Think outsourcing is something only large businesses do? According to business trend spotter, Exploding Topics, 37% of small businesses currently outsource at least one business process and 52% said they plan on outsourcing at least one business process in the near future.
Outsourcing can assist any business to gain additional skills that are needed on a part-time or temporary basis. It can also lighten the load for your staff by carving out tasks and allowing them to focus on business goals and growth.
Reducing the workload burden of your tech staff is a great use of outsourcing. In addition, you might also be able to cut costs in your IT budget.
Here’s five functions commonly covered by an internal IT team that might be ripe to outsource:
Is your business technology helping, or hindering the growth of your company? Outsourcing a review of your company’s business technology could help you identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Outsourcing a needs assessment will partner your company with a professional Managed Print Services provider who will create a diagram showing where your devices are currently located and how your staff uses them. This needs assessment will aid in creating a business technology roadmap that can be used to streamline processes and promote better printer fleet health.
RELATED ARTICLE: What is Print Management? 7 Answers to Top Questions
If you don’t have a MPS partner, the burden of deciding when to order toner will be on your IT staff. Typically the default setting on most printers will alert you when your toner cartridge is down to 10% to 20% of capacity. However, depending on your printer model, type of toner cartridge and how your staff uses the device – it could be days, or it could be months before the toner cartridge is completely empty.
A just-in-time toner replenishment service, administered by your MPS provider, will use a Data Collection Agent (DCA) to collect data from the usage meters of printing devices connected to your network. The DCA will send meter reports along with toner cartridge levels to the main database server, with information displaying on a dashboard. This system uses an algorithm that factors in both toner coverage and print volume on a particular device. When the device is estimated to be empty in approximately 20 days, it is added to a notification report indicating that it is time to ship the next toner cartridge.
Printer and copier troubleshooting is often a function of the IT department. While these individuals may have the technical skills to diagnose smaller problems, most IT professionals do not look forward to stopping their current projects in order to deal with printer-related issues.
Business technology troubleshooting is commonly more efficient (and less expensive) if outsourced to a MPS provider. Your IT team will thank you for freeing up their time to focus on projects that are a better use of their skills instead of having their time consumed by printer-related issues.
Sometimes an internal IT team needs some extra assistance planning or implementing a new project. A Managed IT Services provider can help fill in the gaps within your team. Whether it’s a network infrastructure refresh or a firewall update, outsourcing project work will save time for your tech staff and allow them to focus on what’s most important to your business.
Bringing all of your organization’s preferred communication channels together into a single, unified cloud-based system will provide convenience for your entire staff. In fact, your organization can enjoy the benefits of combining phone, video conferencing, chat, screen sharing and even file management. Doing so through a Managed Voice Services provider as a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) offering will simplify this process further as a Managed Voice Services provider will also manage and maintain your UCaaS system. One less thing for your IT team to worry about.
Contact Gordon Flesch Company for more information about how working with a MPS provider can benefit your organization or connect with Elevity, our Managed IT Services division to learn how their IT experts can provide you with a right-sized plan and strategy tailored to suit your needs.
If you’ve been feeling the pains of inefficient and unreliable printers, it’s time to consider Managed Print Services. Start exploring what’s involved in our Beginner’s Guide to Managed Print. Click the link below to download your free copy.
