Have you ever encountered this or a similar situation?

Printer decides to stop spitting out that important document you are counting on. You eyeball it. You slap the sides or even dare a little kick. You ask the nearest living thing for help. Crickets. You eventually call IT. They are one their way, they tell you. Crickets. You eyeball the printer some more. IT lets you know they are stuck at another desk or floor. Crickets. “Oh dear,” you think, “I need to print this!”

On the way to that important meeting – empty-handed and annoyed – you possibly hear a colleague complain about the high cost of printer toner. Maybe the meeting includes finding solutions to curb the ballooning office budget. You might suggest getting a new printer…but you would not hear crickets but the cackling of leadership at the obvious joke you made.

This or similar scenarios are like a nightmare, but they do not have to be. How can that be?

It is called managed print service (MPS), and it transforms your printing experience into a heavenly dream.

What is MPS exactly? In short: The oversight and provision of business printing needs by an external service provider. Put another way, you hand over all printer issues, printer supplies, and (best of all) printing headaches to a third-party professional.

MPS is no pipe dream, and here are ten reasons you need MPS right now:

THE PRINTER IS NO LONGER YOUR PROBLEM

An MPS provider can lease or finance your printers, but for all practical purposes, they are accountable for making them run. We provide no-cost printers if you stock the devices with our printer cartridges. Regardless, the point is that it is a joy when no one at the office is responsible for any printer maintenance. The MPS provider will ensure the printer is tuned up and ready, and life is good.

REPAIRS ARE INCLUDED WITH THE SERVICE CONTRACT

Complimentary repairs are a given with any MPS provider worth their salt (or ink/toner). A good MPS partner should also have a technician on-premise that day if you encounter printer issues, be readily available for phone assistance, and periodically appear onsite to fine-tune printers. Do not expect any less.

YOUR IT WILL LOVE YOU

Remember the nightmare at the beginning? While you were eyeballing and kicking the printer, your IT person was not in the break room drinking White Claw’s and filming a Tik Tok. He or she was just busy with other issues.

The reality is that 23 percent of help desk calls are printer-related. Also, IT must prioritize, which means network security, phone systems, and computer connectivity will always be at the top of their list. An MPS provider takes the burden off IT, and they will be very happy about this. And if your business is too small for a dedicated IT person, your office or operations manager will be very happy since they are often tasked with dealing with tech issues first.

YOUR OFFICE BUDGET WILL LOVE YOU

Returning to the nightmare scenario (which is office reality, actually), we mentioned complaints about budget costs and buying a new printer. A sensible MPS has been proven to reduce business costs by 20-30 percent. How is that? Let’s look at the rest of the list.

NO MORE WORRYING ABOUT ORDERING PRINTER PRODUCTS

Office storerooms are sometimes saddled with toner or ink boxes, some useless as they were purchased for printers no longer in the office. It can be a mess. An MPS provider can deliver printer cartridges when you need them. Deliveries can include paper or other printer-related products. How do they know when to stock your printer? If you do not choose automated delivery, it is either by physically checking in occasionally or by our next category (and it is so cool!).

YOUR PRINTER IS ALWAYS MONITORED

With printer monitoring software, your MPS provider can supply product to your printer when and if you need it. Just as good, printer monitoring helps you understand who’s printing, the type of documents printed, and how much they are printing. For cost-visibility, this is crucial since we live in a world where printer expenses are just below that of rent, payroll, while two-thirds of offices do not track their printing expenses. Reports can be shared with you, which means you’ll always be on top of your printing budget.

YOU CAN IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY

With an MPS provider at your side armed with printer monitoring and automated delivery, you can count on less waste in your office. Some MPS providers even provide a recycling program.

YOUR BUSINESS MIGHT BE MORE SECURE

With a committed MPS provider overseeing your printing ecosystem, there is less waste and more eyes on document flow. That is important since 32 percent of print security incidents are caused by internal users (not a shock when considering the astounding fact that 95 percent of business information exists today in hard copy).

YOU WILL GET EXPERT ADVICE

Not all offices are created equal, and neither are printers. Therefore, you employ printers that meet the demands of your business. An MPS provider can consult with you to make sure you get the right printing device, whether you need a sturdy laser copier for accounting purposes or a sleek inkjet printer for graphic design (or both).

MPS IS THE FUTURE, RIGHT NOW

We have thrived by providing MPS to our clients for decades, but do not take our word for it. Studies show that the market for MPS worldwide was $25.5 billion six years ago. Statistics reveal that the managed print services vertical is growing steadily and expected to be a $58 billion industry worldwide by 2025. MPS is working and serving businesses across the world as we speak.

At the end of the day, it is still up to you to find the best possible MPS provider. Some only cater to large companies, while others require you to commit to long term contracts with a minimum printing threshold. Certain MPS providers focus solely on copiers while others might not offer a recycling program. The point is to find what are the needs and goals of your business printing, and match those to that of an MPS provider.

The rest will be dreamy.