Print management involves administering, monitoring, and maintaining printer hardware, software, and document services. Services offered include hardware, software, and document control. On-site, online, remote, and on-demand options are available. Benefits include reducing costs, increasing productivity, minimizing errors, and streamlining projects. On-site options offer dedicated support, while online services include software and document management. Remote services monitor networked printers, and on-demand services are more expensive but offer dedicated remote support.
In general, print management refers to the administration, monitoring, and maintenance of printer hardware, printer software, and document services. Print management services offered to businesses can include hardware, software and document control, or a combination of these. Companies that offer these services usually provide on-site, online, remote, and on-demand options for their clients. A print management service can benefit a business by reducing printer-related costs, increasing productivity, minimizing errors, and streamlining projects.
Onsite options offered by printer management companies typically include trained technicians who can provide dedicated support to a group of customers in a region. Customers usually call a service center to request support on hardware or software problems. The technician typically tries to resolve the issue with the customer over the phone first. If the problem is not easily fixed, the technician usually visits the site. Onsite service is generally available for hardware and software issues, but not for document management. While some benefits of onsite service might be attention to detail and customer-tailored customer support, the disadvantages are typically higher costs for service and longer wait times for an issue to be resolved.
Many companies also offer online print management services to their customers. Online services for printer software and document management are usually combined with onsite technical support for hardware issues. In the event of a problem with the software, an online support customer typically logs into a pre-existing account and initiates a request which is answered via live chat or email.
For document management, customers can usually log into their account, order the documents they want to print, upload the materials needed to produce the document, and then pay for the product. The product is then usually delivered to the company within a few working days. Online print management services are usually an attractive option for large companies that may have heavy workflow periods and can use the additional assistance to complete crucial projects. Often, it can be cheaper to outsource the print job instead of paying additional resources and staff to complete the job in-house.
Remote print management services usually involve printer hardware and software support for networked printers in large enterprises. The utility company typically installs monitoring software on the company’s computer network. The software usually checks for hardware errors or malfunctions while monitoring printer toner levels and client usage. Remote print management services vary depending on the software used and the level of control employed by the service company. If the level of control over a company’s printer resources is too high, customers may become frustrated and dissatisfied with the service.
Companies that have print-on-demand management services typically have special software installed on network printers. Using the software, they can request printer software support and document management services. On-demand support is often more expensive because it’s essentially a dedicated remote service. Usually large companies with greater printing needs use on-demand services. Companies with many critical projects that need to be completed in a short time can particularly benefit from an on-demand solution.
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