Staples Business Advantage
Comprehensive Print Management Program

Most of the organizations express that freeing up IT staff is the biggest benefit of MPS, as they can focus on their core business instead of managing their printer fleet,” begins Marty Robertson, VP and General Manager of Staples Technology Solutions, Staples Business Advantage. Consequently, there is a demand to ensure service delivery not just for short-term improvement, but extend long-term value to IT organizations and address their entire printing concerns. “Once a new printer network is implemented, MPS providers need to work with the client to ensure that the future plans for their IT roadmap—platforms, services, and costs—align with the printer network plans,” explains Robertson. Focusing on these lines, Staples Business Advantage has developed a comprehensive print management program that monitors and maintains print devices—to allow customers to optimize efficiencies and costs without compromising service and capabilities. “We believe in delivering a consistent level of service for the entire lifecycle of the engagement, not just focusing on the early and final stages of a contract,” adds Robertson.

Many organizations have devices from various manufacturers on their print network, and since Staples is a multi-vendor partner, its on-site technicians have the knowledge and experience to overhaul printers of various models, providing enhanced flexibility to customers from start to finish. “We have a unique four-phase process—Assessment, Implementation, Management, and Optimization that provides end-to-end management of every print device in within an organization,” remarks Robertson. During assessment, Staples IT experts evaluate an organization’s print environment to identify the number of devices and print networks, as well as how often the devices are used. The company also calculates the costs of ownership associated with an organization’s print environment to determine the opportunities for savings and efficiencies. In the second phase—Implementation—the company recommends cost-saving updates to an organization’s existing print environment based on the evaluation.

We are always looking to optimize our MPS offerings

Staples subsequently provides clients brand-neutral solutions that efficiently support most models and devices, while offering fleet management software that monitors an organization’s print environment. In the Management phase, the company’s experts provide support and maintenance, and auto replenishment of supplies with fast and free nationwide delivery options. “Finally for Optimization, we work with customers’ IT roadmap and make knowledgeable recommendations that mesh with that organization’s plans,” states Robertson. Additionally, protecting our customers is always a priority and Staples is committed to providing solutions that offer secure printing capabilities to safeguard against potential risk to sensitive data.

Northwood University is just one example of a customer who has benefitted from Staples’ four-phase approach. With a diverse fleet of printers that were unreliable, draining IT staff’s time and resources, Northwood worked with Staples to implement its MPS offering to handle printer service calls, review printer fleet use, replace inefficient models, and automate the printer management processes. As a result, Northwood’s printer downtime reduced significantly and frontline IT staff were able to focus on value-added services.

“We are always looking to optimize our MPS offerings,” says Robertson. Acknowledging that printing needs and budgets don’t stay stagnant, Staples makes sure that their MPS plans meet current and future market needs. With this aim, the company is increasing the number of in-house IT specialists, closely tracking IT industry trends as well as customer behavior and feedback to refine its offerings and deliver increasing value.