This client has been a West X Business Solutions customer for over 10 years, partnering with us to benefit from our industry-leading printing technology. Over the last several years they have experienced rapid growth, expanding to over 25 locations –which caused many challenges for their print environment. Because printers and multi-function devices were located at branches throughout Canada and the US, managing devices was becoming costly and difficult for the IT department and increased downtime was causing office staff much frustration. Furthermore, printers were being purchased at the branch level without prior approval or alignment to the overall print strategy. As a result, executive leaders started to lose visibility of print-related costs, total print output, and trends in the environment. Without control and visibility, costs were escalating, and print management became challenging.
It became clear that this client needed more than just a supplier of printers and multi-function devices. They needed a print partner who could help them optimize their print environment. At this point, the relationship between West X Business Solutions and our client transformed from a vendor/customer relationship to a business partnership focused on continuous improvement.
Since this company was an existing client, we already had a good understanding of the Xerox printing solutions on lease and service plans. However, in order to take them to the next level in efficiency and savings, we needed to capture a clear baseline view of their current state, so we conducted an office productivity and print assessment. This helped the client understand exactly how much printing was happening throughout the organization, on which devices, and by whom and why. We also quantified the total annual print-related costs (both hard and soft costs) and assessed the number of printers and multifunction solutions that were deployed at each location to ensure they had the right mix of technology for their printing needs.
After establishing a baseline of the current state, we designed an account strategy that focused on short- and medium- term objectives. Through our assessment, we identified several ‘quick wins’ that could provide immediate ROI, such as implementing Managed Print Services on all non-Xerox printers and multi-function devices.
Next, we mapped out an ideal future state that could be implemented over the next 12-24 months. Through regularly scheduled account reviews and strategy sessions, we continue to make recommendations for further productivity increases.
Since partnering with West X Business Solutions, this large equipment dealer has reduced overall print-related costs by nearly 30%. With the implementation of Managed Print Services, downtime has been reduced significantly, and office workers and IT staff spend much less time managing print devices. Consolidated monthly billing has provided detailed reporting on print costs and usage, simplifying the allocation of print expenses to various cost centres.
Xerox ConnectKey has improved information security and boosted employee productivity by connecting multi-function devices to commonly used business applications. Furthermore, the unified user experience has simplified printing and scanning workflows and has also reduced support calls to the help desk.
Our client’s executive team acknowledges the importance of continuous improvement and appreciates the long-term partnership strategy that West X Business Solutions offers.
Through regular account reviews, our account team works closely with key stakeholders to identify and uncover new areas of opportunity. By providing new insights on emerging technologies, the leadership team at this equipment dealer is kept up to date on current trends in workplace productivity.