Category: Managed Print Services

During my years of experience in the tech industry, I haven’t encountered a company that demonstrates a bigger commitment to sustainability than HP Inc. HP has been focused on sustainability for years and you can see the level of commitment through their investment in focused corporate roles for sustainability. HP Canada has a Head of Sustainable Impact who is engaged internally to make a difference at HP and is very engaged externally with partners to help them make a difference. We at SmartPrint work closely with HP as a sustainability Change Maker partner. The Change Maker designation gives us access to the vast set of tools HP has developed. HP has been recycling hardware since the1980ss and was one of the first technology companies to move toward improving the power consumption of their equipment supporting the Energy Star program. For more than a decade HP has also invested in a toner and ink supply return program to ensure the plastic and metal supply components are recycled and avoid the landfill. As we all know, climate change is not going to fix itself. Humankind has created this issue and there are leaders like HP that are doing their best to create awareness while doing their part with aggressive action and extending their reach with their business partners.

Earlier in 2021 HP Inc. shared its sustainability vision that includes measurable goals.

Here are some highlights from the plan:

• Carbon neutrality and zero waste mark in HP operations by 2025
• Net-zero carbon across the HP value chain (operations, supply chain and customer product use) by 2040
• 50% reduction in value chain greenhouse gas emissions, in specific areas by 2030
• Reach net-zero deforestation
• Counteract deforestation resulting from using non-HP paper in its products and print services by 2030
• Carbon neutrality in HP’s supplies business by 2030

There is demand for sustainable solutions in managed print services and it’s great to see that many of our clients have this focus. As independent MPS experts, we’ve had requests to help to ensure that the new office and production print equipment we recommend is the most sustainable option while supporting their application. Through the process of completing fleet assessments and balanced deployment plans, we are helping clients to reduce their carbon footprint related to their office printing equipment and supplies with our managed print services programs. Here are some examples of the potential opportunities:

• The best equipment for the requirement with power consumption, cost and sustainable supply chain
• Supply chain decisions for consumables, ensuring that clients use original supplies from a manufacturer that has a focus on sustainable supply chain management and recycling makes a measurable difference. This also improves the long term uptime and longevity of equipment as well as user satisfaction
• Implement a secure pull printing software to reduce wasted print jobs and the wasted paper that goes along with them; using the same tool also reduce paper consumption with business rules for duplex printing
• Save money and energy consumption by upgrading outdated, aging print devices that use more energy and cost more to run and support
• Find areas in their business to avoid print and move to digital

With 35 years of experience, SmartPrint’s Managed Print Services experts can complete a full assessment with a future state plan to help your business optimize the print devices and print infrastructure while reducing your carbon footprint. We can provide measurable results for the sustainability leader in your business. Contact us to find out more.

Sometimes what looks like savings can turn into a hassle. If you are running aftermarket supplies in your print devices, reach out to see how we can help to convert you to OEM. We typically find that we can help our clients make the change to OEM without impacting the total cost of ownership and the monthly operational cost to run the print environment. If you are currently running OEM supplies and are thinking about trying aftermarket supplies to try and save some money, there may be a better way to save! Reach out to talk to one of our MPS experts.

HP OEM supplies provide the confidence you can rely on for everyday printing. HP is committed to the environment by using recycled materials in new cartridges and offering a free recycling program from one of the 100 most sustainable companies in the world. Supplies also meet eco-label emission criteria to help maintain the air quality. Trust is also provided from the packaging to the chips to use supplies that protect your printer and your data. Lastly, peace of mind is provided in knowing that you are using HP OEM supplies.

Global supply chain issues are causing serious challenges for technology manufacturers. Intel’s CEO shared that “the chip shortage won’t end
until at least 2023”.

The chip shortage is not only hitting the PC/laptop market; Apple has had to cut the production of the new iPhone 13;  Toyota had to cut production by 40% in October, and every office print manufacturer has been affected. Some are worse than others. In the MPS business, equipment, supplies and parts shortages are a challenge because of manufacturing delays and significant backlogs at ports globally. Shipment containers are stuck on ships for weeks due to crane operator delays. 

How do you navigate a return to the office with these issues? What if your copier that has had a lot of downtime is overdue for replacement, or your MPS agreement has lapsed, is month to month, and your current provider is not supporting your business with good solutions? Here are 3 important things to think about:

1. Engage a professional to figure it out.

   An MPS Consultant can provide a plan to reduce the risk of your company being affected by completing an assessment of your needs while leveraging your existing equipment that still has serviceable life. Where there is a need for new equipment an MPS Consultant can recommend equipment from manufacturer(s) that are in the best position with equipment inventory now, and the supply of print consumables and parts to keep your business up and running. An independent expert will know what manufacturer partner is ahead of the game and has the plan and financials to survive the current challenges. The office won’t go back to how it always was, leaders need to engage experts to support their people in this new hybrid model.

2. Security

   Cybercrime is at an all-time high and Covid made it worse with employees being targeted and potentially exploited from their home offices. It’s important to work with an expert that can secure your print infrastructure with automated software in the office and for the hybrid/home office worker, including policy management for device firmware to properly harden the print endpoints. Paper documents lying around the office can cause critical breaches of personal data. Physically securing the print equipment with a secure printing tool that requires the users to authenticate with a PIN, badge or mobile device using NFC will mitigate data loss risk through paper documents; it will also increase productivity and support consolidation of print equipment.

3. Intelligent Workflow automation supporting anywhere, anytime access to get things done.

   There are dozens of mixed media document workflows in your business that can be completely digitized and automated with an Intelligent Workflow system.  You can enable your employees to work successfully and efficiently at the home office, the coffee shop, or in the office. The pace of business is speeding up and making your hybrid team successful by automating business processes that will increase efficiency, create a competitive advantage and improve employee retention. Connecting the printing and imaging equipment to software to automate business workflow can be simple, and there has never been a better time to take the first step to see how easy it can be to get started with digital transformation.

The three areas above are tightly connected. When you are thinking about approaching one of them, the expert you engage should be thinking about each area to be sure you have a scalable, secure print and document infrastructure to reach your business goals. 

Reach out for a brief qualifying conversation with one of our experts.

Without central control of your print fleet, security settings are extremely difficult to manage, and entry points for cybercrime are more easily overlooked. It becomes even more complex supporting work from home employees, and integrating equipment to workflow automation systems.  Your IT team could focused on configuration settings and authentication rather than working on other valuable IT projects or support. Encryption and authentication can be accomplished universally with an integrated automated security management tool. We’ve had great success with HP JetAdvantage Security Manager, ask one of our experts to share best practices in this area. 

Businesses that want to grow or maintain their market share need to automate and optimize workflow to make their employees more efficient, and ideally improve their customer experience. McKinsey & Company completed a survey called The Imperatives for Automation Success. The survey shows that 66% of respondents are taking action, and the % has increased by approximately 15% “…Two-thirds of respondents say their organizations are at least piloting the automation of business processes in one or more business units…”  The future is now, it is time to make workflow automation a priority in your business.

Artificial Intelligence will be one of the six technologies that dominate 2022 and it is coming to your office. Many companies are ahead of the game using AI to drive competitive advantage by increasing productivity with simple projects, like automating data entry in finance with accounts payable and expense management, or automating the inbound flow of incoming documents using AI to classify documents and automating decisions with simple workflow from all incoming channels (web, email, snail mail, fax etc.). Getting started with one successful project will open the eyes of the organization to look for the next productivity win. It can become addictive for management teams.

4 key things to think about when getting started with workflow automation in your office.

1. The right on-ramp

   – This is where your integrated MPS (managed print services) partner with experience and deep capabilities in Intelligent Workflow AI tools for the office, will add significant value. This isn’t just about software, you need the right future print/scan/fax hardware that will integrate and even kick off workflow.

2. The right security– Most workflow automation projects in the office deal with confidential data, like invoices, client information, intellectual property etc. It’s crucial to lock down the end points involved from a digital and physical standpoint.

   – Intelligent Workflow software will connect to multiple systems including the web and your Financial or ERP software.

   3. The right AI workflow tools

   – This is truly becoming a crowded space. There are dozens of software companies with similar competing technology.

   – Which of the many are best in breed with ease of use for your users?

   – What software company is ahead of the pack with pre-built connectors to integrate with your systems?

   – How will you know which software will drive rapid and measurable productivity gains?

   – Do you want a point solution or a solution that can automate workflow in multiple departments?

   – Not to oversimplify this, but this is where your independent experts can help you answer these questions and provide all of the components of the solution, along with connecting all of the dots to make it all work through a successful implementation.

   4. The right process for your people

   – A current state analysis of your businesses operating models in the top 3 priority workflows with today in mind, and the future with hybrid workforces. Let’s face it, we need to change the way we work and often where we work.

   – Employee retention through job satisfaction has never been more important; it is time to automate those mundane repeated processes and get the best of your employees through engagement in thoughtful work.

No one will disagree that the future of work in the office will be different moving forward and that the pandemic has increased the need for change dramatically. Intelligent Workflow solutions will simplify mundane tasks, reduce errors, improve productivity and employee engagement and improve your customer’s experience.

Reach out to find out how the integration of our MPS and Intelligent Workflow expertise can help you catch up, or get ahead of your competitors.

The predicted disruption of hybrid work is no longer a theory, it’s happened, and it is here to stay.
It’s time to enable the hybrid worker regardless of where they decide to work.

Automation has become ubiquitous in the manufacturing process and AI (artificial intelligence) automation tools are quickly taking over website customer service and support. One area where automation is used extensively in business is with software automation tools for mining financial data. The next area of focus that is now gaining momentum is workflow automation for employees. There are very powerful, yet simple to use intelligent workflow tools for your business that deliver measurable efficiency gains resulting in a significant ROI. Think about where there is variation or costly errors in an important business workflow and you have found a good place to take your first step.

Automation of your current workflow helps to reduce manual work and redundant tasks, and with the ability to put all of the automation in the cloud. It doesn’t matter if the employee is in the office, a coffee shop, or their home office, they can complete their part of the workflow efficiently.

Here are 5 workflow automation opportunities to add efficiency while including and benefiting the hybrid worker:

1. Travel and Expense reimbursement
   • Automate the input of receipt data with digital capture
   • Simple online manager approvals
   • Finance receives all of the details and no longer have to chase people down
2. Invoice management and approval (Accounts Payable)
   • Save a lot of time and improve accuracy by getting rid of the mundane, error-prone data entry
   • Visibility of all stages of the AP process
   • Integration with existing systems
   • Integrated web/mobile approvals
3. Contracts Management 
   • Increase contract visibility with anywhere, anytime secure user access
   • Shorten approval times
   • Never miss a contract renewal
4. Customer Service
   • The quicker the response, the happier the customer
   • Reducing errors will make the team more reliable
   • Increase the efficiency of the  team by lightening the low-value workload
5. Human Resource Automation i.e. Onboarding employees
   • Simplify this process and improve the first impression for your new employees
   • Put the whole paper trail on-line
   • Give time back to your busy HR team

There is a link to MPS (managed print services) because the hybrid worker has a requirement for handling some paper-based documents and if they don’t have the tools they need they are likely wasting time trying to get by doing everything digital when they are working from their home office. For many workers, if they are going to be productive, they need the ability to print, scan and copy with a secure business-class device that fits the space they have. The hybrid worker needs support for the equipment and your IT team already has enough to deal with. Also, security is absolutely critical for your business because hackers are targeting homes to gain access to business data and networks. Connect with your MPS and workflow experts to help connect all of the dots in the document lifecycle. We can connect your whole team with workflow automation tools that will improve your business.

Without central control of your print fleet, security settings are extremely difficult to manage, and entry points for cybercrime are more easily overlooked. It becomes even more complex supporting work from home employees, and integrating equipment to workflow automation systems.  Your IT team could focused on configuration settings and authentication rather than working on other valuable IT projects or support. Encryption and authentication can be accomplished universally with an integrated automated security management tool. We’ve had great success with HP JetAdvantage Security Manager, ask one of our experts to share best practices in this area.

SmartPrint is world class with a 2020 NPS score of 95!

Many companies claim that they have the “best service in the business” but few even have a way to measure how happy their customers really are. At SmartPrint we have a system for everything, including a system that allows us to capture feedback after every service/support call, regardless of whether the service was an on-site emergency, a pro-actively scheduled call, or if it was an avoided on-site service call we were able to close off remotely with our remote service management system. We use the NPS (Net Promoter Score).

The average North American company has an NPS of 30. Some well-loved companies reach scores into the 70s and 80s. NPS is a very simple loyalty metric that holds companies and employees accountable for how they treat their clients. It is a loyalty metric and a discipline for using customer feedback to drive growth in our business. SmartPrint has been using NPS for 10 years and over that period it has provided the information and visibility to help us increase our score year over year. It is interesting, our business growth has mirrored the NPS rapid climb to World Class over this period. There are only 5 Canadian MPS companies with this award and SmartPrint is the only one in the Greater Toronto area with a National reach that has been certified by CEO Juice.

How do we do it? 5 keys to our success

1. Proactive services through real-time monitoring of equipment.
   • We can fix problems before they happen, that positively impacts customer satisfaction when downtime is avoided
2. Unmatched operational efficiency with integrated, automated systems.
   • You will never run out of supplies – our automated proactive supplies management has been perfected
   • Your hardware and software implementations are professionally project managed 
   • Your invoice is simple and is always correct
3. Continuous improvement
   • Fleet and service level reporting for business reviews includes real-time, accurate data to support improvements for your team
4. Guaranteed 99%+ uptime is not only accomplished with great service support
   • OEM supplies and replacement parts dramatically increase the fleet uptime with fewer emergency service calls (OEM toner can reduce emergency service calls by more than 40% which dramatically impacts user downtime)
   • As independent experts, we only work with the most trusted brands with products and supply chains that support responsible sustainability which brings the quality we need to keep your uptime high
5. Changing the way we work with productivity improvement for our clients
   • We build long-term relationships with clients by solving business problems with software. For example, we can implement a super simple, low-cost scan workflow app that would save every employee 15 minutes per week on average; and/or a more complex business process workflow that can automate accounts payable invoice processing saving 40% of the whole departments time

Is your organization world-class, or are you striving to be? Your employees deserve the best. If your business does value your employee’s time because you want to ensure that they are happy and highly productive, you should look to a truly world-class MPS and workflow automation partner.

Sometimes what looks like savings can turn into a hassle. If you are running aftermarket supplies in your print devices, reach out to see how we can help to convert you to OEM. We typically find that we can help our clients make the change to OEM without impacting the total cost of ownership and the monthly operational cost to run the print environment. If you are currently running OEM supplies and are thinking about trying aftermarket supplies to try and save some money, there may be a better way to save! Reach out to talk to one of our MPS experts.

HP OEM supplies provide the confidence you can rely on for everyday printing. HP is committed to the environment by using recycled materials in new cartridges and offering a free recycling program from one of the 100 most sustainable companies in the world. Supplies also meet eco-label emission criteria to help maintain the air quality. Trust is also provided from the packaging to the chips to use supplies that protect your printer and your data. Lastly, peace of mind is provided in knowing that you are using HP OEM supplies.

Consolidating office equipment and vendors while positively impacting sustainability and monthly MPS expenses. Does this sound too good to be true?

1. Happy users are productive users

• • Make it easy – Update and standardize your office printing equipment with the latest functionality
  • Make it safe – Install secure access printing software to enable touchless print release while increasing user efficiency
  • Work with MPS experts – they will help you select the best equipment for your business and balance the equipment locations for your departments

2. Sustainability / Reduce your carbon footprint – Independent MPS experts can bring an unbiased approach to help you select the right equipment that will help with the following:

• • Decrease power consumption
  • Decrease environmental landfill waste
  • Ensure the supply chain of equipment, parts and supplies has a sustainable supply chain 
  • Measure the carbon footprint reduction – If your business is trying to achieve carbon neutrality and sustainability, we can help with current vs. future state reporting to support your organizations reduction goals through the consolidation and upgrade of your office equipment

3. Security – Hackers have been busy and more successful during the pandemic and print devices are often a target in the office.

• • Reduce the risk by selecting office printing equipment that has advanced security capabilities that will stop hackers in their tracks
  • Secure the print device end points with software that can automate security configuration and report on areas of risk
  • Physically secure the equipment by installing secure access software to lock all functions of the print devices, requiring fast simple user authentication to unlock; this provides a full audit trail for print/copy/fax/scan with no more printed pages left unattended

4. Save more than 50%! – As independent MPS experts we can tell you that ALL completed projects to help our clients get back to the office with a better print environment are saving more than 50% of their previous monthly expenses, even if they had previously consolidated the print environment.

• •   It is a new normal, take advantage of this moment in time to make meaningful change that will improve the user experience, sustainability, security while saving money
  • There are more savings with powerful workflow software. WFH (work from home) has changed the way your employees work. Many of the new digital tools they use are more efficient that what they have always done in the office; help them NOT go back to how they worked before through business process automation.

Sometimes what looks like savings can turn into a hassle. If you are running aftermarket supplies in your print devices, reach out to see how we can help to convert you to OEM. We typically find that we can help our clients make the change to OEM without impacting the total cost of ownership and the monthly operational cost to run the print environment. If you are currently running OEM supplies and are thinking about trying aftermarket supplies to try and save some money, there may be a better way to save! Reach out to talk to one of our MPS experts.

HP OEM supplies provide the confidence you can rely on for everyday printing. HP is committed to the environment by using recycled materials in new cartridges and offering a free recycling program from one of the 100 most sustainable companies in the world. Supplies also meet eco-label emission criteria to help maintain the air quality. Trust is also provided from the packaging to the chips to use supplies that protect your printer and your data. Lastly, peace of mind is provided in knowing that you are using HP OEM supplies.

Is it time to get control of the contract management process with Intelligent Workflow Automation? Save money, and time by increasing efficiency and visibility!

In all industries, employees spend far too much time searching, sending, and maintaining contracts. You can stop the endless painful contract shuffle and efficiently manage contracts with precision. The teams of people we work with have struggled with moving the process quickly to meet timelines versus having control over the process to manage risk with the legal team’s input. They have also struggled with visibility of the contract terms, obligations, and expiration times; as well as information silos in their organizations and trying to keep legal language standardized to mitigate risk for the organization. The team needs to be up to date on components that can change like pricing, emerging legal language, and the fluid management of contract extensions and renewal processes.

Digitally transforming the contract management process will bring increased productivity for each person involved. One simple automated system with a standardized process will bring efficiency to the following components of contract management:

• Version tracking
• Contract requests and drafting
• Review & approve from anywhere at anytime
• Compliance & audit preparation
• Expiration and renewal management
• Digital signature integration

Here are the high-level value points of Contract Management automation:

1. Simplify client requests and vendor agreement processing with an easy access forms portal and contract templates
2. An automated, standardized process simplifies each step so users can send contracts to stakeholders for revisions with visibility to prioritize tasks and understand where the next action must take place to keep the process on track
3. Automate the ingestion of contracts through email capture, web forms, scanning, etc. getting all documents in one system for processing
4. Assure compliance and be audit-ready for all contracts with everything in one simple searchable system accessible anywhere, anytime
5. Track contract versions accurately with permissible access

Efficiency is extremely important, but there is also value in having an improved understanding of your organization’s contracts and suppliers. With an automated system, you will have improved visibility so you can negotiate improved terms, and consolidate suppliers to increase discounts by leveraging your buying power. Reach out today to learn more about how we can help with efficiency, accuracy, and give time back to your team.

Although most organizations have had a strategy around digital transformation, most were not yet in execution mode and therefore had a tough time supporting the tough transitions this pandemic has required. We talk to businesses every day who are struggling to close the loop on business processes with automation.

Initially, when everyone had to work remotely with the COVID-19 pandemic, mailrooms moved quickly to ensure recipients of inbound mail and faxes received important documents by scanning these documents to email in pdf image files. While this ensured correspondence was looked after, we all know that email isn’t a digital filing cabinet and shouldn’t be used as one. These documents will continue to increase mailbox sizes and could be lost.

The Intelligent Workflow best in breed solutions that SmartPrint provides can help organizations substantially increase productivity in almost every department of the business. Where there is a business process with documents and people involved, there is an automation opportunity. That said, often people struggle with how and where to get started with automation in their business. The mailroom is a logical place to start a digital transformation strategy.

A mailroom can use scanning and document workflow software to run a digital mail delivery service that will benefit the internal customers (all employees) for the whole organization. Why not kick off the first automation step where documents come into your business?

Top 6 benefits of digitally transforming the mailroom:

• Time savings from no longer maintaining paper documents
• Reduce operational costs by eliminating printing, expensive couriers, and real estate costs required for document storage
• Increase accessibility to all documents with controlled access, anytime from anywhere
• Decrease user wait times for document turnaround
• Improve security and decrease lost and misfiled document from human error
• Simplify processes and improve the end-users experience

A project to transform the mailroom is a quick win that has visible and tangible value for your business. One of the keys to getting started with automation is having a quick win that you build off with more projects across the organization. You can build a better business while using the same workflow platform.

HP Capture and Route is a great example of a digital management tool that can automate the ingestion of content from multiple inputs and flow the content right into automated workflows built in an intelligent workflow software solution. We have had a lot of success with this tool as the front end of a fully integrated business workflow system. With our intelligent workflow solutions, we have multiple options of best in breed platforms and we ensure that all of the applications are agnostic so if there are changes in your environment your workflows are intact for the future.

If you are interested in learning more to see how we can help, reach out for a brief conversation and perhaps a demo.