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Your organization has successfully completed the transition phase of your managed print services engagement. The devices are installed, up and running and you continue to inform and train end users on how to get the most out of your new print and document infrastructure and workflows.
How do you work with your provider to continue to ensure the success of your MPS engagement? What constitutes service delivery excellence during this phase?
At the end of 2015, IDC conducted a survey of large organizations in the U.S. and Western Europe that had carried out successful MPS initiatives. Respondents had been engaged with their MPS provider for a minimum of three years. We asked survey participants what were the most important factors that contributed to the success of their MPS contract during day-to-day management of the engagement.
The top success factor noted by respondents was that their provider consistently met SLAs (40% of respondents). Not unrelated is that vendors are responsive, providing timely problem resolution (32% of respondents). Conversely, problem resolution that took too long was the number one challenge cited by respondents (25%, figure 9.)
Security was important to respondents, with almost one-third noting that maintaining the security of information and documents was key to the success of the MPS engagement.
A number of other factors were rated almost equally important (figure 8), including, unsurprisingly, achieving the cost savings promised. Note that almost one-quarter of respondents noted the following workflow-related factors as being critical to success:
- Help transition paper-based workflows to electronic alternatives
- Employee collaborations solutions are provided
- Breadth of software solutions provided
- Assists with automating and optimizing document-intensive business processes
But how did respondents know that all of these factors were, in fact, contributing to success?
The answer to this question is all about accessibility to information. Your organization must have access to detailed, real-time information, including device and end user data and statistics related to cost, volume and other usage parameters, over time. The information portal must also provide information about service and security incidents, as well as performance against SLAs. Almost one-quarter of our survey respondents indicated that being kept informed on a regular basis was key to MPS success, and 21% noted the availability of detailed analytics to evaluate the state of print and document infrastructure.
In order to provide this information, your provider must have the technology infrastructure in place to track, measure, analyze, react and report. If your MPS deployment is multi-site, multi-national or global, the information must be collected from all locations and be accessible to all locations – and presented in a consistent manner to all locations, localized for language, currency, etc. In addition, your provider should leverage this infrastructure for proactive monitoring, heading off potential problems before they occur.
In addition to keeping you informed, your provider should use this information to look for patterns and trends that indicate additional opportunities for optimization of your print and document infrastructure and workflows. The work does not stop when systems are installed. Continuous improvement will ensure the ongoing success of your MPS initiative. It is important to note that this includes transitioning paper-based workflows to digital alternatives when appropriate. Almost one-quarter of our respondents cited inefficient, manual and/or paper-based processes as a primary challenge, and 16% indicated that their vendor did not provide appropriate analytics. One interesting factor, related to both technology and workflow is employee mobility – and 18% of respondents noted that a primary challenge was no enhancements to employee mobility.