PRINT MANAGEMENT
In the third in a series of articles, Kyocera’s Doug Muir, director of managed document services, looks at the second phase of MDS provision: Optimisation.
M
any public organisations across the health, education and administrative sectors are turning to outsourced managed document services (MDS) to make vital reductions in baseline operating costs. De- ploying a managed document service offers an enormous opportunity to boost efficien- cy and productivity in addition to making those all-important savings, and it’s the re- sponsibility of your MDS provider to ensure that you capitalise on that opportunity.
In a previous article I looked at the key el- ements of a successful assessment phase, highlighting the importance of quantitative and qualitative audits, workflow analysis and key-user engagement. If this has been successfully accomplished, the stage is set for the deployment and optimisation of the new system.
The first stage of the optimisation process should be the agreement of the vendor’s proposed solution. This should include clear indications of the anticipated ongo- ing costs of the system, the print volumes that this is based upon, and the service level agreement that will support the net- work. The aim of moving to MDS is to cre- ate absolute transparency of costs, with no grey areas, and this is what your provider should be delivering at optimisation stage. The proposal will also include workflow enhancements such as FollowMe printing, which will enhance security and reduce paper waste, and print management and accounting tools such as PaperCut™, Eq- uitrac™, or vendors’ proprietary systems. Vendors should confirm the compatibility of their products with industry-standard applications such as Cerner and EMIS in the healthcare sector, for example, and highlight any particular quantifiable ben- efits that their products offer for your de- ployment. This could include environmen- tal benefits such as waste reduction and en- ergy efficiency, or ease of integration with bespoke workflows.
The physical roll-out of the new system needs to be a carefully managed pro- gramme, causing minimum disruption to the organisation. Communication is the key here. Users must be informed in ad- vance of any disruption to their working
66 | national health executive May/Jun 11
day, and critical systems will need to be scheduled for out-of-hours installation. This element of project management is an important part of the vendor’s service as it has a powerful effect on user acceptance of the changes to their working environment.
Another essential aspect of the system roll- out is user education. At Kyocera we have made a feature of product roadshows which give users the opportunity to test drive the hardware and become familiar with new document handling capabilities and func- tions. More formal training sessions are valuable for power users and those whose workflows will change significantly under the new system.
In addition to roadshows and training ses- sions, it can be useful to offer an informa- tion resource that’s available for users to ac- cess when they need it. This can be done via an intranet site containing FAQs and basic troubleshooting advice. It’s also important to survey users to assess the efficacy of the installation post-implementation, so that any problems are highlighted at an early stage before they become critical issues.
As is so often the case, strategies that ben- efit the environment also reduce costs. To get the maximum efficiency from your
MDS, your provider should set up a lean network to ensure that hardware is draw- ing minimum power from the grid. Devices should be configured to switch to sleep or energy-saving mode after the minimum period, and weekly timers can ensure that devices automatically power down during evenings and weekends. This can make a significant difference to energy consump- tion and the corresponding costs, but it is often overlooked.
Once the new system has been installed and initially optimised, your organisation can start to reap the benefits of reduced costs and greater productivity. The project doesn’t end there, however. The ongoing relationship between client and supplier is crucial for ultimate success.
In the next article Doug will look at the management phase of MDS, examining com- mon challenges that arise during the life of an MDS contract.
Doug Muir FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0845 710 3104 E:
BDteam@kyoceramita.co.uk W:
www.kyoceramita.co.uk
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