If you’re still getting phone calls, faxes, or emails from your vendor asking for a current meter reading, you’re probably starting to wonder, “Why am I still submitting meter readings? Shouldn’t meter collection be automated by now?”

Yes, it should, and from our perspective, it is taking longer than expected to automate the process of data collection for service contract billing. It looks like this is the year of implementation, though. With the onslaught of Managed Print Services being offered, most vendors now have some sort of third-party data collection agent they are eager to install on your network.

Here’s a scenario:

Let’s say you have 50 copier/MFD devices in your fleet and 4 different service providers. You decide to buy a few MFDs from one of your suppliers and they tell you that you don’t have to call in meter readings anymore.

Great! They say they will install free software on your network that will allow them to get the meter readings automatically. Not so great.

Here’s why:

The software they install on your network will probably allow them to see all the devices connected to your network and maybe even locally connected devices, including the copiers and printers they do not provide service for.

Now imagine your other three vendors also want to install software to collect meter readings for their devices automatically as well. You could potentially have four different software applications running on your network and each of your vendors will have access to information related to devices they are not providing service for.

The information about your fleet is extremely valuable - that’s why your vendors want access to it. Access to the information provides them with additional avenues of revenue from your organization. It is true that greater visibility into your fleet and volumes will allow your suppliers to tailor their solutions to meet your needs, but the one who controls the data gets to sit in the driver’s seat. We think you should be sitting in the driver’s seat - not your vendors.

Here’s a better scenario:

We recommend that you, independent of any hardware or service vendor, purchase or license a data collection agent and install it on a central server within your organization. The software tool will be yours no matter which vendor you do business with. Many data collection agents can be automatically programmed to deliver meter readings to the appropriate parties at the appropriate times. Then, with continual and direct access to information about your fleet, as you desire to make changes, you can provide specific information to vendors that you want to request quotations from.

If you have questions or would like to discuss this topic with us, please give us a call.

Hannah Recla
Analysis Services
Optimizon

Organizations often fail to make the most out of their printer/copier agreements because they lack the kind of complete and non-bias information needed to make a good decision. The adage “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” holds true; but many organizations rely on their printer vendors and copier suppliers to provide important usage and performance data about their printer and copier fleet. This approach can fall short, ultimately preventing you from making the best decisions regarding your machines and your lease agreements. Without an independent, non-bias evaluation of the environment it’s likely that you are spending more money than you need to.

Don’t wait until your contracts are about to expire. This can lead you make hasty, and costly, decisions. Don’t just renew your contract and hope for the best. You need to gather good data to make good decisions, and here are a few points to consider.

1. Compile and regularly update a complete asset list including:
   1. Make & Model
   2. Serial Number
   3. Location
   4. IP Address
   5. Volume
   6. Acquisition Dates
   7. Contract Information
   8. Suppliers
   9. Important dates (expirations, renewals, etc.)
   10. Costs
   11. Performance
   12. Utilization
2. Calculate your current per page cost for each device
   1. Hardware
   2. Maintenance and Support
   3. Consumables
3. Map your operational processes used to assess, acquire and manage devices.
   1. Discover and document current strategic goals for your device fleet.
   2. Understand how your organization uses different types of documents.
   3. Consider how your current fleet adds/supports/detracts from operational efficiencies.

Focusing attention on these areas can help you make the best decisions to maximize your printer and copier fleet. How can you save even more money and get more benefit? These areas are covered in more detail in our free white paper “Optimizing Your Printer/Copier Fleet - Five First Steps to a Document Strategy.” Build a cost-saving strategy and make the most of your fleet. Visit http://www.optimizon.com/resources/whitepaper01.asp

Companies often fail to make the most out of their printer/copier agreements simply because of a lack of attention to the environment. The fact is that most organizations have not effectively grappled with printing and copying. Many struggle to understand how many printers reside on their network, how many pages are printed each month, or the cost of each sheet of paper that passes through the fleet. And most organizations have loosely organized methodologies for acquiring and managing the devices; fleets are fragmented, segmented, and non-integrated in placement philosophy.

As a result, there are tremendous opportunities to save money without investing in any new equipment. Analysts calculate that that most firms can reduce expenditures by as much as 30% through a more thoughtful attention the environment. In addition, capital expenditures can be cut, consumable costs can come down.

But how do you take advantage of these savings if you don’t know they exist? Consider these three areas to focus your attention.

• Device Deployment - A sub-optimized device deployment causes utilization to be off and that can drive cost creep and over-spend. Be sure to understand how devices are deployed and used across your fleet.
  
• Lease/Contract Reassessment - Hidden fees and unmonitored device utilization can cost you more than you anticipated. Be sure to periodically reassess your contracts and continually monitor utilization levels to ensure you get the most from your agreements.
  
• Workflow Optimization - Controlling costs depends on controlling the workflow. It is important to understand the decisions and habits of end users, and to educate them regarding the costs associated with printers and copiers.

Focusing attention on these areas can help you save money with your printer and copier fleet. For a more detailed roadmap toward savings download our white paper “Optimizing Your Printer/Copier Fleet - Five First Steps to a Document Strategy.” It’s free of charge, and valuable resource to help you make the most of your fleet. Visit http://www.optimizon.com/resources/whitepaper01.asp

Thanks to a recent CBS News Investigation, if you weren’t already aware of the need to secure data that is stored on your copier device’s hard drive, you are now.

Here are 4 things that you need to do to protect yourself:

1. Find out whether or not your copier has software to delete or overwrite the data that is stored on the hard drive. Your sales representative should be able to tell you whether or not that option was purchased when your copier was acquired. If your copier has this software, implement internal processes to make sure it is being used.

2. Notify your service vendor(s) that no equipment containing a hard drive may be removed from your location without your permission.  Before equipment is taken offsite for any reason (including equipment that is headed to the “shop” for repairs to be returned later), make sure the data on the hard drive is erased, overwritten, or remove the hard drive.

3. If your equipment is under a lease agreement, you’ll need to return the device with a hard drive in place. If your equipment does not have software to erase or overwrite the hard drive, get pricing from your hardware vendor to have the software installed as well as pricing for a replacement hard drive. Depending on which option is more cost-effective, either install and run the software, or replace the hard drives before the equipment leaves your site.

4. If your equipment was purchased, ask your service provider to remove the hard drive and turn it over to you before the copier leaves your site. You can either physically destroy the hard drive or store it in a secure location.

Hannah Recla
Analysis Service
Optimizon

We are proud to announce that Optimizon has been invited to be part of the upcoming 2010 OASBO Summer Conference held July 28 – 30 at the Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon.

The Oregon Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) is a professional organization with the mission to support public education by providing resources, programs, activities and training for business officials.

Optimizon has been asked to conduct a workshop titled “Cost Containment Strategies for Document Production”. Sponsorship of our session will be provided by Darin Davidson, Business Manager at Forest Grove School District in Forest Grove, Oregon.

The workshop will cover the following important topics:

• defining “value” in document output systems
• six cost optimization points in a typical system
• five reasons why sub-optimization of the cost points occur
• four best practices for optimizing your value

We will conclude with a detailed look at the where the best practices must be applied within the contracting continuum (assessment – acquisition – management) and explore strategies for implementing these best practices.

“The focus of the conference will be ‘reasoning, resilience and responsibility,’ says Rod Davis, president of Optimizion. “OASBO has done a great job of bringing topics and presenters together for the benefit of school business officials, and we are pleased to be a part of the effort.”

For more information, and to register for the conference, please visit http://www.oasbo.com.

According to a national research firm, the average K12 school district produces 15 to 25 pages per student per day - including documents produced onsite and through commercial means. Anyone curious as to what these pages cost? Well, most analysts would agree the average-cost-per-page in an education environments is somewhere around $0.02 to $0.04 cents per page, depending whether it is produced on a copier or printer. The figure is based on total operating cost, which includes expense such as electricity, real estate space, acquisition cost, bank financing, supply consumables, service and paper.

Although a few cents doesn’t seem like much, copier and printer costs quickly add up. A district with a 10,000 student population will spend $540,000 (15 pages per student) to $900,000 (25 pages per student) annually, just to provide copying and printer services.

The good news is there are multitude steps administrators can take, simple or complex, to reduce document output. In fact, reducing total output by just one page-per-student-per-day equals an annual savings of $36,000 to $72,000 - a target that can be easily attained in most districts.

So look around your school district and determine what steps you can take to reduce excess copies and prints. Chances are very real you could save tens of thousands of dollars. We suggest you read Hannah Recla’s post titled 14 Ideas for Reducing Paper Usage in Copiers and Printers. It offers several, east to implement suggestions to will help your district reduce the number of pages-per-student-per-day to achieve real savings.

Here are 14 ideas for reducing paper usage in copiers, printers and faxes. When used together, these suggestions can have a significant impact on the number of documents an organization produces.

1. Design documents effectively
   
   Before you hit the “GO” button, ask the following questions to determine if the document you need to communicate needs to go back to the “drawing board”.
   
   - What is the purpose of the document?
   - Who is my intended audience?
   - Why do I need to communicate this information to that audience?
   - What action or behavior am I expecting from the recipient?
   
   
2. Communicate information electronically
   
   Can the information be e-mailed?
   
   Determine if the document you’re about to copy can be communicated electronically. Do you have the document in an electronic format already? If so, can you e-mail the document to the intended recipients? If the document is not already available in an electronic format, can you scan the document and then e-mail it to your intended recipients?
   
   Can the information be posted online?
   
   Some teachers are beginning to post and receive homework assignments online. Also, school administrators are beginning to post board packets, teacher handbooks, student handbooks, student curriculum and various district documents online.
   
   
3. Don’t print multiple pages you don’t need
   
   Determine whether or not the information you need to communicate can be copied or printed on both sides of the paper using the device’s “duplex” feature. If so, make two-sided copies or prints. If the device you’re printing to cannot duplex, print the odd pages first and then put the pages you printed in the paper feed tray and then print the even pages on the blank side of the paper.
   
   
4. Shrink documents to half their size and print/copy 2-up
   
   Determine whether or not it is feasible to shrink your original down to 50% size and put two copies on one sheet of paper or to print two pages per sheet. Use this along with the duplex feature. (Check to make sure there is a paper cutter nearby.)
   
   
5. Don’t make copies you don’t need right now
   
   Are you planning on printing extra copies for future use? If possible, print only what you know you’ll use in the short-term so that if plans change in the coming weeks (or if the document undergoes a revision) there are not wasted copies.
   
   
6. Don’t print documents to send as faxes
   
   Determine whether or not the intended recipient has an email address you can send the document to. Additionally, there is software available for sending and receiving faxes through email which won’t use any paper at all on your end.
   
   
7. Don’t use fax cover sheets
   
   Determine if you can use a small sticky-note designed to communicate the recipient’s information or add the recipient’s name to the first page of the document you need to fax.
   
   
8. Eliminate junk faxes
   
   Call the number listed on the bottom of the page that is provided for removing yourself from the company’s fax list.
   
   
9. Preview the document before printing it
   
   Do a “print preview” before printing each document. If possible, increase the margins or change the formatting so that the document takes fewer pages. If you are printing from a web page, print to PDF (if possible) first, and then eliminate any unneeded pages.
   
   
10. Eliminate unneeded space when printing emails
    
    If it is necessary to print an email, copy and paste the email to another document that you can edit to remove unnecessary space and all but the relevant portions of the thread.
    
    
11. Re-use “half-used” paper
    
    Create a place to store “half-used” paper, i.e. paper that has a copy or print on one side, but not the other. Use this paper when printing rough drafts or internal memos.
    
    
12. Establish access codes for making copies or prints
    
    If not, ask your administrators if access controls can be set up. Access controls are an excellent means of holding everyone equally accountable for reducing waste.
    
    
13. Limited access to paper
    
    Another idea for potentially reducing paper usage is to control the amount of paper that each user has access to, perhaps on a monthly basis. Again, this could be an excellent means of holding everyone equally accountable for reducing waste.
    
    
14. Set a goal to reduce your paper use by 20%
    
    Many government agencies are setting a goal of reducing their paper usage by 20%. Track your own paper usage and see if you can reach this goal. Your great example will influence those around you!

Have you seen, heard about, or implemented other paper reduction suggestions or strategies? Please leave a comment and let me know about them!

Hannah Recla
Analysis Services

Best value for document output systems is a great goal, but most administrators don’t have a clear definition of what it is. Furthermore, most administrators don’t have the necessary contracting and management practices in place within a highly defined document output strategy to achieve best value.

This video explores nine contracting and management steps that administrators can use to achieve best value.

To get the white paper titled Optimizing Your Copier/Printer Fleet - First Five Steps To A Document Strategy, please visit our homepage at www.optimizon.com.

When you are ready to receive bids from suppliers or vendors for copiers/printers, there are a number of options.

Companies can put out a Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quotation (RFQ). Each has its place, depending on the organization’s level of expertise surrounding the copier/printer industry and their overall document output strategy.

The choice is also based on the level of understanding the organization has about its standards, needs, and desires. Let’s take a look at each one, and then I’ll give you our advice after being involved in over $100,000,000 in copier and printer acquisitions over the last 17 years.

The Request for Information (RFI)

A Request for Information (RFI) is used to collect information from suppliers related to their capabilities, and is usually used as an information gathering process to identify suppliers and build a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quotation (RFQ).

The Request for Proposal (RFP)

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is used to gather proposals on specific commodities or services. It invites creativity and innovation from the suppliers regarding their response, which may be used in the analysis to select the winning supplier. The risk is that the RFP may fail to capture consistant information from suppliers,hampering the decision making process.

The Request for Quotation (RFQ)

A Request for Quotation (RFQ) is used to gather proposals on specific products or services. It typically involves price per item, payment terms, quality level per item and contract length. The RFQ includes detailed specifications of the items/services to force suppliers to provide more accurate quotes that are directly comparable. One main component of the Request for Quotation is that the specifications can be used as legal binding documentation for the suppliers.

What should you use to acquire copiers and printers?

Experience suggests that the more specific you can be in the initial bidding process, the more likely the supplier will provide their best offer first, reducing the need for re-bidding and nearly eliminate the need for end-of-procurement negotiation. This points directly to the use of an RFQ.

Five tips for creating a Request for Quotation for Copiers/Printers.

1. Do a complete objective assessment every time. Without complete, objective information, you won’t know your true needs and won’t be able to be specific enough in writing your RFQ to fully take advantage of its benefits.
2. Set your strategic, operational, and device-level standards yourself. Knowing what your organization wants and needs from your document output system will allow you to set quality levels and expectations, which suppliers will respond to in your RFQ. If suppliers are asked to help set standards, 10 times out of 10 the standards will help that supplier win the bidding process in some way. Set these yourself!
3. Issue your RFQ in a format that forces comparable supplier responses. The more you are able to ask questions and get responses in a yes/no/no, but manner, the easier the analysis of the responses will be.
4. Make the winning supplier’s bid legally binding. BUYER BEWARE: Supplier contracts are structured to eliminate your ability to make their responses legally binding — they also include clauses to negate most of what you negotiated with them through the buying process. DON’T SIGN THEIR CONTRACT! Write your own, and make sure you tie their RFQ response into the final documentation!
5. Manage your copier/printer environment to the quality levels the supplier agreed to. A legally binding Request for Quote (RFQ) is the number one way to achieve control over your suppliers and your document output system. If you don’t pay attention, there’s a good chance that you won’t get what the supplier agreed to. Equipment and supplier performance will slip, costs will increase, and a whole host of other issues may arise that are easily avoidable if you are paying attention.

If you have any questions, or need any help implementing any of these tips or deciding which option you will use to get bids from copier or printer suppliers, feel free to give us a call. We’ve been helping companies all across the United States for 17 years achieve lower costs, better equipment and supplier performance, and reduce the risk of copying and printing contracts. We’ll be glad to help!

NOTE: The descriptions of Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), and Request for Quotation (RFQ) are based on descriptions found in Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com).

Today, Rod Davis, President and Founder of Optimizon presented a webinar about five well-known, but poorly-understood factors that block companies from achieving millions of dollars in savings on copying and printing.

This webinar explores management issues driving these factors, the real value you should expect from your copier/printer environment and secret strategies for reducing costs your vendors would rather you not know.

You’ll not only learn how to save a great deal of unnecessary costs, but you’ll be motivated and inspired to go make the necessary changes that Rod will share to immediately begin reducing your copying and printing costs.

Here’s the link to view the webinar: http://www.optimizon.com/resources/webinar5reasons.asp

If you know someone that would benefit from reducing their copying and printing costs, please forward this link on to them!