Managing by the Numbers
Next, be prepared to demonstrate the importance of your shop to the organization. That means you need to be able to present documentation on how your pricing compares to your competition and project overall savings. If you buy printing for the organization, you should develop a database of the quotes for every job you buy; and you should also include an estimate of what you would charge if you printed the work. If you are buying printing because you lack the capacity to do the job, get quotes on the types of work you can do and compare the results to your own pricing. Here's a hint: If your vendor pricing is consistently lower than your pricing, you may have a problem.
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.
