Just like their larger counterparts, small and medium-sized businesses rely on technology to enable and drive business productivity. However, many SMBs are often challenged with smaller budgets and lack of IT resources, making it more difficult to control costs and streamline workflows. 

While we hear of many businesses making the move to a paperless office, approximately 75 percent of SMBs still rely heavily on paper to support their business activities. When you consider the cost of paper itself in addition to toner, equipment maintenance, and service calls, it can be difficult for SMBs to tackle these huge costs and handle the productivity drain.

This is where Managed Print Services (MPS) can be an extremely beneficial partner for SMBs. Here are a few ways that an MPS provider can offer SMBs tremendous value:

Identify Opportunities for Immediate Cost Savings

First of all, an MPS provider can conduct an assessment of your current printing environment and identify areas for immediate cost savings. The typical SMB can cut costs by as much as 30 percent from just these identified areas of opportunity alone. 

Design a Print Environment to Boost Productivity

By taking a careful inventory of your printing activities, an MPS provider can optimize your print environment by designing a layout that will boost productivity and streamline workflows. 

Transition to Digital Workplace

Many SMBs would like to move away from a heavy reliance on paper and instead utilize digital files that are secure and easily searchable and shareable. An MPS provider can help with this transition to ensure that it goes smoothly. An MPS provider can also evaluate your existing workflows and recommend more efficient solutions for converting paper-intensive workflows into digital processes. 

Control Costs and Minimize Downtime

Typically, one of the bigger burdens that SMBs must manage is controlling printing costs. Surprisingly, many SMBs don’t have a policy in place for the acquisition of printing hardware and supplies (download our free Office Print Policy guide here). However, with Managed Print Services, SMBs can benefit from supplies management and proactive service, which can help to minimize printer downtime and control costs. 

There is a huge opportunity for MPS to make a positive impact on small and medium-sized businesses by helping them to gain control of printing costs, optimize their printing environment, create secure, digital workflows, and minimize printer downtime. Contact a LCI Office Solutions representative today to learn more about MPS and how this valuable partnership can benefit your business.