Happy Tuesday, blog reader! Today, we’ll talk about Managed Print Services.
WHAT IS A MANAGED PRINT SERVICE? A Managed Print Service, or MPS for short, is a service that helps a business manage it’s printers and copiers. An MPS provider, such as CopyLady, handles multiple roles in this particular service industry. MPS providers generally handle both the supply and maintenance of a business’ printers and copiers, while the business pays the MPS provider on a monthly basis for the equipment and services.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MPS? There are many benefits to using an MPS versus buying and running your own equipment, such as:
* SERVICE: If something goes wrong with your printer or copier, And it is under an MPS contract, the MPS provider’s technicians will either help you via a phone call, or come out and resolve the issue. In the large majority of cases, this service is covered by your MPS contract. Some services, such as IT-related ones (Setting up scanning, printing, etc), may be covered in a different way. If issues arise on equipment you own, and you do NOT have an MPS contract, service and parts can get expensive quick, and while you CAN call an MPS for service without a contract, this call would be billed, usually at an hourly rate.
* SUPPLIES: Supplies, such as toners and waste containers, are usually covered under an MPS contract. This alone can be worth it as this can save your business lots of money. You will never have
* SET UP: When you’re setting up a new office, signing on with an MPS right away can take the headache out of setting up printers or copiers. The MPS technicians will handle the installation, configuration and usage training process from start to finish. Without an MPS provider, you would be stuck not only finding reliable equipment, but you would have to set it up yourself. (That is, unless you call an MPS provider and pay their hourly rate!)
* EQUIPMENT THAT FITS: When you call an MPS provider to order equipment and services, the person working with you will put together both the equipment, and a service contract that fits your needs. Much easier than sourcing your own equipment!
GETTING STARTED: Getting started with an MPS provider is as easy as picking up the phone and calling out to them. From there, you will want to speak with the sales department, who will listen closely to what you are looking for in office equipment. From there, the sales agent will put together both the proposal, and an agreement for you to sign and send back. The proposal details the equipment you will receive from the MPS. The agreement contains the following items:
* EQUIPMENT LEASE: This contains the leasing info about the equipment that you will receive. This includes the term (in months), as well as usage allowances, and your monthly payment (Including taxes, if applicable)
* SERVICE & SUPPLIES AGREEMENT: This is your service contract with the MPS. This also details your monthly usage allowances, as well as other information, including any extra services that you can also opt into.
USAGE ALLOWANCES: All MPS contracts come with what is known as “Usage allowances”. These are generally how many copies or prints (B&W or Color) you can make each month under your service contract. After you use the total allowance of each, any copies or prints would then be billed at a per-page amount. This will be listed on your contract as overage. When signing on with an MPS provider, the sales agent will build your contract’s allowances to suit your usage. It is possible for a contract to have zero allowance on a certain image type (Color is the most common one). This is referred to as “Pay-per-Click”. On PPC, each print or copy done using the PPC image type is billed at the per page rate outlined on the contract.
LEASING: As you probably know, office copiers and printers can be quite expensive, which is yet another reason to go with an MPS provider versus doing it on your own. When leasing a copier, you will either send a monthly amount either to the MPS provider, or to a third-party financing company. This is outlined to you when you receive the contract to sign. Both methods cover both the equipment, and your service contract. Your MPS provider will be able to provide you with flexible options.
If you are looking for a copier or printer for your office, or maybe a few copiers and printers, Just go to CopyLady! We are your trusted MPS provider!