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What strategies has your company adopted to manage document workflows? Automation and tracking solutions are readily available, and companies who implement digital document management solutions can maximize productivity and reduce costs. If you’re still managing your documents the hard (and expensive) way, is it time to look for a better solution? Assessing the Situation A few pertinent questions can help jump-start a process brainstorming session. Try these: Do your current document management solutions have checks in place to track workflows and repetitive processes? Do you have the right equipment and software to digitize information and route it to document management solutions? How long does it take to access your documents? Can your documents be accessed from remote locations? Are you concerned about security vulnerabilities caused by your current document solutions? Moving Forward By taking a comprehensive approach to your organization’s document solutions, you can begin addressing your most frustrating inefficiencies. Here’s how to start replacing your current processes with a suite of integrated document solutions. 1. Document Management Solutions Your workflows drive your business, and electronic document management solutions can be a catalyst for change throughout your organization. Tools such as: Automated document routing Multiple checkpoints during crucial processes Alerts to remind employees of action items Permissions to protect confidential documents from unauthorized viewing 2. Data Security Keeping confidential documents private is a top priority for today’s companies. Print security and document management solutions with state-of-the-art security protocols are critical. 3. Cloud Solutions Why limit yourself to business conducted only within the four walls of your office? Cloud computing gives your employees 24/7 access to core documents and critical projects no matter where they’re working.

Not everyone who provides managed print services is up to the task. Finding out who can handle the job takes some research and a well-thought-out list of questions to ask a potential managed print provider. What You Should Ask Our ongoing partnership with Print Audit means we know what we’re talking about during a conversation about managed print services. Here’s what we suggest to find out if a potential managed print provider can add real value to your business throughout the lifetime of the partnership. The assessment period — The all-important managed print assessment is the first stage in any successful partnership. You’ll want a clear picture of your current situation, including your copiers and printer fleet, print-centric processes, and employee requirements. The transition period — Your business must continue to operate while adopting any new process. Ask how a potential MPS partner handles training, transition, and integration. Reduced costs — Any managed print provider should be able to provide solid evidence of reduced costs for their existing clients. Reduced paper and supply usage, lower energy costs, and improved print-related processes should all combine to significantly reduce your current print spend. Increased uptime — When your equipment is out of commission, your team can’t keep your projects moving forward. Ask about proactive monitoring and service call response times. Experience — Are their technicians certified and industry-trained? What about combined years of experience? Improved productivity — An effective managed print services engagement relieves your IT and administrative personnel from print-related duties. Print security — Print Audit makes security a top priority. If a potential service provider isn’t up to speed on the latest threats and solutions to mitigate risk, you should keep looking.

Your small business may not use up a lot of paper, but there are quite a few advantages to beginning as you mean to go on. In the case of digital document solutions, starting when you’re small is the key to a future of streamlined processes, lower costs, and an increased ability to compete in a digital economy. Let’s take a look at how paperless document management solutions can benefit your small business, both today and in the future. 1. Reduce costs. Paperless processes are decidedly less expensive than digital document solutions. To start a company in 1978, you’d need to invest heavily in typewriters, copiers, paper, file folders, filing cabinets, binders, bankers boxes, and plenty of room to store it all. Fortunately for you, it’s 2018, and your need for most of those paper-based essentials are almost nonexistent. By going paperless from the start with document management, your company can: Reduce your need for hard copy documentation File your documents in the cloud instead of in filing cabinets Create, store, and share documents digitally instead of on paper Eliminate your need for extensive paper storage solutions 2. Improve productivity. Paper-heavy processes have never been very efficient. Moving paper documents from desk to desk, department to department, and client to client is a slow process with multiple pain points and potential for errors. By eliminating paper with electronic document management, you can automate and speed up procedures throughout your entire organization. 3. Improve customer service. It doesn’t matter if you’re a startup in business for a year or an established corporation with locations across the country—customer service matters. In 2018, every customer knows that you should have tools in place to respond in a few moments. Long wait times, errors, and inefficient business processes will send your customers to your competitor in a hurry.

Traveling for work involves a lot of downtime and waiting around. From hours spent in airport lounges to lag time between meetings, a sense that you’d be more productive back in the office is fairly common, and it’s also an accurate assessment. The good news is that with a little planning and access to some first-rate office services, you can turn those travel hours into some of your most productive of the entire week. Do This Instead Do you often arrive back at your office to a backlog of work after a business trip? With office services from BASE Technologies, you can keep up with your responsibilities, no matter where the job takes you. Here’s what we have in mind: Go digital with Cloud Services. If your company is still relying on paper to get work done, it’s no wonder you feel stuck when you’re on the road. Even if you’ve planned ahead and arrive at your hotel with a briefcase full of files, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to bring a job to completion. By digitizing your documents and storing them in the cloud, you’ll have anytime/anywhere access to critical company documents. Even better, your staff will have the same access. Advanced security protocols and collaboration tools mean you’ll be able to stay on track no matter where you’re working. Choose the right hotel. Hotels that accommodate modern business offer free Wi-Fi, business centers with secure multifunction printers, and plenty of desk space. Do your research before booking a room so you can keep up with critical tasks while you’re traveling.

As a small business owner, you take advantage of every opportunity to promote growth while also lowering costs. Cloud and mobile technologies both fall into these categories. Here’s why you’ll want to take advantage of these trends. The Benefits of Mobility The growing rise of the mobile workforce is great news for start-ups and SMBs, and companies who implement strategies to promote mobility can expect to be well ahead of their competitors. Experts predict that the majority workers will be working away from the office by 2020. The benefits to small businesses are overwhelmingly positive: Improved productivity — Because there’s no need to be tied to the office, mobile employees can work from any location and are not limited by 9-5 office hours. Lower costs — Mobile workers keep their own hours, and their office is any location with an internet connection. With fewer staff members on site, SMBs can save on office space, furnishings, and supplies. Fewer absences — Research has shown that mobile workers are less likely to miss work due to illness or outside commitments. Talented employees — Mobility means your company can look outside of your geographic area for the best talent. Getting Started Your decision to implement a mobile strategy must be accompanied by office equipment and services designed to assist your remote workforce. A mobile print strategy gives remote workers access to printing. Look for a solution that includes robust print security strategies, out-of-the-box functionality, and remote scanning capabilities. Smart office equipment can help your SMB improve the productivity of your mobile and on-site workforce. A document management system gives your mobile workers secure access to your documents from any location.

Perhaps the most significant challenge facing businesses today is keeping up with constantly changing technology. From the popular BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend to cloud computing, new opportunities to address inefficiencies and improve collaboration are everywhere. For businesses struggling with implementation, information security, and concerns about compatibility managed print solutions like Print Audit can make a tremendous difference. Here’s what Print Audit users can expect: 1. Reduce your dependence on paper documents. Managed print can provide workable business solutions to improve the way you handle information. With solutions that route digital documents directly to workflows and individuals, your company can begin reducing your reliance on paper-based business processes. The advantages start with: Reduced printing costs. Improved collaboration. Faster document retrieval. Improved document security. Reduced requirement for paper-based storage solutions. 2. Get more from your multifunction system. Are you getting the full value from your multifunction system? Aside from its ability to copy, print, and fax documents, your multifunction system includes powerful digital workflow solutions that can transform the way you conduct business. Combined with Print Audit’s stellar managed print solution, you’ll be just a few steps away from a paperless office. 3. Secure your information. Compliance mandates and consumer concerns mean businesses must make document security a top priority. Address your print-related security issues with Print Audit’s managed print software. Here’s how: Print tracking informs management whenever a staff member prints a protected document. Pop-ups and alerts can help employees recognize confidential documents before printing. Automatic alerts informing management of changes in information security laws can help your organization avoid unintentional violations. Pull-printing solutions require users to be present at the device before a document can be released for printing.

Going green in the office isn’t just a trendy phase that will soon pass—going green is also a proven strategy for reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency. The benefits of sustainable office practices are easy to substantiate. Smart business leaders already understand that, rather than an annoying distraction, green office policies are an effective way to slash operating costs and boost revenues. Here’s what they’ve learned. 1. Going green saves money. Those designer recycled notebooks at the mall may cost more than the run-of-the-mill variety, but green practices at the office are in a completely different category. Here’s where going green can save your business some serious cash: ENERGY STAR copiers and printers use less power and come fully equipped to begin saving your company energy—and money. Built-in paper-saving features on your multifunction system, like automatic duplexing, can significantly lower your paper usage and your printing costs. Digital document solutions that bypass paper in favor of electronic workflows reduces your company’s dependency on costly, paper-heavy business processes. 2. Going green saves time. How much time do your employees spend searching for documents in paper-based filing systems? If they’re like the rest of the paper-dependent business world, you may be paying your staff for two hours out of every eight just to search for documents. Document solutions that replace paper-based processes can slash those hours to only a few minutes each day. 3. Going green saves your reputation. Losing information (including private customer data) is a sure way to lose customer confidence forever. By going paperless in the office with electronic document solutions, you’ll have the tools in place to secure your customers’ confidential information.

Technology and equipment suppliers are everywhere, and most claim to provide better solutions than the rest. How can you tell which one is the best for your company’s requirements? Check out our five tips for helping to narrow down the list. 1. Do they provide after-sale support? Your multifunction system purchase isn’t a good deal if the vendor can’t provide after-sale support. A big-box office supply store may be able to offer a low price, but they won’t have a team of industry-trained technicians available to service your device. 2. Can they provide references? Any company can say great things about themselves, but the real proof is in what others have to say about them. Ask for verifiable, local references and testimonials. If the company you’re considering is hesitant or unable to provide references, you’ll want to take your business elsewhere. 3. Who are their tech partners? Industry-leading technology manufacturers develop the best in document solutions, multifunction systems, laser printers, and scanners. By choosing a vendor with the backing of major manufacturers like Ricoh and Xerox , you’ll know you’re getting solutions you can depend upon. 4. What kind of document solutions and services do they provide? You need more than just copiers to keep your business processes running smoothly. Technology vendors who also provide managed services and document management have the unique ability to tie your equipment and your workflows together, bringing improved productivity and savings across your organization. Look for managed print services and advanced document solutions like workflow optimization and cloud services for a holistic approach to your business processes. 5. How will you benefit? An excellent technology equipment and services provider can outline the benefits you’ll receive from a partnership with them. Look for advantages like reduced operating expenses, improved business processes and workflows, enhanced document security, and more.

While it’s impossible to eliminate printing and the associated security vulnerabilities completely, there are steps the healthcare industry can take to mitigate their risks. Many of these begin with better management of the print environment and tighter controls on how much is being printed. A Proactive Approach By initially focusing on devices and print volume, your healthcare organization can begin solving print security problems, one issue at a time. Here’s where to begin and how managed office services can help make it a reality. 1. Understanding Your Print Environment Many healthcare facilities have lost track of their print devices, and no wonder. With copiers and printers scattered throughout the organization and perhaps many in storage or other holding patterns, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to identify every device. Fortunately, managed print experts have the expertise to track down and evaluate every device that is (or can be) connected to your network. 2. Understanding Your Risk Healthcare leaders may have no idea where their organization stands when it comes to print security. A comprehensive assessment of your vulnerabilities by a qualified office services provider is the best way to find out where your risks lie and what can be done to address them. It’s critical to understand that this assessment is not a one-and-done situation a thorough print security solution includes ongoing assessments as devices come and go throughout the facility. 3. Stemming the Tide With managed print experts at the helm, your healthcare facility can stem the tide of unmanaged devices that enter your workflows. By preventing ad hoc device proliferation, you’ll not only plug security leaks, but you’ll also decrease print volumes and spending throughout your entire print environment.

Choosing new office equipment can be a hassle, but not if you’re working with the right provider. Choosing an Office Equipment Provider If you’ve begun searching for new copiers and laser printers, you may already be overwhelmed and ready to pick the first item listed in the catalog. Fortunately, there’s no need to go it alone; the right equipment provider can make all the difference. Here’s what to ask: 1. Who Are They? Professional office equipment providers are happy to tell their company’s story. While it’s okay to give startups a chance, a company that’s been in business for a while knows the ropes a little better. They’ll also have an established reputation in the community, making it easier to verify the claims they make about their company. 2. Who Are Their Technology Partners? There’s a lot to be said for partnering with industry-leading technology manufacturers like Ricoh and Xerox. For one thing, you’ll be first in line to try out cutting-edge technologies, and their years of experience mean you’ll be getting office equipment that’s stood the test of time. 3. What About Their Service Commitments? Service to back up a sale is every bit as important as the office equipment you choose. Look for verifiable information on: Service response times – Downtime is no laughing matter. Choose an office equipment provider who takes service seriously by responding quickly to issues. First call completion –  Dealing with the same problem over and over again is frustrating and cuts into productivity. A service team that can handle issues the first time out – and who check back to make sure the problem was resolved – is the one who has your back. Preventative maintenance – A break-fix approach to your office equipment is much more costly than a proactive approach. With regularly scheduled maintenance, your devices will perform at their best and have longer useful lifetimes.