Despite falling inflation and hopes that the Bank of England is sharpening the scissors for interest rate cuts, there’s still uncertainty in the air which is impacting businesses and their investment plans.
The result of this is that they’re trying to find new ways of doing things that make them more productive and help their bottom line, and we’re seeing firms across the economy do that with their print estates.
Printing is often seen as a necessary burden among many businesses, having to keep on top of device maintenance and ordering in fresh supplies when they’ve run out. But what many don’t know is that there’s a way to make printing an important ally when it comes boosting productivity and cutting costs.
This solution is known as managed print services (MPS).
What is MPS?
MPS, also referred to as print-as-a-service, is designed to help firms print on a pay-as-you-go contract basis, and demand is rising.
Market intelligence company IDC forecasts that 60% of print will be delivered as part of a service in the next three to five years*, as more firms recognise the benefits of procuring hardware, supplies and services in this way.
Firstly, they can switch costs from OpEx to CapEx and the nature of the subscription means they don’t have to shell out high, one-off costs on upgrading their print estates.
It also means businesses only need to pay for what they print. Entry level MPS packages start from £6.50 per month and they can be tailored and optimised based on exactly how much the business needs to print.
The subscription also covers any extra costs for engineers to take care of devices as it’s all handled by the printer manufacturer or the IT service provider as standard. This saves any unwanted, unplanned additional outlay. Plus, time is money, and keeping device downtime to a minimum can make significant improvements to productivity.
And there is also the sustainability benefit. With Brother MPS, for example, we ensure that 100% of ink and toner cartridges can be returned for recycling or remanufacturing at our Recycling Technology Centre in Ruabon, North Wales, meaning that zero waste goes to landfill.
A new way to print
Historically, most MPS contracts have only been viable for larger firms with high printing requirements. But new solutions are coming onto the market designed specifically for SMEs that don’t print as much as larger companies, but still want the benefits print-as-a-service delivers.
At Brother, we’ve recently launched a new MPS range with an innovative new solution tailored to small businesses, fit for firms that need to be agile to grow quickly.
Brother MPS Essential is designed to be the simplest and quickest way to get automatic top-ups for supplies like ink and toner. It’s also the cheapest – businesses will save up 40 per cent over the course of the contract, versus making one-off purchase each time they run out.
Print-as-a-service delivers peace of mind, too. For example, for customers with our maintenance support, we’re committed to responding to breakdowns within four hours over the phone, with 98% of issues solved there and then. If it isn’t, we’ll send a specialist to be on-site the next business day.
MPS Essential is also unique because it allows you to cancel the contract at any time. This gives businesses a new level of freedom should things change, or they’re ready to take on more comprehensive printing packages as they grow.
Many businesses don’t realise that they have the ability to unlock these benefits and create new efficiencies in their operations. But this is going to be the name of the game in 2024, as they navigate uncertainty around interest rates and inflation.
So, MPS will be a vital tool as firms seeks to beat back the cost of doing business.
To find out more about Brother MPS Essential, visit here.
ENDS
* IDC FutureScape Worldwide Solutions – Imaging, Printing & Document Solutions 2022 Predictions
