Why do small businesses, schools, and large corporations all turn to Managed Print Services (MPS)? Because with MPS, you outsource the management of your printing environment to a reputable third party provider like Orion , putting the day-to-day responsibilities that come along with your fleet in the hands of our trained professionals.
Through MPS, you’ll:
Eliminate service and supply headaches through automatic printer supply ordering and routine device servicing.
Experience lower costs and predictable monthly billing by removing unnecessary, redundant, inefficient, or obsolete devices and eliminating wasteful printing.
Increase document security through rules-based printing, firmware updates, and system monitoring.
Managed Print Services allows organizations of any size to achieve more with less.
If you have travelled anywhere in Australia by plane since 2010 you probably have visited a WHSmith store. Their first store opened in 2010 in Melbourne Airport and within a short period of time they have grown to over 50 stores operating in Australia and over 500 employees.
WH Smith is a leading global retailer with a presence in over 25 countries, serving its customers from over 1,300 stores across the globe. With such an extensive presence worldwide, WHSmith was proud to open their first store in Australia back in 2010. Their first store opened its doors in Melbourne Airport and within a short period of time, the business has grown substantially – and it continues to grow – with stores now open in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
Their goal is to be the leading retailer in convenience, books and news for the world’s travelling customer. They understand our customers and know that in the locations in which they operate people have less time to browse and their focus on instore design and excellent customer service reflects this. Early in 2012 the business acquired the brand Fresh+ – a hospital café business, serving fresh food and refreshments to visitors and patients.
As they have continued to grow the business, innovation has been at the heart of everything they do. Their aim is to move at the same pace as their customers, always ensuring they are at the forefront of everything they do
The Challenge
Challenge WH Smith had two major challenges when it came to their printing requirements – their multiple locations and where they were placed, along with a busy customer-facing environment where uptime was of prime importance. The challenge for every WHSmith was that the device was either in a regional, or difficult-to-get-to, location (such as a hospital or Airport).Epson’s Heat-Free print technology means less moving parts so more reliable printing and increased up time. The high-yield inks (up to 8 times longer than comparative lasers) gave staff less disruptions and more time to attend to their customers needs..
The Solution, The Benefits
With minimal interventions – both service and consumables replacement – as one of their buying criteria, along with price-performance, WH Smith was keen to understand the benefits Epson could bring to the table.
Epson excelled on both counts, the reliability of their Heat-Free technology not only improved staff morale but also customer service capability. The Epson high-yield ink consumables for both the A4 (up to 50,000 pages) and A3 (up to 100,000 pages) models not only provided WHSmith with the minimal disruptions they were looking for, it also enabled them to dramatically reduce their overall running costs. In fact Orion Print Management, Epson’s Premier Partner, quantified the total cost savings over the contract period to be just over 80% in power and running cost.
The Return-on-Investment
As much as WHSmith appreciated the cost savings of the Epson devices, the real return-on-investment here was the extra time staff could spend with their customers. And with Orion Print Management proactively and professionally managing their fleet, the WHSmith IT Management team could now focus their time on key IT projects.
Orion is Epson Australia’s Premier Partners. We improve organisational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management, accelerating shared business processes by facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight. The measure of their company is reflected in the testimony of their customers, and WHSmith is an excellent example of what positive impact they can bring to your business.
Scanning jobs can range from mundane and monotonous to precise exercises in patience. However, it is necessary in today’s business environment to digitise hardcopy documents to ensure their availability. The key to any good scan is knowing how to use your office scanners. No matter what type of scanner you use, whether it be a standalone device or part of a multifunction printer, here are three easy tips that can help you achieve a better scan.
Use The Feeder
Some jobs require a delicate touch, but others are all about pumping documents through the device. When the latter is the case, the automatic document feeder (ADF) cannot be overvalued. Feeders range in capacity, but they are designed for bulk scans. They will save your team massive amounts of time and improve the quality of your scans by enabling the machine to make adjustments as needed.
Get Hands On
Yes, you just read to let the office scanners do all the work, but those delicate jobs still exist. There are two kinds: documents that are in rough shape and materials that are inherently valuable or delicate. When dealing with the former, try to keep documents as flat as possible. Significant nicks or tears can be treated with tape. If you think you can get it durable enough for the ADF, feel free. Otherwise, just place it on the glass yourself.
For delicate or valuable items, scanning is a bit more of a process. Proper flatbed devices can usually handle these jobs just fine, but if there’s a particular concern, you can consider alternatives. Handheld scanners or even smartphone apps can provide a scanning experience that minimizes touching and moving sensitive materials to ensure their protection.
Keep it Clean
The oftentimes overlooked tip for all technology is simply keeping your scanner clean. As a general rule, the glass should be cleaned once a month. Products that are rated safe for computer monitors should be harmless to the scanner, including microfiber cloths and deionized cleaning solutions (don’t worry, they’ll be labeled). Make sure to always unplug the device before cleaning. Once done, try to wipe the glass with a dry cloth. If that isn’t enough, apply your solution again to clear any smudges. Allow the glass to dry thoroughly before resupplying power.
That’s it. If these tips feel simple, it’s because they are. Office equipment is designed for productivity, so use the tools as intended and take care of them to maximize your efforts. If you’d like to know more about scanners or any equipment, contact Orion today.
