Document Management System is needed in every business because documents whether in paper or electronic form are the tools that help run a business every day.

A shared drive does not offer sufficiently effective search tools to enable employees to find a document in a system containing vast amounts of data. Most employees would try to retrieve documents based on the concepts they relate to but this is not necessarily reflected in the search capabilities of a computer or a shared folder.

Here are some of the other Dangers of using a Shared Drive to Manage Documents:

Doesn’t record an effective audit trail of who has accessed or changed a document
Allows for duplication of documents and confusion as to what version is the latest
No document or file folder naming convention
Doesn’t facilitate circulation of documents from a single source to multiples channels
Inaccessibility of information
Storage and maintenance costs

A solution to this is to implement a Document Management System like Informa Software’s IQmfp or Dokmee which are two solutions that provide a highly logical structured repository for documentation. When looking for a good Document Management System, businesses should understand that not all Document Management Systems are created equal and here are some key characteristics to look for in Document Management Software.

Store and Manage Any File Type
With documents being in paper and electronic form, it is important to have a document management system that allows you to save and manage your documents in their native file format.

Security, Audit Trail, Compliance, and Access Control
Recording an effective audit trail of who has accessed or changed a document are keys in demonstrating your company being complaint with the government laws and minimizing risk and legal issues.

Document Relationships and Cross Reference
Having the ability to assign metadata to classify and tag documents allow for documents to be found with an easy search and cross reference similar documents.

As businesses continue to evolve and documents whether in paper or electronic form continue to be a key tool in business can your business rely on a shared network drive as your Document Management Solution?

Hewlett Packard makes Faxing more Reliable

Gary Skalyo — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:36:00 GMT

Have you ever lost a Fax? It is amazing that despite Email, Application Programs, etc; Analog Fax Technology just won’t die. Many Industries still use it predominantly. Some that you might not expect, like the Medical Channel, with Hippa Compliance and the need to contain and safeguard patient information, one would think Faxing would no longer even be an option.

Other Industries that seem to be stuck in the 90’s with Fax are the Legal, Financial and Construction Channels. All of these industries require a level of reliability that goes beyond old school Fax.

Have you ever had a customer or supplier tell you they sent you a Fax, yet you do not have it? Fax Technology until recently has been largely an unmanaged Business Process that is notoriously unreliable.

Last year, I had a Large Construction Client contact me and ask “Is there any way of getting a re-print of a fax we received last Tuesday?”, Apparently a Municipality had faxed them a Bid Package, which was lost or not recieved, but the municipality would not re-fax, because it suggested favoritism, perhaps. This was a Million Dollar Bid Package; with their current device, they could not.

Hewlett Packard has made Analog Fax Technology more reliable and dynamic with their latest models of Multifunction Printers (MFPs). I have been evaluating the HP LaserJet M4555 MFP for the last couple of months, and am very impressed with the fax options and back-up Fax options that the device offers.

The Feature that would have helped my Construction Client is called Fax Archiving. You can create an email account in Exchange (or even gmail, hotmail, etc) and have a copy of every Fax that you Send or Receive, arrive in the Inbox, where it will safely stay until, if ever, you need to retrieve it. The MFP will even send you a “Thumbnail” image to your email, so that you know that you have received a Fax, or that someone in your office sent a Fax.

In fact, you don’t even have to have your Faxes printed on Paper. The M4555 MFP will allow you to receive all of your faxes via email, multiple email addresses even. This is great for Compliance Officers in a Hospital or Medical Office, they could then route the patient information to the correct person or department without the whole office reading it as they look for their Faxes. “Say, I know Bill Smith, too bad about his asthma”.

Of course you can send faxes right from your computer as well without the need to create paper in the process, you also get an email confirmation when the fax is complete. Most Companies and Organizations are looking to reduce paper in processes or even Go Paperless, and this function supports that.

While Hewlett Packard and others are innovating on Old School Fax, Can you think of any other functions that will help Fax become more reliable or useful?

Converting Libraries of Service & Product Manuals

Luke Collard — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:40:00 GMT

How long does it take you to access information that is in a hardcopy book or manual? Is your time worth more than $1? Considering the importance of being mobile and being to access information quickly in today’s business world is enormous. As more and more of today’s workforce become more mobile, gone are the days of carrying Service & Product Manuals.

Think of the manuals or books located in your office that takes up some much space and when you reference them, it takes a half hour to data mine. While the transition away from print media has been going on for a while now, customers are always calling looking for a cheaper way to scan books or manuals. Now if you are trying to preserve the book or manual, then converting them into text searchable PDF for a tablet device can very expensive and labor intensive.

However, I think about why you need the hard copy once the book or manual is in a digital format; and because of the demand, the Document Management Industry has shifted and Companies such ours has created Solutions for customers. Below is an example of QLS' Scanning Service Process.

Provide QLS with an estimate of how many pages you have to scan.
The number of Bankers Boxes, File Drawers, etc. will allow us to estimate a page count.
QLS will evaluate the quality of the files to be scanned.
How many Staples, Paper Clips to be Removed/Replaced. Page Sizes & Page Types, etc.
We then can give you an estimate of the number of Pages & provide a CPP (Cost Per Page) to Scan/Index.
We then pick-up your Documents via Carrier or Local Van Service
Documents are carefully Prepared, Scanned, Reviewed & Indexed at our Conversion Facility in .PDF or TIFF Format (Full OCR, Black/White or Color)
Scanned Images are Delivered via CD, DVD, Hard-Disk, eMail or Web Download.
Originals can be Shipped Back to you or Destroyed at our facility.

*PDFs delivered for your contents are accessible Anytime & Anywhere.
*Books: $1 per 100 Pages

Steve Jobs and Apple’s Influence on QLS

Gary Skalyo — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:56:00 GMT

Despite the dramatic difference in scope and success, Steve Jobs and Apple have actually had quite an influence over QLS Solutions Group over our 20+ year history.

I am not going to say that myself or any of our team quite has the organic qualities and innovative success that Steve has demonstrated, but many of his accomplishments have inspired us to change and to innovate. This has prompted us to introduce new Programs, Solutions & Products, as well as to change our name.

Getting back to Steve and Apple, there is a really great timeline in the Boston Herald this AM available here that truly highlights the complete history of Apple Computer and Steve’s participation (I almost forgot he left the company for a minute there). What I would like to talk about is the events and accomplishments of the last 5 years. These milestones are the ones that really demonstrate the response to change, the accurate prediction of the impact change would have, and could have possibly been the catalyst to change that is currently evolving and yet to come.

The Ipod is an ingenious product who in its space has no real rivals. What used to be a very difficult device (MP3 Players) limited to techie types was completely revolutionized by the synergy of its match with iTunes. It took a device only tech types enjoyed and made it so everyone could carry 2000 of their favorite songs with them. He then made it so the device could wirelessly connect to the internet and browse websites, send SMS messages, download content (music, video, etc), Video Chat, everything but make phone calls.

The iPhone picks up where the iPod stops and allows for wireless phone usage and hundreds of thousands of useful apps. The iPad gives us more real estate to work with.

All of these products innovated and facilitated change.

How did all of this influence QLS Solutions Group?

It all set a perfect example for us to realize that change was fast and constant. That paper is being taken out of core business processes and replaced with applications and other innovations and that the Document or Record was still there, just not on paper. And that, that Document or Organizational Currency would still require Management, now more than ever.

QLS has created innovative Programs/Products that address the change for Document Processes and how it impacts Businesses, Organizations & Government Agencies.

Our efforts are certainly humbled by Steve Jobs & Apple’s, certainly. But they are an inspiration to us and to us all.

I will end this post with a Thank You to Steve for the example he made and for the products that changed our lives. We will miss him and his impact on the world.

Choosing The Right File Format For Your Document Imaging Project

Luke Collard — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:39:00 GMT

Companies really need to look at their short and long term goals of a Document Management System before choosing a file format. If you are having your documents scanned by a vendor and you are planning on uploading scanned images into a Document Management System, then you may need tagged Image File Format (TIFF) Documents that allow for easy uploading. The TIFF format offers compression to generate a controllable image size.

If you are planning on putting your Documents on a Shared Network Drive for distribution inside and outside of your company, then you should want “Searchable” Portable Document Format (PDF) Documents. A PDF file is an exact replica of its paper counterpart and cannot be altered without leaving an Electronic Footprint.

Most people are familiar with PDF documents and multiple users can simultaneously view a PDF document using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which a free software. By using a PDF format, you are assured your electronic documents will not become obsolete because a PDF document created in one platform such as Windows can be read in another platform such as UNIX or Macintosh.

For an Electronic Image to be admissible in a Court of Law, it must be kept in a file format that cannot be altered without leaving an electronic footprint, which the U.S. Federal Government is the largest user of PDF technology.

How Secure is your Digital Information?

Understanding Document Size for Document Management

Luke Collard — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:37:00 GMT

Document Scanning is the process of converting paper documents into electronic image format using Document Scanning Software and High-Speed Document Scanners. These images can then be indexed and stored in a Document Storage System which gives people the ability to search through millions of documents for one page in a matter of seconds.

Any type of document that can be scanned, this includes: documents, books, pictures, posters, brochures, etc. As companies move towards managing more and more electronic images, they must develop a Document Management System that will best suit their needs. However, it is not enough to have a Document Imaging System; it must also be maintained. One of the responsibilities in the implementation and ongoing administration of a Document Imaging System are to provide educated guesses of the amount of storage the company will need.

Before a company decides to start scanning all their documents to CD, DVD or to a server, here are some things to consider when assessing, planning, designing, and implementing a document management system for their work environment.

Are you already using a Document Management Strategy? If so, please share your experiences with us!

Going Paperless? It Pays to Develop a Document Management Strategy

Gary Skalyo — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:39:00 GMT

There is a lot of focus and effort being put forth by Businesses and Organizations to Go Paperless. Having a Scanning Service Bureau Scan their Stored Paper Documents & Records into searchable document files, this is called Backfiling or Archiving.

After all, there is plenty of incentive to do so; from the cost of Office Space and Off-Site Storage all the way to the substantial costs of Safeguarding and Retrieving files when necessary and replacing lost or missing files.

At the same time, Businesses and Organizations are also realizing that going forward a Document Management Solution (DMS), sometimes referred to as Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a great way to Manage, Route and Store their Business Documents. It also eliminates the need and cost of Backfiling in the future.

However, you have to be able to distinguish the Value of the two Solutions, Backfiling and Document Management. This is because Document Management requires a more granular filing methodology known as “Indexing” where each document type is defined by one or more relational index fields that are used in the filing process. This makes the Documents more Dynamic and easily manageable within the DMS Platform.

Backfiling, by contrast is generally Scanning the Documents into .PDF Files that are fully text and keyword searchable and stored in a flat file Windows Folder structure. Less Dynamic but much less expensive to accomplish from a Backfiling Perspective.

There is no doubt that going forward, Businesses and Organizations would really benefit from adopting a Document Management Solution. But they really have to plan well and assign value(s) to the stored documents for Backfiling to see if any need to be included in the DMS Solution.

To illustrate how this can unfold in a Real World Situation, let me share with you an email exchange that led to a meeting and assessment, with an existing client (a Large Law Firm IT Administrator):

Gary,

Received your Brochure on scanning today when the toner was dropped off. Do you have an approx. cost per page...? We are looking to go to document management in the next year and one of the big question marks is scanning in old records, etc... This is what we have to scan, there are a few thousand boxes at Iron Mountain, and I have a room that's probably 60' x 120' on the 5th floor filled with shelves, another 20' x 20' room on the 12^th floor and a 30' x 60' room on 13. What do you think?

Best,

--Elizabeth
(IT Director)

Elizabeth,

Wow that is a lot of boxes. I know Iron Mountains’ expense and I can guess at the cost of square footage in your building, sounds like a lot of documents and a really lofty undertaking. But there is a big incentive in the form of cost reduction for your firm.

I am glad to hear you guys are looking to deploy a Document Management Solution. That in itself, sifting through the myriad of Products & Options to qualify and choose a Solution is also an undertaking. We have been using a DMS for about 5 years now and we have been saying for years, “how did we ever do this the old way”?

In any event, I will quickly address your question of cost. There is no blanket answer to that question, it could be done for as little as $.03 per page and go as high as you can imagine. Typically an assessment, or several assessments in your case should be done to determine what you want to have scanned in a Fully Structured Format for your DMS, and what you want to have scanned in an Un-Structured or Semi-Structured Format to eliminate the cost of Iron Mountain and the Square Footage Downtown. In other words you will not want to go with the expense of the entire Backfile Project in a Fully Structured Format; it would certainly be cost prohibitive. You really need to break all of that down into manageable groups.

In fact you really need to treat your Backfile project as a different initiative. I say this because Document Management, once implemented and going forward will probably have several different and meaningful ‘moving parts’. Examples are Document Capture and Routing, Forms and Workflow Automation as well as the Secure Repository which will be the foundation for your business processes going forward.

Once you have the workload segmented into the Structured and Semi-Structured Groups, you obviously will be putting this out to quote. We would really like the opportunity to quote this business and to work with you to assess what you have and segment the work. Like copies that you guys have done periodically by the Downtown Services, there are several factors we would use to quote the segmented groups. The type of paper, staples, paperclips, Indexing Requirements and what is done with the boxes upon completion of the capture.

I know you don’t like meetings, but this will be impossible to do without a couple along the way. Let me know if you would like to meet and preliminarily work on a Strategy for this project. I think our Group has a different perspective than many of the Copy/Scan companies that focus on the Legal industry.

Thanks,

--Gary Skalyo

If you are looking to Go Paperless and use a Document Management Solution and/or explore the Value in Backfiling your Stored Paper Documents using a Scanning Service Bureau, my advice is as follows:

Treat the 2 Projects as just that, 2 Separate Projects.
Interview 3 or more Solutions Providers for a Document Management Solution to see whose rational is most in tune with yours, Interview 3 or more Scanning Service Bureaus for the same reason.
Choose someone in your Organization to “Champion” this effort. Going from an unmanaged series of Filing Cabinets and Paper, Electronic Documents in everybody’s Inbox, etc., is a tremendous responsibility that will change the way your Enterprise does business for years.

Does anyone have any interesting challenges Going Pa perless?

Going Paperless?? You Should have a Document Strategy

Luke Collard — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Invoices, Catalogs, Proposals, Checks, Emails, Manuals, Statements, Spreadsheets, Packing Slips, Purchase Orders, PDFs – keys to a business functioning day in and day out. With information being in all different forms in today’s Information Age, companies needs to have a document strategy.

No matter how people define a document, they are a key basis of business revenue as well as expense. As information switches from paper to email and computer screens, companies that have an effective document-centric strategy will have an advantage in this crazy and ever changing “Information Age.” Developing, implementing, and managing a document strategy in an organization is not easy and will vary for each organization, but here is the way to put you in the right mindset to develop a great document strategy for your organization.

1. Think of a document strategy as your business strategy. For a document strategy to be right for your company, it should be able to support your components of your corporate goals.

Basic elements of a company’s corporate strategy are: increase productivity, increase revenue, decrease costs, decrease effort, reduce headcount, and increase customer satisfaction. Your document strategy should align with these elements.

What is your business – the reason you exist?

Currently, do all your employees from Executives to entry-level understand, support, and demonstrate during their work the company’s strategic goals?

2. Once you figure which elements of your business strategy you want your document strategy to model, you need ask yourself: Currently, where is company at, and where does your company need/want to go? Answering the questions below, you will start to assess different needs and wants. Ask your employees these questions and see the different responses.

What areas needs to be addressed? What are the most important objectives you see currently and see will impact the company in the future?

How are these areas of need being managed and addressed currently? Are there initiatives underway to achieve these objectives?

One these areas are improved, how do you measure the success and make sure the changes are maintained?

3. Once you figure which elements of your business strategy you want your document strategy to model, you need to assess your documents, your employees, and your technology.

Documents: Which documents are keys to the success of your company? Are there problems with these documents currently? Are there solutions or workflows in place currently for these key documents?

Employees: Who is uses the key documents in your organization the most? What problems do these people have obtaining and using documents? Will your employees sponsor, support, and react to change? Will employees have objections to change? How will you assess employees are using new strategies?

Technology: What type of technology is currently used to create, retrieve, and use key documents? Does current technology create problems or solutions when it comes to documents? Will new technology be needed to achieve your aligned document and business strategy?

The New Rules of Building Awareness

Gary Skalyo — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:36:00 GMT

It used to be that there were only two things that existed, things that we knew and things that we didn’t know. Flash forward to 2011, Content & Technology have obviously changed us personally and professionally in many ways. It has also changed our levels of Awareness and the need to understand them.

I’m talking about the “Content” (blog posts/video/images/etc) that is mainly available from the web, of course via many different types of Technology or devices. You know the things we love personally, sports, celebrity gossip, right up to the Knowledge we need to foster at work to remain competitive like SEO, Cloud Computing, Social Media, etc.

I’m referring to the explosion of information that is the continued result of Change. And because Change has occurred in every part of our Businesses and Organizations, we seem to have developed special filters to limit the Content that Change has created to a manageable level.

We as Human Beings like to operate from a place of comfort and familiarity. It is easy to focus on what we know and to ask questions about things we are familiar with. However, What about those areas that we don’t even know exist? How do we Know what we don’t Know?

Let’s break down Today’s Awareness Levels, from a Business Perspective:

Things that I Know – This is where we all live. Most of us specialize, study, train to become experts in our fields. And we continue to hone, evolve and diversify those skills as we grow our companies. I personally know quite a bit about Managed Print Services and Document Management, because there are a lot of Options and a lot of Content that I am a continual student of.

This is the platform we use to power our Organizations. While it is a very important part of the mix, it is important to focus on the other areas of Awareness to manage the change and evolution. While we have plenty of Options, there is a large risk of complacency. These are not times for Businesses to become complacent.

Things I Don’t Know that I Know – This is the creativity and brilliance in all of us that is creating the Change and the need to manage the ever growing Content. This is to say that we learn, evolve, create, share, sell and explore all of our Options. And most of us earn our living, grow our businesses or advance our Cause as part of this process.

Things that I Know that I don’t Know – This also provides us with Plenty of Options. I basically know what Posi-Traction is (or was), but I don’t know how it works, its methodology or technology. However if I needed it, I could research and study it to achieve my goals.

Because I know that I don’t know about a subject gives me the options to hire, outsource, educate or otherwise take action.

Things I Don’t Know that I Don’t Know – This is the Biggest Opportunity for Companies or Initiatives to experience success, growth, savings or whatever is important to them, yet it is the most elusive.

In fact, it is this Level of Awareness that costs us all Time, Money, Stress, etc. the moment it becomes One of the other Things. That’s right, once this Level of Awareness changes, it affects us more often than not in a negative way.

Is this also our Greatest Opportunity to Significantly Impact our Businesses? How do we turn this Process of our Awareness Changing into a Positive Experience? One where growth, profit or whatever we use to measure our success is the result? Please let me know your thoughts.

Business Case for MPS | Expense or Waste Reduction

Gary Skalyo — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:15:00 GMT

Quality Laser Services, Inc., like a lot of your businesses, is a firm that focuses internally on Expense Reduction as an ongoing task; partially because of the global economy and how it affects our ability to be competitive.

Let’s face it, with change coming rapidly from every angle, it is really important to test the waters, and seek reductions in cost from a variety of traditional Business Expenses. And with all of these new monthly expenses for SaaS, Wireless Devices, GPS, etc that we all are experiencing, it really makes sense to make sure your costs are current to the market.

What is the Difference between Expense and Waste?

Expense is the “Cost” associated with your Heat Bill, for example. Waste is leaving the window open in February as you’re trying to heat your business.

Here is a tough question that all of us that are charged with the task of continually reducing expenses: How much Waste can be cut from our Process(es) 10%? 20%? 30%?

Managed Print Services (MPS) is a methodology that through its stages, addresses both Expense Reduction & Waste Reduction.

In the Printer/Copier Fleet Environment, Expense Reduction is addressed as follows (short list):

Reducing your Fleet of Devices to a reasonable number. Most companies have simply too many printers, MFPs, Copiers & Fax Machines.
Optimize your devices for the correct job. Color Printers for Color Jobs, Larger, Lower Cost Printer Workhorses for Large Print Volumes. Large mono print jobs cost twice as much on a color device as they do on mono printers.
Develop Business Process that completely negate the need for a Paper Based Process, therefore eliminating the machine. After all, isn’t no cost per page, the lowest cost per page? Document Management Solutions.

Managed Print Services (MPS) also addresses Waste Reduction:

Do you really need 11 X 17 Printers? Do you even have 11 X 17 Paper in house? And if you do use this larger format, could you find another device in your fleet or outsource?
Stock room full of expired toners? MPS providers generally practice JIT (just in time) Supplies delivery to avoid this waste.
How about Print Jobs that are never retrieved? Ever see that? You could force “PIN Printing” forcing users to enter a PIN Code to get their prints. If they don’t show up, the prints remain in memory, not paper.

I mention these opportunities to reduce Expense and Waste, because this is what I know and witness regularly. An assessment or a month of operation applying analytics will demonstrate the Expense & Waste Reduction Potential in any Printing/Copying Office Environment.

Are there any other areas in your business(es) that Waste is the norm and provides an opportunity for Expense Reduction?

Document Management Solutions | 5 Ways to Define a Document

Luke Collard — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:47:00 GMT

Everyday we use different types of documents in the workplace, but what is the true definition of a document in today’s world of Facebook, Twitter, Paperless offices, etc.? According Dictionary.com, a document is “a written or printed paper furnishing information or evidence, as a passport, deed, bill of sale, or bill of lading; a legal or official paper.” In today’s corporate world, the definition of a document is changing every day because of the digital age. Information comes in all different shapes & sizes; and people need to understand that a document must be defined as how documents play a role in the internal business process day in and day out. Whether a document comes in paper form or digital form, they cost money because they require labor to process.

Here is a great exercise to understand what a document is in your company and if you need to create a better document strategy.

1. Think about the different types of documents you touch every day during your work day.

Books, Service Manuals, Emails, Voicemails, Faxes, Packing Slips, Purchase Orders, E-bills, etc.

2. Which documents are most critical to the success of your company?

Checks, Contracts, Purchase Orders, Sales Orders, Email Confirmations, Packing Slips, etc.

3. In your company, what technology is used to create documents?

Smartphone, Pen & Paper, Computers, Printers, Copiers, Typewriters, IPad, etc.

4. How do documents process from employee to employee and employee to customer in your company?

Postal Mail, Email, Fax, File Folders, Document Management Software, Internet, Text, etc.

5. How do you store, process, and keep documents?

File Folders, C-Drive Folders, Binders, Email Folder, etc.

After answering these questions, look at the list you wrote down and you will be astonished how documents play a vital role in every business process that your company does. While looking at this list, ask yourself this question: If I lost the function of being able to do one of the 5 questions from above during a work day, would be my company suffer? –YES, it would because documents provide information, and information is the heartbeat of every business as well as the way people access, process, and create documents ultimately effects their bottom line.

Documents are a very valuable asset to any business in today’s society, which is why it is very important to understand how your company defines the word “document.” So… How does your company define the word document and does your company have a document strategy?

For Sale: The Market Changes, but The People Remain The Same.

Keith Hurt — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:24:00 GMT

I recently had the opportunity to read a few excerpts from the “Referral Engine”, I didn’t get a buzz, until I had the opportunity to touch on a few pages that were mentioned during a meeting. The more I listened, the more fascinating it became. It wasn’t the glitz and glamour of technology that caught my attention, it was the consistency of one element: The more the market changes, the more the core values of the market stay the same, the people.

At the end of the day, what I feel makes me so successful at what I do, is that my focus isn’t trying to reach each person with a price tag, but the opportunity to offer them value. I love helping people, point blank. It’s a chance to make their issue my issue, until they reach the point that they can make the best decision for themselves. I don’t sell things, only offer trust; and the opportunity to do a great job for someone. I understand the concept of the different types of business infrastructures; whether it is new marketing tactics or the traditional model that everyone remembers from TV; but the people never change. It’s all about making the digital experience personal.

When a customer places an order, whether it is by phone or an online webpage; I try to always make an effort to make our interaction a personal one. After an online order, I’ll send them a personal e-mail back. If I’m setting up a Easy Order for them, I will make an excuse just to call and let them know what they are looking for from my company, and as well as what I am personally trying to accomplish for them. My personal favorite is when a customer calls in to place an order and starts giving me information like it’s a script that they have read a dozen times. As soon as I ask who’s calling, I pause, to make sure I say their name and greet them personally. It’s something small, but the important thing is, it’s something.

Even a tool like CRM software, can only enhance what I do. I listen to my customers, not just about what they are looking for during the sale, but who they are. I always seek this common ground and when they call back I always look for key things to remind me of who they are, personally. The CRM software allows me to store things about my customers into the database rather then trying to keep it all in my mental rolodex. Keeping in mind that the database is also accessible to authorized employees. It’s not like I’m forcing a relationship, I just listen and jot things down that we talk about that catches interest. When a customer calls me back and remember who I am, I’m sure they can hear the smile on my face through the phone because I can hear the tone change; remember it’s not just the transaction anymore.

Now all this could simply be me, but am I really the only person that gets a kick out of offering more then a product, but a personality? Have we completely hidden ourselves behind the delete buttons and dial tones? Are people so focused on the total that they subtract the mathematics’ of humanity?

Total Cost of Ownership | For Laser Printers

Karen Skalyo — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:13:00 GMT

Due to the nature of our Managed Print Services business, I am frequently asked about replacing or adding a printer to an office or department. The cus tomer usually has something in mind and almost always mentions some name brands. I let them make this inquiry because it is the perfect invitation to discuss Cost of Ownership.

I advise taking these Factors into consideration:

Initial Cost of the Equipment
Required Supplies on hand such as Toners, etc.
Access to a Service Provider for the chosen brand
Does the Printer meet the needs of Targeted Usage?
Do they require Networking?

I almost always steer people towards HP for a few reasons. Certainly all companies have their strengths, but HP just seems to have a few more. They are a world leader in the industry and maintain a great record of reliability. High quality compatible consumables are usually available within a reasonable amount of time which lowers your Cost Per Page (CPP).

Last but not least, don't be taken in by the "cheapest" piece of equipment. You might be surprised when it comes time to change things like toners. Also, watch for separate drums; these can really hike up your bill.

Do you agree that some helpful information from an industry expert might make you feel comfortable about your next choice in a Laser Printer?

Low Cost Laser Printers | The Price is Higher Than You Think

Gary Skalyo — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:13:00 GMT

Over the last 2 years, as the Global Economy has suffered historic setbacks, Businesses of all sizes seem to have renewed their interest in low-end Personal Laser Printers.

Over the last 24 Months we have seen a tremendous demand for these little printers, despite our recommendations to clients for New & Refurbished Sustainable Printers.

Recently, The Imaging Channel, reported in their newsletter the results of a study about 'Popular Personal Laser Printers' from several manufacturers. Here are those results:

Printer Model	Release Date	Replaces	Current Cost per Page (CPP)	Old CPP	Increase in CPP
CanonD420 ImageClass	Sep 2010	Canon PC-D320	3.8 cents	3.4 cents	11.8%
Canon MF4570 ImageClass	Sep 2010	Canon MF4730 ImageClass	3.9 cents	3.5 cents	11.4%
Dell 1350CNW	Sep 2010	Dell 1320C	3.5 cents mono	3.0 cents mono	16.7% mono
			18.5 cents color	14.9 cents color	24.2% color
HP LaserJet PRO CP1025	Nov 2010	HP Color LaserJet CP1215	4.7 cents mono	3.2 cents mono	46.9% mono
			22.1 cents color	17.0 cents color	30% color
HP LaserJet PRO CP15255	Nov 2010	HP Color LaserJet Pro CP1515/1518	3.5 cents mono	3.2 cents mono	9.4% mono
			18.9 cents color	17.0 cents color	11.2% color
HP LaserJet Pro P1102/P1102w	Apr 2010	HP LaserJet P1005/P1006	4.3 cents	4.0 cents	6.3%
HP LaserJet Pro 1606DN	May 2010	HP LaserJet P1505	3.7 cents	3.4 cents	8.8%
Okidata B411	May 2010	Okidata B410	3.1 cents	2.7 cents	14.8%
Okidata B431	May 2010	Okidata B430	2.3 cents	2.1 cents	9.5%
Samsung ML-2525	May 2010	Samsung ML-2510	3.0 cents	2.7 cents	10%
**CPP is Based on consumeable pricing and yields at the time of publication

The above table makes a great Business Case for Managed Print Services Programs that have fixed costs for each page printed or copied. If your print volume is significant, say 2,000-4,000 pages monthly (this is a 'personal printer'), there are also Programs out there that provide Service, Supplies as well as Support for 2¢ per page or less.

The takeaway from this Study are that Personal Laser Printers, especially from the Low-End of the cost spectrum, really cost more to own [Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)] in the long run.

It is also interesting to note, if you buy a Laser Printer that is a little Higher-End, the Cost-per-Page (CPP) prices are significantly less. The long & short of it is, buy a $100 Printer and pay 30–130% per page; more than if you would have bought a $300-$400 device. This 'Economy of Scale' repeats itself through the entire spectrum of printers on the market.

Like many other Green Office Practices, using Refurbished Laser Printers (Sustainable Printers at that), will also save your company money and be great for the environment.

Is there ever a time when it makes sense to save a few bucks up front on a Printer, just to give it all back and more over a period 1-3 years?

Business Case for the Paperless Office | Filing Cabinet Catastrophe

Debbie Besaw — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:07:00 GMT

I can’t believe it was only a few short years ago that I was still using our old filing cabinet in our office to file away every piece a paper that came across my desk. What a pain it would be going through all of that Vendor & Customer filing alphabetizing, punching holes, stapling, and worst of all standing over a file cabinet for hours every week!

Of course, when a customer would call and want to discuss a service call from a month ago- well then it would be a real ordeal, and would go something like this:

Me: "Well sir let put you on hold so I can pull your file." <Put the customer on hold walk to the filing cabinet hoping the file was put away correctly in alphabetical order>

If I was lucky the file would be there in the right spot where it was suppose to be; and not sitting on someone else's desk or perhaps filed under A when it was suppose to be filed under B.

As I grab the file head back to my desk, all the while my customer is holding and waiting patiently. I flip through the file and realize --wait the service order I needed isn’t in the file folder! I tell the customer, "...I will have to call you back!" I would then frantically run throughout the office searching through piles of unfiled papers while asking co-workers if they have seen the service order.

Searching through other customer files thinking maybe the pages were stuck together. Finally, when the document was located (an hour later) I call my customer back now prepared to discuss their issue.

Well, that felt like a lifetime ago (thankfully) but ever since my company started using a Document Management Solution --over four years ago, it made my life so much easier. The actual filing takes me less than a quarter of the time that it used to. Now, I simply scan the document and it shows up in a repository on my computer that I would be able to index few key components of the document. For example, Customer Name, Date, Sales Order Number, etc.

Now, when a customer calls with a question regarding a service order from a month ago, piece of cake! It is as simple as typing my customers name and date range in the search and *poof* I instantaneously have the document I need to help my customer. If our office decided to go back to our old ways of filing; our staffing level would not be able to handle the work. I am convinced that we would have to hire someone just to file and retrieve paper documents in itself.