In all areas of life, we perform regular check-ups on things to ensure they are working well and have the ability to perform at their best. From sending our cars to the garage for their annual MOT’s to booking a check-up at the dentist – all these things are part of our everyday lives, and we usually do them without a second thought.
However, from time to time, certain aspects of our businesses could benefit from a health check – namely, the print environment. A way in which the health of your print environment can be maintained is with a print audit.
What is a print audit?
Simply put, a print audit is an opportunity for you to gain an accurate understanding of how effective your business’s printing strategy is. It’s a way of identifying areas that need your attention, opportunities for you to cut costs and ways you can improve overall efficiency.
What does a print audit include?
A basic print audit will cover device numbers, models and locations, usage, and costs. A more in-depth print audit will focus more on factors such as document workflow, paper wastage, energy efficiency, and the lifecycle of a document. A print audit from Control Print usually includes:
Analysis
We identify the current infrastructure, including a list of print hardware and software that is currently being used –
– How many devices are there in the business?
– Is there a device for each department?
– Does the entire business share one printer?
– Review workflows and processes to establish how effective they are.
– Can employees print whatever they want, whenever they want to?
– Are there any limits in place?
– Assess the impact on users – Are employees able to print quickly and efficiently without any hiccups?
– Could anything be put in place to make printing run smoother?
– Calculate outsourced print costs – How much is it costing your business to print per page?
– Is your equipment dated and therefore using harder to source and more expensive consumables and parts?
Mapping out your business’s objectives
This includes identifying what you want to achieve with your print environment – in an ideal world, what would it do for you?
– Do you want to reduce waste?
– Do you want to streamline your devices?
– Or maybe you want to save money?
Reporting our findings
We then compile our findings into a single document that summarises our analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. Within the recommendations section, we will outline a suggested managed print system that has been specifically tailored around your business, based on the results of the audit.
How can it help to transform the way businesses work?
After the print audit has been carried out, the findings can be used to implement a better-fitting, more efficient, and cost-effective solution.
Being able to create a new solution that is the perfect fit for your business enables you to save money, work smarter and reduce waste, having a transformational effect on the way you and your employees can operate.
Want to discuss one of our services in more detail? Contact us today to speak to one of our team and find out how we can help transform your print environment.