Take Control with Managed Print Services - ARC...Take Control with Managed Print Services • 1981 N. Broadway, Suite 385 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • 925-949-5100 According to the

Take Control withManaged Print Services

www.e-arc.com • 1981 N. Broadway, Suite 385 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • 925-949-5100

According to the Photizo Group, a research and consulting firm in the imaging industry, the typical large corporation using Managed Print Services programs, on average, enjoys the following benefits:

• $1millioninprint-relatedcostssavedannually(30%oftotalhardcopycosts)

• 60%reductionincarbonemissions

• 10%ofITstafftimefreedfromprint-relatedsupportactivities

• Improvedemployeeproductivity

• Improvedprintinfrastructure

The Basic Principles of MPSAnMPSprogramvariesdependingupon thesizeof theenterprise,but thebasic

principlesremainthesame.Theyare:

• Workflowoptimization

• Fleetoptimization

• Fleetstandardization

• Ongoingfleetmanagement

• Pay-by-usage

An often overlooked,

yet significant,

expense for most

companies is the

cost of printing.

Managed Print Services (MPS) is

a powerful strategy

for reducing overall

print costs and

has been gaining

in popularity over

the past few years.

Why? There are many reasons.

Take Control withManaged Print Services


• Reduced printing

• Improved employee productivity

• Improved print output

• Lower IT costs

The benefits of implementing MPS strategies include:

Workflow optimizationAtthebeginningofanMPSpartnership,orevenbeforeanagreementissigned,theMPSproviderperformsaworkflowstudy.Thisincludesanauditandevaluationofwhatprintersandcopiersexistinanorganization,aswellasanevaluationoftheorganization’sproductionneeds,whichsoftwareapplicationsareused,outputqualityrequirements(printtype,color,large-format,etc.),commondeadlines,andotherfactors.

Print-devicediscoveryandanalysissoftwareisusedtodeterminemachineinventory,printer-usevolumesandrelatedprintsoftware.Thecompletestudyproducesvaluable informationneededtocorrectlydeterminetheequipmentneedsofanorganization.

Thestudyoftenalsounearthsanydisparityinprocesseswithinacompany,creatinganopportunitytostandardizeworkflows.Moreover,withtherapidpaceof technologicalchange, it isnotuncommontofindthatnewandbetterapproachestotasksareavailable.Afreshlookatanorganization’sprint-relatedprocessescanresultin

significantsavings.Forinstance:

• ConvertinginvoicestoPDFandemailingthemvs.printingandmailing,aconversionwhichsavessignificantprint,labor,andpostageexpenses

• Utilizingbatch-plottingutilitiesratherthansingle-fileprintoperations,whichsavestime,improvesquality,andstandardizesprintoutput

• Electronically transmittingdocumentsandprintingcloser to thedestination, rather thanusingovernightshipping services. This saves the laborofpackaging, aswell as theovernight-shippingcosts. Inmany

cases,it’spossibletodeliverthesameday,reducingprojecttimeand,hence,projectcosts.

Fleet optimizationOnceaworkflowoptimizationstudyhasbeencompleted,anMPSproviderreviewsequipmentassignmentsforeachdepartment,location,oremployee.Equipmentisassignedanddeployedbasedondemonstratedneedandunnecessaryequipmentiseliminatedordeployedmoreappropriately.MPSprovidershavetheexpertisetoknowwhichpieceofequipmentisbestsuitedforeachenvironment,basedonequipmentcapabilities,durabilityratings,andexperienceworkingwiththemanyon-siteprintinstallations

thattheymanage,service,orinstall.

Fleet standardizationBystandardizingonasingleequipmentprovider,companiesminimize theneedtoorderdozensofdifferentinks,toners,andmaintenanceparts.FirmwareandprintdriverupdatesbecameeasierwhentheITstaffhastodealwithasmallernumberofvariations,andtheywereabletousesoftwaredeploymenttoolstokeepalldevicescurrentatalltimes.

Thebenefits of equipment standardization are often seenonly indirectly but they are powerful. For smallerfirms,thesimpleeffectofminimizingITtimebystandardizingonaprintermodelmaytranslateintohundredsorthousandsofdollarsinreducedITconsultingcosts.Moretimeandmoneycanthenbespentonrevenue-

generatingprojects.

Standardizedequipmentreducestrainingrequirementsandconsumableinventory,aswellasthemaintenanceand warranty challenges associated with printing. It also improves employee productivity by minimizing

frustrationandlosttimeduetounfamiliaritywithcertainequipmentlines.


The Basic Principles of MPS (continued)

Ongoing fleet managementMPSprovidersusesophisticatedsoftwaretoensurethatfleetsremainoptimizedasbusinessneedschange.Whenstrategicoroperationalchangesoccurwithinanorganization,itisimportanttorecognizethattheprintingneedsofalocationordepartmentmaychangealso.

Because companies typically view printers as asset purchases, very little thought is given to how printrequirements might change should a department orcompany offer new or different services. Often, anorganizationwillmakedowithexistingequipment,oraddanotherdevice.Inthiswaycompaniesgraduallybecomewastefulwiththeirprinterusage.Forthevastmajorityoffirms, this organic process is outside standard budgetanalysisandthereforeoftengoesundetected.

With an MPS program, however, equipment is movedarounddepartmentsandlocationsasneeded,orreplacedaspartoftheserviceagreementwiththeprovider.The

bestMPSagreementsoffercustomersflexibility,notcommitment.

Fortunately, the printer and print-tracking software used during thismaintenance phase is generally pricedinascalablemannerandcanbeusedevenbyfirmswith justa fewpeople.Regular reviewsof the reportsgeneratedbythissoftwareallowfortheprinterfleettobeadaptedappropriately.Simplytrackingandreportinganorganization’sprintinginstigatescost-savingeffortsandcanresultinupto15-20%incostreductions.Forcompanieswithclients reimbursing them forprint costs, this can lead to significant savingsand frequentlyprofitabilityfortheprintroom.

Pay-By-Usage: It’s About Service, Not Machines

AkeydifferencebetweenanMPSprogramandtraditional equipment purchases is that withMPSprintingistreatedasaserviceandnotanequipmentsale.

An MPS program is structured so that asignificantpartofthecostisbasedonemployeeprint usage. These programs often include asmall base fee, plus a variable cost for each

printfromthedevices.Equipmentbecomesincidentaltotheserviceofprovidingtheprintandcanbereplacedwithbiggerorsmallerequipmentasrequired.

BystructuringanMPSagreementthisway,thecostsassociatedwithprintingscaleupanddownbasedonacompany’sprintactivity.Whenslowbusinesscyclesoccur,acompanypaysalowercostinsteadofthefixedcostassociatedwithbuyingprintersoutright.


Weleverageourmore350nationalservicecentersandglobalpartnerstoprint

andmanagedocumentsjustaboutanywhereintheworld.TheresultisthatARC

canmanagetheentiredocumentworkflowforourclients,regardlessoforiginor

printrunlength.ThebenefittoARCclientsiscontrol.

ARCseesallopportunitiesavailabletotheircustomersforcostreductionand

greater efficiency. This is rarely done by placing more machines, therefore

ARCMPSisagnostictowardmanufacturersandhasanunbiasedapproachto

equipmentplacements.

ARC MPS Consulting MethodologyARCidentifiestheclient’schallengeswiththefollowingprocesses:

Ten Good Questions Asked. The goal is to identify where processes break

down,shinealightonhiddencosts,determinethecurrentprovidersforallrelatedprintservices,assessthe

bottlenecksinthecurrentworkflow,learnaboutthecurrentinvoicingprocessandhowitishandledinternallyat

thecustomerlocation(s),aimtoestablishacurrentspend,andlistentotheclientoutlinetheneedforamanaged

solution.A30-daynetworkauditandon-sitephysicalauditbyourlocaldivisionsfollowsthisengagement.

Solution Presented. Inthisstep,ARCconfiguresacustomsolutionfortheclient.Anaccountexecutiveandan

integrationmanagerworktogethertoreviewthequalitativeandquantitativedatacollectedduringsitevisitsand

onthenetwork.Theyreviewexistingequipmentcapabilities,locations,utilization,age,andcost.Theyalsolook

attheclientfeedbackfrompriormeetingsandon-sitevisitsandfactorthatintotheanalysis.Whentheyhave

gatheredallthedata,theydesignthenewfleet.Thenewfleetmayconsistofamixofexistingandnewdevices,

butthegoalisalwaystooptimizetheenvironmenttobeashighlyfunctionalaspossible,whilereducingthe

numberofdevices,centralizingtheworkgroups,andenhancingthecapabilitiesoverthepreviousfleet.Theend

resultisacustomenvironmentbuiltfortheclient.

ARC offers comprehensive MPS on-site, off-site, and virtually — making it unique in the MPS field.

ARC MPS


Here is an example of a floor plan before and after optimization

• Color Printers •

Faxes • Copiers •

Large Format • Multi-Function

Before After

Audit Report Card Example

Accompanyingthenewfleetconfigurationisa“ReportCard”thatbenchmarkstheclient’sprintenvironmentanddemonstrateswhattheARCsolutioncanbringintermsofsavings,optimization,andprocessimprovement.

The “Report Card” may look something like this>


Thegoalofthesolutionpresentationstageistopresentthecustomsolution,highlightthebenefitsofARC,aswellastobenchmarkastartingpointfromwhichwecanevaluatethesuccessoftheprograminfutureQuarterlyBusinessReviewmeetingswiththeclient.

Once theagreementhasbeenauthorized, theARC integration teambecomes fully engaged.An ImplementationScheduleiscreatedwhichoutlinesalltasksrelatedtotherolloutoftheprogram.Thegoalisforfullvisibility,opencommunication,andtaskmanagement.

ARC MPS Consulting Methodology (continued)

ARC MPS Consulting Methodology (continued)

A fully implemented ARC MPS solution includes the following:

1. Fleet Ownership.Wepurchaseallexistingprintdevices,assumeallopenleases,andpurchaseallexistingconsumablesfromtheclient.

2. Fleet and Service Management.Weconstantlymonitorthenetworkofprintdevicesandprovidereal-timemetricsonutilization,servicerequirements,andtoner levels.Wetiethisdataintoourfleetmanagementsoftware that triggers alerts to the appropriate ARC division for timely responses to service calls andautomated tonerordering.Wealsocreate a customerportal that enables theclient toplaceorders forconsumables,requestservice,orderjobsfromtheshop,andstayabreastofnewsatARC.

3. Global Tracking.Allprintworkdoneintheclient’s location istrackedbyour internallydevelopedcost-recoverysolution,AbacusPCR.

4. Management/Optimization.Thefinal,andlongeststageinARC’sMPSprogramistheongoingmanagementofthecliententerprise.ThisiswhereARCisabletobringmorevalueandmoresolutionstofurtherimproveourclientenvironment.Wedothisthroughconstantcontact,opencommunication,andbyutilizingourlocalteamsandglobaltools.

Clientsexperiencethefollowingastherelationshipmovesforward:

•Optimization.Monthlyandquarterlywestudythemetricstogaugethestateof thefleet.Thegoal isalwaystohavetherightdeviceintherightplacefortheclient,andARCissensitivetotheever-changingrequirementsofaclientfacility.

•QuarterlyandAnnualBusinessReviews.Everythreemonths,wesitdownwiththeclientforabusinessreview.Thereare typically twoparts to thesemeetings— reviewand roadmap.Wemeasureusage,spend,andROIbasedontheinitialbenchmarks.Wereviewsuccessesandhighlightsofthepreviousquarterandalsolookbackatthepreviousroadmaptoensurewehitthetargetsexpected.

5. Global Invoicing. Client invoicing iscentralized inourbillingsystem.Thesystem ispopulatedwith thesamedatausedinAbacusPCR,sothatalloff-sitebillingdoneinourARCshopsusesthesameprojectand employee data available at the client site in AbacusPCR. This creates a consistent record of datathatwhenmeshedwiththeinformationcapturedinAbacusPCRallowsforasingle,consolidatedinvoicetobedeliveredtotheclientatthedesiredinterval(weekly,bi-weekly,ormonthly).Alldataisuniformandvalidatedfromalllocations,on-siteandoff.


ARC MPS Consulting Methodology

ARC MPS Is Unique

Asaservicescompany,wepositionMPSasanorganicextensionofourlonghistoryindocumentservices.ThedifferencewithMPSisthatwenowprovidedocumentservicesintheclient’senvironmentinadditiontoourown.

ARCMPSisaturnkeysolutionthatiscompletelyoutsourced,fullymanaged,andconstantlyoptimizedforeachclient.Tous,MPSmeansascalableandmonitoredprintinfrastructure,whichmanagesallprintexpensesandcomponentsinordertoprovideongoingcostreductions.

Unique to ARC MPS are these five key practices:

1. Vendor neutrality. Weselectequipmentlinesbasedoncapabilitiesand“bestfit”ratherthansupportinganyonelineorvendor.

2. True needs assessment. Welookatallfacetsofon-demandprintservicesandsuggestwaystoachievethegreatestefficiency.

3. On-site, off-site and virtual solutions. Wearenotanetworkofpartneredcompanies,butafull-servicebusiness-to-businessproviderofequipment,services,supplies,andoutsourcedprinting.

4. Comprehensive click. Our click price includes the equipment, toner, ink, and paper. It also includesinstallation,de-installation,monitoring,optimization,costtracking(AbacusPCR)andconsolidatedinvoicing.Totopitoff,therearenominimumsandnotermsperdevice—wecorrectfleetsizewhennecessary,notwhentheleaseortermisover.Clientscanscaleupwhentheyarebusy,orscaledownwhentheyareslow,allwithoutpenalty.

5. National pricing. Inmostcases,our ratesare thesameatourclient’s locationsandatanyARCshop,whichpromoteshealthyworkloadbalancing(sendthebigjobsouttoourshop,keepthesmalloneson-site).Further,standardizedpricingprovidesFARandCAScomplianceforfederalwork.

Our Relationship with the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industry

For more than 100 years, ARC has been providing document services to the Architecture, Engineering,

and Construction (AEC) industry, where documents and their proper, timely, and efficientmanagement are

exceptionallyimportant.Bycombiningourglobalfootprint,ourbuyingpowerasoneofthelargestconsumers

andresellersofprinthardwareandmedia,andsolutionsfromARCTechnology—whichbuildssoftwareand

utilitiesfordocumentmanagement,logistics,andcostrecovery—ARCisabletobuildcustomsolutionsfor

business-processimprovementforourclients.


About ARC

ARC is a full-servicedocument solutions company, fulfillingAEC, corporate, retail, andpersonal documentneeds.

WeareheadquarteredinCalifornia,withservicecentersin42statesintheU.S.,threeprovincesinCanada,12locationsinChina,andlocationsintheU.K.,HongKong,Australia,andIndia.

AlthoughARCisaninternationalcompany,weofferlocal,personalizedservice.Byleveragingoursizeandworkvolume,we’reabletoprovideourcustomerswiththehighestlevelsofqualityandserviceintheindustryandatthemostcompetitiverates.

Through a one-on-one approach, we tailor our services tomeet the needs of each client and guide themtowardsthesolutionthatprovidesfortheirparticularneeds.

Ourmissionistodeliverourcustomers’time-criticalinformationwhenevertheywantit,wherevertheywantit,inwhateverformtheywantit.

ARC service centers

ARC print partner locations

Documents

Take Control with Managed Print Services - ARC...Take Control with Managed Print Services • 1981 N. Broadway, Suite 385 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • 925-949-5100 According to the