Time for Transparency

Transparency in business is something we don’t see oftenenough, and it’s really about just being open, honest, andaccountable. Here are some tips to help your companybecome more transparent:

• Be honest. Honesty is at the heart of transparency, andit really comes down to telling the truth—even when youdon’t want to. 

• Be timely. Because we live in a world that’s connected24/7, it’s important not to waste too much time when itcomes to communicating with your customers orcommenting on company issues.

• Accept criticism. Use message boards to let customers(and employees) sound off about problems in yourcompany. You will get more valuable feedback—bothpositive and negative—than you expected, and you’ll bearmed with the right information to make good decisions.

July 2012

Get the Most Out of Your Inks and Toners

Let’s face it – the cost of constantly replacing ink and toner cartridges can have asignificant impact on your bottom line. However, there are steps you can take to cutdown on the number of print cartridges your office uses.

Print in draft mode: Unless you are printing the final version of a document forpresentation, print in draft-mode. This will reduce the amount of ink used for a job.

Stay away from large and bold fonts: Using smaller fonts, like Arial and NewCourier, and reducing the amount of bolded text can prevent you from wasting inkand printing too many pages.

Keep on Printing: Ignore “out of ink” warnings from your printer and just keep onprinting. You’d be surprised by how much ink is still in there. 

Find Your MPS Solution: With the right Managed Print Services (MPS) solution,your business will not only optimize its entire print fleet while lowering overallprinting cost, but you’ll also save big on inks and toners when all of your outputdevices are properly managed and maintained.

Protecting Your Mobile Devicesfrom Hackers

Mobile device security is essential to any business in orderto mitigate the risk of unauthorized access to your sensitiveinformation. Here are some practices to help ensure thesecurity of mobile devices within your company:

Educate your staff – Address the security risksassociated with mobile devices and the potential impactthey could have for your company, and instruct your staffhow to activate the built-in security features on mobiledevices. Train them on how to recognize fraudulent apps,which security experts say present the greatest malwaredanger to mobile devices.

Encrypt your data – Installing an encryption solution onmobile devices will help protect your data in the event adevice is lost or stolen. There is no shortage of software onthe market these days that will help keep your sensitivedata out of unauthorized hands.

Watch out with WiFi – Using an unsecure WiFi networkenables others to access whatever you transmit or send.Use only secure WiFi networks, and never transmitsensitive information over public WiFi.

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July 2012

Choosing the Right MFP for Your Office

The multi-function printer, or MFP, has become an extremely valuable piece ofequipment in the modern office. This versatile device eliminates the need forstandalone printers, copiers, scanners, and fax machines, saving you space andmoney while benefiting the environment, as well.

Once you’ve decided to opt for an MFP (or replace your existing unit), the next stepis to find the right machine for your organization. However, with so many choicesout there, this decision can appear complicated — of all the machines available,which one is best-suited to handle your specific needs?

Selecting the right MFP is important to ensure that you end up with a machine thatwill meet your business needs, keep up with your workload, and prevent you fromoverspending on a unit. So how can you be sure to choose the right MFP for youroffice? Here are some things to consider:

Define Your Needs – Take the time to go over your requirements and determinewhat you’ll need from an MFP. What will you be using it for, and how often? Will yoube working with black and white or color documents? Which is more important toyou, the speed and quantity, or the quality of your prints and scans? Whichfeatures, bells, and whistles will be beneficial or necessary to your operation?

Evaluate Initial Investment vs. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – Consider not only the initial cost of an MFP but thecost of supplies and maintenance over the lifetime of the unit. What may seem like a bargain up front can end up costingyou much more over the long run. Also, consider asking your office equipment provider if leasing an MFP might be morecost effective, since sometimes lease agreements include regular service and some supplies.

Learn Your Specs – MFP specifications can seem like a foreign language (DPI, RAM, PPM, etc.). Get to know what theseindustry specs mean, and what they mean to you. An impressive DPI (dots­per­inch) won’t be a requirement for you ifyour office will only be scanning documents and forms.

Demand Compatibility – Determine which operating systems are used by your staff and select an MFP that will becompatible. And it is essential you choose a machine that will easily integrate into your existing network.

Seek Expert Advice – If you’re still not sure which MFP is right for your office, ask your local office equipment providerto help you make a good choice. They truly know it all when it comes to these machines, and can also support you withlocal, reliable service after your MFP is in place.

Contact us today, and let us help you choose the right MFP for your business.

July 2012

Advantage Credit, Inc. Benefits from a RemoteWorkforce Thanks to DocuWare

Requirements: Advantage Credit, Inc., (ACI) provides credit-reporting services tomortgage lenders, brokers, banks, home equity lenders, and others in the mortgageindustry. They knew that offering their employees more flexibility would help controlturnover. They initially started looking for a phone enhancement system, but giventhe large amount of paper files and records that each employee needed to haveaccess to, they knew they needed a document management solution as well; onecapable of taking paper forms and faxes, and converting them to a digital formatthat could be reviewed, edited and faxed, or emailed back to their customers.

Solution: With the help of an Authorized DocuWare Partner, ACI was able totransform itself into a remote business by implementing a Toshiba multi-functioncopier to capture information and DocuWare to manage and store the digitaldocuments. The company also worked with a third–party telecommunications partnerto provide a fax/phone solution. ACI was recreated as a remote business, just asthey had envisioned it. "Employees are happy now, they can do their job moreeffectively and they don’t want to leave, and that’s a huge benefit," said Don Unger,President of ACI.

Give Your Business a Boost withDocument Management

How can you boost your business without breaking thebank? A document management system can help yourbusiness run like a well-oiled machine by tying all of yourdata together and storing it in a central repository. Here’show a document management system can help yourbusiness run more smoothly:

• Get instant, secure access to your documents frompractically any location.

• Scurely share and distribute your documents via email orover a network.

• Streamline workflows and reduce the amount of paperyou use.

• Eliminate the need for costly off­site storage of yourdocuments.

• Improve efficiency by eliminating time­consuming,manual filing practices, which will also put an end to lost ormisfiled documents.

• Automate document workflows to increase productivity,and ease collaboration between departments.

Efficient Property ManagementMade Possible by DocuWare

Requirements: Maryland Management needed a moreefficient method for storing and transferring tenantapplications and leases for processing by the corporateoffice. The company had an electronic documentmanagement system, but found their existing programinadequate because it could not import electronicdocuments or sort documents by their labels. As a result,finding a copy of a lease was a difficult process for aproperty management company with over 9,000 units andan industry average apartment turnover rate of 41 percent.They needed to find a solution that was easy to use,implement and maintain that could bring together businesscritical information from over 40 sites.

Solution: DocuWare was installed at the corporate officeand made available to the property offices through a Webbrowser. All of the scanning is done at the property level,so as part of the solution Maryland Management installed40 Panasonic 1020 scanners, one at each property. Whenan application is requested, the property manager simplyprints the application containing a unique applicationbarcode number. The completed application is scanned intoDocuWare, where it is electronically routed through aworkflow process to ensure a credit check, criminalbackground check and manager approval have all beencompleted.

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July 2012

Motivate Your Employees throughRewards and Recognition

How can you create a more positive environment in your organization throughrewards and recognition, and improve efficiency in the process?

Recognition ­ Two of the most under­utilized words in an office are “thank you.”And those two syllables are the easiest and most cost-effective way to successfullyrecognize your staff. A simple “thank you” to acknowledge their efforts and ideascan go a long way toward showing people they are appreciated.

Rewards - A system of perks to reward outstanding achievements and above-average effort within your company is a great way to inspire employees. Suggestedhonors include:

• Preferred parking spaces in the shade or close to the building• Gift cards • Team lunches • Extra vacation days

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DocuWare 5 Electronic DocumentManagementEasily Automates Business Processes

Why should you look into document management? Keybenefits you’ll realize:

• Increase cash flow• Improve customer service • Reduce costs• Do more with less

DocuWare, integrated document management software,easily automates business processes by electronicallymanaging and sharing documents, regardless of format orsource, in one central document pool. One search quicklylocates all documents related to a business transactionregardless where in the world you are working. All access issecure, controlled, and logged.

With Web-based document management, automatedworkflow and powerful integration tools to both hardwareand software, DocuWare’s flexibility enables completemobility, transparency and scalability to grow with thecustomers’ needs. 

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