Matching historical output data to the recommended monthly output of each device in the entire fleet is the key to optimizing copier/MFD fleet performance.

By Ray Chambers

Ever since a highly respected IT research and advisory think tank published a study several years ago in which it opined that 1 to 3 percent of an organization's revenue was spent on printing and printing-related costs, managers and administrators have been trying to figure out how to optimize their spend on document printing solutions. You've all seen the hype.

Your Fleet Management Program

What should your fleet management program contain? Here are our suggestions.

A list of every machine in the fleet and the average monthly volume for that device.
An all-inclusive cost per copy that covers the machine, all service, and all consumables (everything except paper and staples).
A requirement for vendors to match the volume for each machine to the historical volume on that device at that location.
A single pool that includes all copies made on all machines and is reconciled annually. The size of the pool should be a percentage of the total pool to provide a cushion for variations in demand. This means that once per year the vendor will total all of the copies made and calculate the overage. It also means that your organization won’t be penalized if some machines make less than their minimum as long as the pool total is met.
An overage rate to be charged for copies over the minimum (above). The overage should be in the neighborhood of one-half cent per copy.
List the functionality you want included on each machine. This might include the ability to make copies, scan, fax, duplex and connect to the network to name a few.
Service standards, including service call response rate.
A machine/service standard. I use a three-strikes model: if a machine experiences the same problem three or more times, the vendor is required to replace it with a like-for-like device at the vendor’s expense.
Require the vendor to provide loaners when a device is out of service for more that 24 hours.
Require the vendor to read meters and present an invoice in both electronic and paper format containing the information you want to see in the format you want.
Be sure to include a cancellation clause.

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Ray Chambers Author's page

Ray Chambers, CGCM, MBA, has invested over 30 years managing and directing printing plants, copy centers, mail centers and award-winning document management facilities in higher education and government.

Most recently, Chambers served as vice president and chief information officer at Juniata College. Chambers is currently a doctoral candidate studying Higher Education Administration at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). His research interests include outsourcing in higher education and its impact on support services in higher education and managing support services. He also consults (Chambers Management Group) with leaders in both the public and private sectors to help them understand and improve in-plant printing and document services operations.

Developing a Centralized Copier Management Program