With tax time approaching, many executives are putting their business through the wringer to find ways of cutting costs.
Good news is that there is at least one easy way to cut hidden costs- while boosting productivity and even your environmental credentials- sitting right under your coffee cup. That is, examining the broader costs – beyond the price of hardware, ink and toner – of your document and information flows.
Doesn’t sound compelling? Consider this: companies who streamline their document workflows can cut these costs by an average of around 25 per cent . In fact, in a recent study, leading executives concluded that such measures could add as much as five per cent to their bottom line .
How? While the specific solutions vary, the common thread is leveraging service providers’ leading-edge technology, specialist teams and deep knowledge of processes. At Ricoh we offer this as a scalable service delivering real and quantifiable business process improvements.
For example, in a project with one of Australia’s largest banking groups, Westpac, Ricoh Australia conducted a review of the group’s printer fleet service and supply agreements, infrastructure bottle necks, total cost of ownership and growth trajectory. We then developed a solution which included shifting operations onto a Ricoh Managed Document Services platform. This solution has – quarter-on-quarter -delivered exciting cost, productivity and environmental improvements. Among them is that the bank estimates it saves 5,000 reams of paper every year: a bottom-line boost of thousands, and around 16,000 kg ofCO2 (the equivalent of 221 trees ) saved each year for the planet.
There are options available that can be scaled for businesses as small as five employees and up to large enterprise-sized organisations. Solutions that can help unlock the potential of your organisation’s digital and paper-based information. There’s a lot more out there than just printing software; you can manage your fleet online, scan, store and convert documents, print a document from your hand held device; audit and track devices, automate file conversion and collaboration. As document management grows more complex, the right workflow solutions can help your business work better, faster and more efficiently.
More specifically, customisable solutions allow paper documents to be simply scanned and transformed into usable electronic files that can improve workflow. Security can be increased and waste significantly reduced by adding a print-on-demand solution that allows staff the flexibility to print at any networked printer by using a proxy card or user login, eliminating uncollected printouts. Your store room full of pre-printed stationary can be eliminated with form creation software.
Another idea is to introduce Remote Fleet Management technology which saves time and money by monitoring your network. As well as automated toner replenishment and meter reading, it delivers very detailed reporting including precise energy and CO2 outputs from Ricoh’s printing fleet. You get the idea. There are a growing number of solutions that can be integrated into your existing business systems.
Iain Heddle, Branch Manager – ACT
10/161 Gladstone St, Fyshwick
T: (02) 6123 1888 E: [email protected]
