If your organization doesn’t have an internal Help Desk that manages aspects of your fleet, we highly recommend assigning one of your staff as the Key Operator for each copier/printer device you have in the fleet. The Key Operator performs the following tasks, which are critical to effectively managing your fleet:

1. Provides accurate current meter readings for billing. If you don’t provide your service company with a current meter reading when they ask for it, they’ll probably estimate one for you. Many times, these estimations lead to billing problems down the road.
2. Places service calls. If one person is assigned the task of placing service calls, you’ll be able to prevent miscommunications between your organization and your supplier.
3. Says “NO” to toner pirates. You may have already been approached by a toner pirate to ‘confirm an order for toner’, and then ended up with some very expensive bottles of toner you didn’t actually need. There are companies out there trying to sell copier and printer supplies any way they can, and their methods are very tricky! Calls like this can be forwarded to your Key Operator, who will know what supplies are included in your contracts and who supplies are generally purchased from.
4. Provides basic training to staff. Your Key Operator is the expert within the office when it comes to using the copier or printer equipment. As you add new staff, the Key Operator can instruct the staff on the operation of the device to ensure optimal performance.
5. Posts notices to users. Do you want print jobs over 20 pages to be run on a certain device? Notices near the equipment can be a good way to communicate this information to your staff, and your Key Operator is just the person to help you keep these communications up-to-date.
6. Assigns user codes. If you set limits for copy volumes for your staff, the Key Operator can assign user codes and enter the copying limits into the devices.
7. Nicknames the copier. Ok — this one is optional – but, if you like your copier and decide to make her part of the family, someone has to decide what she’ll be called…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 2:31 pm and is filed under Fleet Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.