Bytes Document Solutions, authorised Xerox distributor to 24 sub-Saharan countries, has launched Xerox's Managed Print Services (MPS) that helps small and mid-size businesses (SMEs) better manage their printing infrastructure and reduce costs.
MPS is a tried-and-tested offering in the larger enterprise space and has been tailored to meet the needs of the small to medium business markets. It helps them gain control of processes and costs for document output by managing printers, copiers, and fax machines, regardless of manufacturer or model, and optimising the document output environment and processes.
“MPS clients get short-term cost savings and clients around the globe have demonstrated long-term results such as enhanced productivity, increased compliance and reduced energy consumption,” says Grant Long, software manager at Bytes Document Solutions.
“MPS is founded on rigorous, data-driven Lean Six Sigma-based methodologies and helps clients manage the costs associated with printing, sharing and updating documents that flow through organisations. Most importantly, it is inherently scalable, which makes it suitable for organisations of all sizes, from the very biggest, such as retail groups and international airlines, to the smallest.”
MPS also sees Bytes Document Solutions deliver change management where necessary to support employees in successfully adapting to new technology and work processes, and meet environmental goals by reducing paper use, decreasing power use, and eliminating landfill waste.
Gartner positioned Xerox in its Leaders' Quadrant of the 2008 and 2009 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services Worldwide.
The Magic Quadrant is a proprietary research tool developed by Gartner that offers visual snapshots of a market's direction, maturity and participants, and evaluates companies on completeness of vision and ability to execute.
Xerox's MPS offering leads other vendors in a number of areas, most notably:
* Cost savings beyond the office: by reducing spend in the print shop and virtual workplace, Xerox extends the opportunity to cut operational costs by 30% across the business. The use of Xerox's MPS for fact-based analysis means customers can measure results based on actual numbers, not just projections, for sustainable process improvements and savings;
* Multi-vendor support: Xerox currently monitors approximately one million competitive devices worldwide to help customers get more out of the print infrastructure they've already invested in; and
* Unified global delivery: Xerox provides a single point of contact for worldwide customers so that clients benefit from a consistent approach regardless of their location.
All MPS projects begin with a thorough assessment of the environment by Bytes Document Solutions consultants.
“An important component of MPS is managed service level agreements,” says Long. “One component of MPS gives clients the necessary software tools to interrogate printers, faxes and copiers to measure a number of variables such as how much paper, toner, and ink is loaded into machines versus how much they use, how much downtime the devices suffer in a given period, how often the devices are used, by who, for which jobs; they can drill down into every detail of every job printed on any device they own. That level of detail is important, but it is pointless without the ability to act on changing it where necessary, which is what the service level agreements facilitate.”
MPS goes well beyond measurement and managing SLAs.
The consulting phase of an MPS project will also highlight potential process improvements that organisations can make to get the maximum benefit from their existing equipment based on a number of criteria, such as printing needs by branch, department and user, for example.
“Our consultants will determine a geographical dispersal of equipment that matches its production capabilities with user needs to derive the maximum potential performance from a device and ensure that users get the best possible return on their investment and contain and reduce the ongoing costs associated with it,” says Long. “Where necessary, consultants will also determine how organisations can most cost-effectively print sensitive documents securely to reduce organisational risk and meet good governance requirements. They will also determine environmental factors that affect organisational responsibilities and intentions so that companies can reduce paper use, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption, improve efficiencies, and meet their desire to be responsible environmental citizens.”
Long adds that MPS includes channel partners and, while it is primarily aimed at benefiting clients, offers resellers and concessionaires an opportunity to increase revenues by bringing clients a value added service they require.
The value that channel partners will bring clients includes simplicity of contracts. They will be easier to manage because they will be predictable for more accurate budgets and will not result in oversupply at the customer's premises. Finally, customers will be able to understand the true cost of ownership.
“These value drivers give channel companies a real competitive advantage by allowing them to meet customers' operational needs,” says Long.
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