The hidden cost of poor print practice

Within larger organisations, print can represent a significant spend - a spend which can be difficult to monitor across numerous divisions. Without a centralised means of control, decisions taken on suppliers and materials are often taken by those without print-buying knowledge. Additionally, printed output is typically produced at a departmental level on inefficient and expensive desktop devices, meaning costs can quickly escalate and quality can suffer. Guido Vanherberghen, President, Pitney Bowes Management Services International, looks at the advantages of a Managed Print Services approach.

Desktop printing, booklets, posters, presentations, sales materials, collateral - just about everyone in an organisation needs to print out materials. As a result, printing can be one of the most expensive and labour-intensive business functions. Most organisations will have print practices that can be improved in terms of productivity, cost-efficiency and brand policing. But for many, knowing where to look and how to improve is the difficult part.

Print Management solutions uncover inefficiencies and help find opportunities that can save organisations significant sums whilst also delivering the platform for improved productivity and compliance.

Pitney Bowes research* reveals that European public and private sector organisations waste €19.8 billion through inefficient print production every year. Yet, finding the hidden inefficiencies concealed in print operations requires expert help.

Many businesses are turning to managed print services partners to eliminate these inefficiencies and transform the print process.

Total Print Management

Our own Total Print Management services bring sophisticated workflow control methods to print and design operations. This holistic overview is essential if print productivity, quality and efficiency is to be maximised. Workflow management software provides an instant view of a company's print spend, helping to control budgets and efficiently schedule work.

Operating as an expert partner we are bringing the essential market and technology knowledge to help businesses discover savings that simply aren't visible - or achievable - from the inside. Whether delivered on-site or remotely, this expertise transforms print and design management from a function that is often complex and disparate into a process that is streamlined, cost-effective and focused on best-available quality.

In too many cases, print procurement decisions are based on historical relationships rather than a thorough assessment of available, affordable skills. Our experience and industry know-how opens the door to a far deeper talent pool of print and design agency contacts. We effectively operate as an expert print procurement department on behalf of our customers, exercising our buying power and production expertise to deliver the necessary combination of quality and cost-efficiency.

By channeling print through a central resource, Total Print Management is also safeguarding customers' brand integrity. If materials are printed on an ad-hoc, departmental level there can be no control over the quality of the resulting output. Perhaps the wrong paper stock might be used or colours may not be reproduced accurately because toner hasn't been replaced.

Producing this output through a central resource guarantees consistent quality and professionalism.

Onsite and Offsite Print Management

When choosing to outsource print management, businesses must choose whether this outsourced support will be located on-site or off-site. Businesses must find the right level of service provision to strike the necessary balance between daily printing needs, high print volumes and unexpected peaks.

In many organisations, existing reprographics service departments may be outdated or not being used to their full extent. These departments can become a cost sinkhole and a drain on company resources.

By creating a centralised print resource in-house, managed by document production experts, Pitney Bowes actively manages this central reprographics function. Through access to improved technology, more pro-active maintenance and effective supply management businesses are equipped to better control and monitor spend.

On-Site Document Solution Centres can breathe new life into in-house print and copy facilities. It is not necessarily a case of totally overhauling existing practices. Often, improvements can be made to legacy systems with little disruption to current operations.

In-house printing centres often have spikes in volume or the need for non-standard print jobs. Conversely, it is costly to fully staff print operations during low-volume periods.

Here, off-Site Document Solution Centres are enabling businesses to scale staff levels and technology appropriately. Offsite Print Services can handle peak volumes, specialist requirements and business continuity needs. These sites offer the flexibility to process additional work on an as-needed basis, reducing the likelihood of unnecessary spend. Our own Document Solution Centres offer specialist print services such as large format printing, colour management, digital print and personalisation - skills that many in-house operations simply don't possess.

Productive, professional print

At a time when budgets are being minutely scrutinised and competition is fiercer than ever, businesses face the dual challenge of producing communications that are both cost-effective and of the highest possible quality.

As technology develops and customers demand evermore sophisticated and personalised communications, so the print process takes on increasing complexity. Businesses across every sector are turning to expert partner suppliers to manage this complexity.

Pitney Bowes'outsourced Print Services are helping businesses go to market with key messages faster than their competitors. Our expert knowledge brings best-in-class technology, services and process improvements to provide print output to the high standard required for customer, prospect, shareholder and employee communications.

Our white paper - 'Counting the cost of Document Wastage in Europe' provides detailed insight into the true cost of inefficient print and document management. Please visit www.pbms.co.uk to claim your free copy.