How Managed Print is changing
Organisations typically own a range of laser printers, scanners and copiers used for their document processes. As a result, Managed Print suppliers are asked to come in and analyse the production fleet, and make suggestions to improve efficiencies and increase cost savings.
However, over the last five years, technology has massively influenced how documents are generated and has therefore posed several challenges to these more traditional methods of printing and, in turn, questioned the definition of what Managed Print actually is.
How do you like your coffee?
Personally, I like a Mocha. Although sometimes, an Espresso is just what I need. Having said that, give me a Spiced Pumpkin Latte with double whipped cream and I’ll drink it any day of the week.
How we want to see print output today is very much like our coffee habits. In the past, and for some people now, print is ‘straight to the point’, basic information laid out on a page; an Americano, if you will. With others, you need to drive a point across. Maybe it’s a rent statement you need to alert people to take action on (an Espresso) or maybe you need to send something more personal, like my Pumpkin Latte, which may include a more tailored message.
The bottom-line is that not everyone just wants the standard cup of coffee anymore. We all want and need different kinds of content which is personalised and relevant to us. The challenge of responding to the different variations of print is something companies will struggle to do through their old fleet of in-house printers. Organisations need to invest in new print technology or use the expertise of a document automation partner, who has the flexibility and capacity to provide the real-time variable data print needed.
Managing the print output
Your current fleet of hardware will also come under pressure when attempting to deliver same day output. Printing on demand in our hectic world of communication has become a necessity. By analysing your printer fleet, you’ll potentially optimise per page costs and route content to the most efficient hardware. But how do you respond instantly when you need to make a hundred different cups of coffee today? It’s the reason organisations are turning to print partners to accurately print and mail documents: opting for a trip to Costa coffee, rather than popping the office kettle on!
Do you need the hardware at all?
Managing the print in terms of personalisation, relevancy and speed of delivery requires expertise and equipment that is expensive and time consuming to maintain in-house. But with more ad hoc documents printed on a day-to-day basis, Enterprises are starting to find their infrastructure is actually costing them money: due to employees working remotely. It doesn’t matter how well printers are managed, if people are working from multiple locations, you end up paying for infrastructure where it is very rarely used.
The new Managed Print.
Managed Print is no longer just how your hardware is managed, it’s going deeper, exploring the document composition, automation and output.
When delivering print to customers, the status quo of a generic document was broken a long time ago. It’s no longer acceptable to send a standard letter, in a standard format to a customer and expect them to read and respond.
As consumers, we now want more than just our milk and two sugars.
