Outsourcing The Purchasing Of Your Business Printing By Document Management Expert Steve Connelly

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Today, for most large organizations, printing occurs in several distinct environments, each with its own discrete management and reporting structure.

For example, desktop printing is typically under the auspices of the computer network group, while copiers and faxes have traditionally been the responsibility of administrative services or purchasing. Centralized reprographics may be a part of graphics services, and the marketing department most often contracts commercial printing with an array of outside print providers.

DISCONNECTED VIEW OF DOCUMENTS:

With all this disconnected document activity, most organizations do not have a clear or comprehensive view of their total document-related expense. Some print environments may routinely report print costs, while others are loosely monitored…if at all. Printing is regarded as a cost center or line item expense, rather than as a part of the entire document cost infrastructure.

This fragmented structure results in a fragmented attitude toward printing. Without a cohesive management approach, companies cannot be sure whether the printing habits of their users are in the best interest of the company as a whole.

For example, in many organizations little, if any, attention is paid to how, where and why users engage various printing resources. More cost-effective and efficient methods may indeed exist, but they are overlooked because of lack of information or due to force of habit.

FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCED PRINT MANAGEMENT:

A Gartner, Inc. study indicated that most companies could reduce overall printing expenditures by 12% to 29% by outsourcing the majority of their print management and desktop printing needs.

Info-Trends reports that the average company spends 6% of annual revenues on the hard cost of document production (assets, consumables, service and support).

According to a Granada Research report, strategic supplier agreements with an outsourced print provider, coupled with on-line catalogs and e-procurement services can reduce operating costs by 20% to 30%.

KEY FACTS ABOUT AN OUTSOURCING PRINTING STRATEGY!

Most Companies…

Do not have a clear understanding of the amount they spend on their total printing and document requirements.

Underestimate the logistical demands of managing print internally.

Understand the strategic significance of outsourcing all of their print management yet don´t implement it.

WHY OUTSOURCING YOUR PRINT MANAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR COMPANY.

Companies are now realizing they cannot be experts in every aspect of enterprise print management. As a result, they are rethinking how document management fits into their core competencies.

Effective outsourcing brings in an outside expert to become part of the business process and provides resources and expertise on an on-demand basis.

This eliminates the need to maintain a large fixed investment in staff, technology and process development, and creates a much more flexible document management environment.

MY PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATION:

Performance Group, Inc. offers an online print and document management and procurement program that allows clients – right from their desktop – to manage the print process from start to finish. Our online clients are increasing office productivity by streamlining their ordering process, improving efficiencies by managing current inventory levels of critical products, instantly viewing proofs of jobs in production and checking the status of their orders online.

Our clients also receive valuable inventory usage reports that allow them to make better buying decisions, helping to reduce print costs, eliminate costly rush orders, and virtually minimize costly forms obsolescence.

For many organizations, the time has come to regard document and print management as a strategic, rather than a tactical activity. The perception documents are not important to the corporate mission has given way to the understanding that documents are an indispensable aspect of any business operation and its ability to communicate effectively with their clients, vendors and employees. By stepping back and building a more holistic view of document and print management across their enterprises, organizations can cut costs and transform corporate documents from high-cost liabilities to high-value assets.

To determine if your company can benefit from implementing a print and document management program, contact us today for a no obligations consultation.

It could be the best decision you make for your company this year.

Steve Connelly, President

Performance Group, Inc.

800-913-9015

steve@formsguys.com

About the Author

Steve Connelly, President and spokesperson for Performance Group, Inc, has blended his expertise in print and document management for over two decades, implementing the development of innovative online print procurement solutions, guaranteed to provide measurable results.

To contact the author or to find out more about the content of this article, call 800-913-9015 or email me at: steve@formsguys.com.

To see more of Steve´s tips and articles for reducing print costs visit the Performance Group, Inc. web site at:

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Performance Group, Inc. serves clients throughout the United States and Canada