The key to any successful business is to make more than you spend, but for small to medium-sized business owners it can be difficult to find new ways to reduce expenses. One area that is often overlooked is document management, where significant savings can be realized—if you know where to look. Here are some tips to help you in your search:
1. Digitize your documents. Scanning your documents and storing them in the cloud has a number of significant benefits, which include:
- Cost savings on in-house storage
- Increase in usable square footage
- Increased productivity with less time spent searching for documents
- Enhanced security
- Ease of collaboration with clients and colleagues
- Savings on the purchase and storage of paper and other consumables
2. Change the way you print. Most businesses have no idea what they spend on printing each month, or how to figure that number out. In an unmonitored print environment a great deal of waste can occur, but with the implementation of a few simple print rules you can realize immediate savings:
- Black and white only printing
- No printing of emails
- Double-sided only printing
- Color print restricted to certain departments, such as marketing
- Outsource print management to a Managed Print Services (MPS) provider
3. Evaluate your print environment. Inefficient or outdated machines can cost you more than you realize in energy usage, consumables, repairs and maintenance. Consider upgrading your aging equipment to new, energy efficient multifunction printers (MFPs) that can scan, print, copy, and fax, saving you time and money. The strategic placement of these machines can ensure they won’t be under or over-utilized, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. Choose MFPs with integrated user authentication software which requires users to input a unique passcode or other identifier at the printer before their print jobs will be released, helping to save further as documents are no longer left behind in the output tray where they may be forgotten, stolen or copied.
4. Increase your mobility. Today’s mobile workforce is growing at a rapid pace, as more employers realize the benefits which include increased productivity and greater job satisfaction. Help your employees stay connected with document management solutions that include mobile print capabilities, sharing and routing, and more.
Contact us to learn more about how document management can help you to improve your bottom line. Download our free office print policy and get started on saving today!
