In recent years, the concept of working from home has gained significant popularity. With the rise of remote work, it’s crucial to create a productive home office space — an aesthetic and comfortable design that allows you to stay focused and motivated.

Whether you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, or remote employee, setting up an efficient workspace is vital for your productivity and overall well-being.

Remote work offers numerous benefits, including increased productivity, improved work-life balance, and reduced commuting time. In addition, it allows employees to tailor their work environment to their preferences, leading to higher job satisfaction. However, it also presents challenges such as potential feelings of isolation, difficulties in maintaining work-life boundaries, and the need for self-discipline.

To combat these negatives, we’ve devised numerous suggestions on the best ways to set up your productive home office space.

Designate a Dedicated Workspace

Even before the rise of remote work, we’re sure you’ve heard this philosophy before: it’s important to always separate your personal life from your professional one. Dedicate a specific area in your home that is solely dedicated to work-related activities. This will help you mentally transition into “work mode” and minimize distractions.

Individuals who work in a dedicated office space reported higher productivity levels compared to those who didn’t have a defined workspace.

Most important: make sure you do not have a bed in the room. The temptation to nap will be way too strong.

Prioritize Ergonomics

Ergonomics play a vital role in maintaining physical well-being and productivity during long work hours. For example, invest in an ergonomic chair that supports proper posture and reduces the risk of back pain.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), work-related musculoskeletal disorders account for a significant percentage of workplace injuries and illnesses.

Additionally, ensure your desk is at an appropriate height and invest in a keyboard and mouse that promote comfortable hand positioning. Of course, a standing desk couldn’t hurt either, allowing you to sit or stand whenever your body needs it.

Optimize Lighting

Proper lighting is essential for creating a productive home office environment. Natural light is ideal as it boosts mood, energy levels, and focus. Position your desk near a window to maximize the natural light intake. If natural light is limited, incorporate ambient and task lighting to reduce eye strain and create a well-lit workspace.

Workers exposed to daylight in their workspace reported significantly better sleep quality compared to those who were not.

Reduce Noise Distractions

Noise distractions can significantly impact your concentration and productivity. Choose a quiet area in your home for your office space to minimize disruptions. In addition, consider using noise-cancelling headphones or playing background noise that helps you concentrate, such as soft instrumental music or white noise.

A study published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America found that background noise can improve focus and enhance cognitive performance.

Maintain a Clutter-Free Environment

Cluttered and disorganized environments can lead to increased levels of stress and decreased performance. In other words, a cluttered workspace can lead to a cluttered mind.

Keep your home office clean and organized by decluttering regularly. Invest in storage solutions such as shelves, filing cabinets, or desk organizers to keep your essentials within reach but out of sight.

Establish a Routine

A study conducted by Harvard Business Review found that individuals with consistent daily routines reported higher levels of productivity and satisfaction with their work-life balance (92% of participants).

Working from home offers flexibility in the digital age, but it’s important to establish a consistent routine to maintain productivity. Set specific working hours and create a schedule that aligns with your most productive times. This will help you stay focused and motivated.

Establish Boundaries

As discussed in a previous suggestion, when working from home, setting clear boundaries between your personal and professional life is essential. For example, establish specific work hours and communicate them to your family members or roommates.

Consider using a room divider or a designated office area to physically separate your workspace from the rest of your living space. This separation helps create a mental distinction between work and relaxation zones.

Prioritize Connectivity and Technology

A stable internet connection and reliable technology are crucial for a productive home office. This is obviously the downside of working remotely at home: once the internet is out, your workday is severely compromised. Therefore, invest in high-speed internet to avoid disruptions during virtual meetings and file transfers.

Set up a backup system to safeguard your work in case of computer failures or data loss. Utilize project management and communication tools to stay organized and collaborate effectively with colleagues.

Incorporate Greenery

Plants not only enhance the aesthetics of your home office, but also offer various benefits. For example, research shows that having plants in the workspace can improve air quality, reduce stress levels, and increase productivity.

Consider adding low-maintenance plants like succulents or peace lilies that thrive indoors and require minimal care.

Enhance Technology Setup

A well-equipped home office requires reliable technology. Ensure your computer, printer, and other essential devices are up-to-date and in good working condition.

Backup important files regularly, invest in cybersecurity measures, and use cloud-based storage solutions for seamless access to your files from anywhere.

Printer Usage Tips for Home Office

Maintaining a home office requires an efficient and reliable printer. Research by Grand View Research suggests that the home office printer market is expected to reach $29.14 billion by 2025, emphasizing its importance.

To optimize your printer’s lifespan, select the right printer for your needs, whether inkjet for photos or laser for documents. Always use the manufacturer’s recommended ink or toner to prevent damage. Regular maintenance, such as cleaning the print heads and replacing worn parts, is crucial.

Additionally, consider a printer with duplexing capabilities for saving paper. Keeping your software up-to-date ensures compatibility and improved performance.

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The Future Office Is Paper-Light, Not Paperless

The term “paperless office” was coined by Micronet Inc. in 1978. At the time, it caught on pretty hard as the ideal for the office of the future. How often do you see paper in Star Trek or any other future-based, high-tech science fiction? Even 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) presented space travel in a completely paperless environment. The film’s props list included “a 2001 newspaper to be read on some kind of television screen.”

Yet paper use doubled between 1980 and 2000. In 2017, offices used more than 400 million metric tons of paper. In 2018 the United Nations predicted paper usage would rise by 50%.

And here we are in the year 2021, where printed book sales still outstrip digital book sales worldwide. The typical employee still uses around 10,000 sheets of paper per year at a pace of 34 pages per day. The average company increases its paper usage by 25% year-over-year.

How have we gone so long without realizing the “paperless office” dream?

The Failure To Eliminate Paper

Perhaps the most common reasons for paper usage and printing in the office have been for memos (or interoffice communications), records filing, and signatures.

Well, we all know what happened to memos and interoffice notes. The invention of email significantly reduced the need for physically written communications within the office setting, and chat software and text messaging all but ended written memos. But let’s be honest, it was also meant to minimize phone calls between employees and help dwindle unnecessary meetings. While it may have practically eliminated the former, it has had little to no effect on the latter. The same goes for reducing paper usage. Rather than avoid passing out a newsletter or interoffice message on paper, what happened? Every single employee printed out the email. So, the same amount of paper gets used. It’s just less time spent printing and handing out that paper on the part of the person sending the message.

Signatures, however, are a rare instance where paper-reduction was truly realized. At first, contracts had to be mailed back and forth. It was a lot of waiting and a few cents in postage. But it was the same stack of paper. Then people started faxing contracts. This practice tripled or quadrupled the amount of paper and ink used as each fax created a duplicate of the document on the other end. Faxed document sharing remained a staple until the scanner stepped in to allow contracts to be emailed. However, the physical signature still required at least one page of any agreement to be printed out and rescanned.

Then, finally, digital signatures took hold. Companies such as Sign Server, I-Safe PDF, and Docusign came out with secure options for contracts to be securely sent and virtually signed, complete with standardized cybersecurity measures. Today digital signatures have advanced enough to allow even banks, healthcare, and government entities to accept signatures using e-sign technology. While growth in this area was relatively slow and steady over the past decade, social distancing in 2020 created a significant increase in the use of digital signature platforms. And signs point to continued use as companies begin to head back to a semblance of regular business.

But, while esignatures may be taking a more permanent hold, digital record keeping is still something many companies hesitate to implement. This reluctance can be caused by several considerations, including the cost for conversion, methods of storage, and security of information.

Depending on the age and type of business, the number of past records to be scanned and stored can become a monumental task. Healthcare, finance, insurance, and law are just four industries where this issue could be incredibly daunting.

The method of storage and security is also a significant issue for these and other groups as documents containing sensitive personal and corporate information need to be thoroughly protected. Selecting between off-site, third-party, or company-owned and operated servers is a careful balance between digital security, capabilities, and cost. The result is that many businesses are satisfied keeping their paper record system or creating a hybrid environment rather than take on the investment and potential risks of going completely digital.

People Need Paper

But the costs and security of going digital are not what keeps the average office worker printing thousands of sheets per year. In reality, people have a significant attachment to the printed word and tactile engagement specifically. Studies have consistently shown that screens not only drain more mental resources but also impair focus and reduce reading comprehension.

Another issue with a truly paperless office is the inability to take hand-written notes. Whether in meetings or the margins of a printed document, research shows people who write things down by hand remember the information better than those who do not.

So, while note-taking apps, digital business cards, and project management tools may seem like monumental steps toward the “paperless office” of which we have been dreaming since the late ‘70s, the truth is strategic companies are far from bucking paper or printing.

Print Management Can Help

But not being “paperless” does not mean a business can’t be progressive or take an active role in managing their paper and print use. Innovative companies have an excellent opportunity to help reduce waste and their bottom line by partnering with print management services to become “paper-light.”

Using systems like PowerMPS, managed print services or MPS Software can provide printer data collection to properly track the use of paper, ink, toner, and other materials throughout the business – even at remote and home office locations. This information can help companies build better internal processes to address paper use and the needs of their employees. A strategic print management partner can often help companies reduce hardware costs, reduce output waste, and reduce energy consumption. The result is an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, “paper-light” ecosystem that allows both businesses and employees to thrive.

Remote printing has always posed issues for businesses with multiple locations and satellite offices. Whether it is enforcing company-wide print standards or managing information security, the print aspect of expanding companies has always been a point of contention. Then 2020 changed the entire office landscape.

Facing widespread closures, most corporations scrambled to temporarily convert their operations to a remote-worker tolerant atmosphere. Many businesses were forced to put the issue of print management on the back burner. The idea was that closures would be short and temporary, minimizing any potential security risks as the world dealt with a global pandemic. Once everyone was back in the office, things would go back to business as usual.

The New Normal For Remote Printing

But now, after a year of working from home, many office workers are reluctant to come back to a central office. And businesses are beginning to realize the potential benefits of a hybrid structure with more work-from-home flexibility. These benefits include fewer real estate worries, happier employees, and higher productivity rates. But the positive outcomes of a hybrid workforce won’t keep IT and Finance from thinking about the vulnerabilities and costs of all of those remote offices still needing access to print services.

Concerns Over Remote Printing

Everyone knows the IT department has an iron hold on your computer. Most are learning they also control or have access to anything you do on the mobile device you use for business. This is, of course, all in the name of security. Data breaches of big names such as Experian and Target highlight the problem hackers have become. But well-known companies are not the only ones vulnerable or even targeted. Approximately 41% of small businesses have said they were hit by a data breach that cost them $50,000 or more to recover.

What you may not know is that 11% of security incidents are print-related. Over half (59%) of businesses have reported at least one print-related breach in the past year. As print industry professionals are aware, printers have become far more than simple dot-matrix ink dispensers. Laser and ink printers nowadays have small hard drives that store the documents they print.

When employees “send” something to the printer, the complete document is forwarded to the machine. Those documents are typically stored for an extended period of time, providing a lengthy history of every item that has been printed and complete access to the information contained.

Security Concerns

But an unsecured hard drive connected to the company’s network provides more than potential access to printed items. It can also create a backdoor entry into the business mainframe, which criminals can leverage to bypass firewalls and gain access to sensitive company information. With these risks so prevalent, is it any wonder that IT departments balk at an exponential number of new home offices potentially using unsecured consumer printers?

But IT isn’t the only one complaining about an influx of home office printing. Finance is likely to begin asking questions about in-office print requirements and the increase in home-office printer purchases. But perhaps the most crucial item is printer supply management. There will be concerns about company printers being used even more extensively for personal use, leading to increased paper, ink, or toner supply costs. And what about the delivery of supplies? Shipping costs on office supplies can add up quickly in a hybrid work environment.

Options For Better Hybrid Printing

IT will be the first to offer up a VPN network option for managing remote printing security. Most companies are already using VPN to allow remote work in general. Adding printers into the already existing mix seems like a no-brainer. But VPN connections for printers are often clunky to set up, and Windows printing still requires several ports to be open within the firewall. Then there is the common issue of missing print drivers on individual devices. IT will have to look forward to managing ongoing printing problems from remote employees that require them to remote in for driver updates and other configurations. And a VPN hardly resolves any issues Finance may have regarding supply, delivery, and print monitoring.

Is An MPS Partner The Right Option?

Partnering with a managed print service provider is a far better option to control both the financial and security concerns around hybrid workforce printing. Printer services can provide secure printer models with software and services configured to the needs of the business – including the home office, remote offices, and work-from-home locations.

Print service providers using managed print services platforms like PowerMPS can make corporate print management even more straightforward. These powerful tools help business partners manage their print document output and supply usage with advanced analytics that help monitor supply levels, pages printed, and more. The system also allows printer supplies to be ordered and shipped on an as-needed or subscription basis leveraging the discounts and low freight pricing managed print service suppliers enjoy.

Managing The Hybrid Workforce Print Reality

So, as the hybrid workforce comes to fast fruition, hackers are sure to pivot further toward exploiting remote workforce printer vulnerabilities. But smart businesses will be prepared by implementing secure and affordable printing solutions for their business by partnering with reputable and innovative managed print service providers.

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While eCommerce sales have slowly been rising for more than a decade, online sales saw a significant boost in 2020. Consumers and even businesses spent 44% more online than they did in 2019. And, despite widespread office closures, office supplies such as ink, toner, storage, and mailing and shipping materials suffered much less than projected, but it’s not what you might think!

Overall, office supplies recorded $12.6 billion in sales last year, down only 0.3% from 2019. However, the drop was recorded mainly for in-person office supply retailers as regulations closed down stores, and buyers were encouraged to avoid unnecessary excursions outside the home. The result was an influx of eCommerce sales for office supplies to help support not only a few individuals still frequenting the principal place of business but the additional home offices now required for companies to continue operation.

But it wasn’t just home and remote offices boosting online sales. A nation pushed into pseudo-homeschooling produced an unprecedented increase in demand for art, coloring, craft, and, of course, ink and toner supplies. The need for workplace materials was so great it was often referred to as one of the “new essentials” alongside toiletries and lumber. Office supply eCommerce saw gains of up to 35% year-over-year.

But the revenues were by no means doled out equally, so ink and toner dealers who have not invested in an online strategy have been impacted greatly.

“The Big Box” Competition

When Walmart first entered the retail market in 1962, Sam Walton’s dream was to change retail. The following decades saw the “big box” giant overtake communities throughout the United States. Their dominating strategy? Win on price. Cutting costs on goods by even a few cents across the board pulled customers away from local grocers and Mom-and-Pop that lacked the negotiating power of the more significant retailer. Building on this initiative, the company set the stage for providing a wide range of products from pharmacy, home, toys, and tires to even grocery.

But, while Walmart was a pioneer in the brick-and-mortar space, Amazon is the force majeure of online sales. From the humble beginnings of a standard suburban garage to a worldwide name, Jeff Bezos has built Amazon into the eCommerce equivalent of a “big box” retail store, except he did it online.

The Amazon Of Today

In 2021, Amazon has ranked as number one on the top 10 retail eCommerce companies yet again. Over the past year, they have amassed over 40% of total eCommerce sales, sitting at a whopping $367.19 billion. Despite its continued efforts to disrupt Amazon’s lead, even the brick-and-mortar giant Walmart trails far behind in the number two slot with a mere 7.1% of the eCommerce pie.

Perhaps not too surprising, given the website’s initial purpose as a purveyor of books and other media, Amazon still receives most of its sales through books, music, and video. However, the company’s strategy has been to gradually introduce new categories to its marketplace as it sees the opportunity. In addition to holding over 80% of all US eCommerce in their primary category, Amazon also accounts for over 50% of the US’s computer and consumer electronics online market.

Other recent additions to Amazon’s usual disruption strategy include the “prime wardrobe,” which allows consumers to “try before you buy,” and Amazon Pharmacy. But these recent forays should not overshadow continued efforts by the corporation to expand its hold in other areas. This effort is most notable for toys and hobbies, of which they currently hold 46% of total US sales and office supplies (45.6%).

How Ink And Toner Dealers Can Win In eCommerce

Brick-and-mortar stores had to learn how to compete and survive against Walmart for survival. To do so, they had to understand that competing on price alone would put them out of business. Instead, they had to differentiate themselves and help their customers understand what made them a better choice than the “big box” retailer – and worth the price. Ink and toner dealers have been dealing with this impact for some time.

Today restaurants, grocery, clothing, and home goods stores find what they have that Walmart lacks and flaunt it to gain success. Many stores have found success by cultivating a political or religious ideology. Others focus on customer service, guarantees, or dedication to the environment. Where is the niche for Ink and toner dealers in this realm?

Walmart and Amazon Killing Price Play for Dealers

Amazon might dominate the eCommerce space, but there is still plenty of pie to go around. This is especially true for office supplies, where global demand is expected to rise by $38.6 billion over the next six years. Computer, copier, and printer supplies alone are projected to capture a market share of 29.9% in the US. The trick to grabbing a slice of that printer and ink space is the same as when retail was fighting brick-and-mortar behemoths – find a way to take advantage of their weaknesses.

For ink and toner dealers it has to be going outside of supplies alone and offering value-based services and combining it with business and e-commerce automation, resulting in deeper solutions for your customers.

Solutions Are Available

Using an all-in-one mps platform that combines eCommerce, managed print services tools, and business automation like those included in PowerMPS, can help you leverage those benefits when it matters most – while eCommerce is still beginning to take hold of the copier, printer, and ink office supply space. While Amazon works hard to expand categories and gouge prices, eCommerce solutions like PowerMPS that combine everything needed to offer deep value, helps print and ink specialists create customized interactive tools for current and future clients. With this system, customers can monitor their ink levels; receive tailored notifications; easily create and modify subscriptions; and request service, maintenance, or troubleshooting for printer and IT needs, and incorporate automation solutions that make it more effective.

The Office Supply Marketing Outlook

Market outlook for the US and global office supply market space has not only survived a pandemic; the market is set to grow significantly as companies continue to re-invent the central/remote/home office dynamic. But this new take on office functionality will likely only speed up the move toward greater eCommerce reliance. Astute ink, toner, and print companies aren’t looking to join the race to the bottom bid. Instead, they are making plans to take advantage of tools that will help them differentiate their business, provide more convenience, and allow them to grow beyond the walls of their physical location and spread their wings wide into the eCommerce space.

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How eCommerce Is Impacting Managed Print Services

Bob had a car delivered today. He ordered it online from one of those new car purchase websites to find the specific make, model, and features he desired. He raved about how he avoided dealing with salespeople and could check inventory from all over the country. But it makes you think, what can’t you order online?

Nowadays, you can have almost any item delivered from an eCommerce website right to your door in as little as a few hours with the click of a button. For food ordering services, you can have something delivered within 15-20 minutes. Consumers have become reliant on eCommerce for everything from furniture to groceries. And many intelligent businesses have taken advantage of this opportunity to streamline their company structure and expand their customer base through online sales.

But the journey to today’s eCommerce boom, where the likes of Amazon and eBay are household names, took over half a century and the hard work of several innovative computer and internet pioneers. At the point where the likes of Amazon, Walmart, and others are making it challenging for ink and toner suppliers to remain profitable, MPS e-commerce plays a significant role in how managed print services can thrive.

In The (e)Beginning Of E-commerce

Long before today’s speedy online communication technology, there was Electronic Data Interchange or EDI. While this system is not attributed to a specific inventor, Ed Guilbert is generally recognized as the “Father of EDI.” Expanding on systems he originally built while serving in the military, Guilbert made several contributions to making data transmission possible. The first EDI messages were transmitted in 1965 for the USA transportation industry for shipping manifests using telex messages (a system similar to the wired telephone only connected to printers). It took approximately 2 minutes to send a single page of information.

EDI Was Created

The creation of EDI allowed for communications between multiple companies’ computer systems and standardized electronic transactions between customers and vendors. Eventually, this technology would lead to File Transfer Protocol (FTP) development and other forms of computer-to-computer data transmission.

At the same time that EDI was being developed, the US government was worried about a Soviet attack on the nation’s telephone system. The Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) and MIT were tasked to develop a communications system that would operate even when the phones were down to address this concern.

Network Communications

The resulting network of “node-to-node” communication, dubbed ARPAnet, delivered its first message on October 29, 1969. By 1971 the original network of four computers had pulled in several other networks, including London’s University College, the Royal Radar Establishment in Norway, and the University of Hawaii’s ALOHAnet. But the more individual networks pulled into the system, the more difficult it became to integrate them into a cohesive whole.

This issue continued until the late 1970s when a computer scientist named Vinton Cerf found a way for individual computers to communicate using Transmission Control Protocol or TCP. He later expanded on his work by creating Internet Protocol, introducing what we now refer to as TCP/IP.

Getting To The Customer

While the foundations for interconnected computing were in the works, computers were already becoming a growing standard business. And insightful entrepreneurs such as Dr. John R. Goltz and Jeffrey Wilkins saw a big opportunity in 1969 when they founded CompuServ as a computer time-sharing service. Based in Columbus, Ohio, this revolutionary company would become the first to offer email, technical support for personal computers and, in 1980, the first online real-time chat services. CompuServ would compete with other big names such as AOL and Prodigy to provide access to the first forums and eCommerce websites.

Online Shopping A Huge Goal

Just as Wilkins and Goltz saw an opportunity in providing computer and network access, so English inventor Michael Aldrich saw the possibilities for a new, interactive medium in the form of online shopping. In 1979 he connected a television to a transaction-processing computer using a domestic telephone line. The system allowed a company to connect its networks with suppliers, distributors, and customers to process transactions electronically in real-time. In 1980, Aldrich expanded on his initial invention to create the Teleputer, a precursor to our current smart TVs, and the interactive broadband local loop cable television in 1981.

But it would take one more world-changing invention before eCommerce could fully reach the general public – the world wide web.

The Birth Of Modern Ecommerce

In 1991 Swiss computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee discovered a way to go beyond simply sending files from one location to another. Instead, he built a system that would place files, documents, and other data into a “web” of information that anyone could retrieve. At the same time, Berners-Lee initially invented the first web browser called “WorldWideWeb” but eventually renamed Nexus.

The invention of the world wide web made it possible to bring online stores and eCommerce to the public in a scalable way. As expected, this spawned a wealth of new businesses, including eCommerce giants such as eBay, founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, began selling books online from his garage that same year.

Online Sales Scale

By 2014 online sales in the USA were over 100 billion dollars. By 2018 they were over 500 billion. Then 2020 forced many physical retail businesses to find new ways to sell their goods or risk shutting down completely. To survive, ink and toner companies found fast, easy ways to move their businesses online using simple, all-in-one MPS solutions like PowerMPS.

Using easy-to-manage cloud-based platforms to deliver eCommerce solutions allowed companies to build an online store onto their new or existing website so they could continue safely and legally reaching current clientele. With features like real-time product shipment tracking and product and service request management, it also helped streamline backend operations to help save time and money, while providing much-needed management services to customers.

Beyond the ability to continue serving existing clients, truly robust eCommerce solutions also offer pricing rules and levels and email marketing options. These tools allowed even the most traditional companies to not only survive online but grow their customer and revenue base – quickly, securely, and successfully. By the end of 2020, eCommerce sales exceeded 861 billion dollars – over 21% of all retail sales

The Future Of MPS eCommerce

Online sales were gaining in popularity before the pandemic. But 2020 trained many consumers and businesses to rely on these types of services. Savvy companies like ink, toner, and print service businesses, while relieved to reopen their traditional sales and operations locations, recognize that eCommerce is already an integral part of how retail will continue to grow. Today it is estimated that eCommerce in the USA could account for over 1 trillion dollars within the next 1-3 years and more than half of all retail sales within the next decade. Implementing integrated eCommerce solutions like PowerMPS was a lifeline a year ago. Now it is fast becoming a safeguard for the future.

As we head into May, temperatures are starting to rise, signaling the transition from spring to summer. Just as our homes and offices need adjustments to adapt to the changing climate, our budgets and expenses require some fine-tuning as well. One area that often gets overlooked is office expenses. With a few smart strategies, you can significantly reduce the costs associated with running your business.

In this post, we’ll explore some of the best ways to lower office expenses, using everything from energy-efficient practices to strategic drywall repairs. Let’s dive in!

Energy Savings: Keep Your Cool

As the mercury rises, so does the need for air conditioning. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, cooling accounts for 15% of a commercial building’s total energy consumption. One simple way to reduce your energy bill is by investing in energy-efficient air conditioning units, programmable thermostats, and proper insulation.

Consider using drywall to improve insulation in your office space. By repairing or replacing damaged drywall, you can prevent energy loss and keep your office comfortable during the warmer months. Additionally, you can explore other energy-saving techniques like turning off lights and equipment when not in use or using natural daylight whenever possible.

Embrace Telecommuting

As more and more companies embrace remote work, the demand for physical office space has decreased. In fact, Global Workplace Analytics reports that the number of remote workers in the U.S. has grown by 173% since 2005. By allowing employees to work remotely, you can reduce the need for large office spaces, ultimately lowering your rent and utility expenses.

To facilitate this, invest in tools and software that enable seamless communication and collaboration. This includes video conferencing platforms, project management tools, and secure cloud storage solutions.

Implement Paperless Initiatives

The transition to a paperless office is not only good for the environment, but it can also save you money. According to The World Counts, approximately 50% of the waste generated by businesses is composed of paper.  By going paperless, you can significantly reduce your office supply expenses.

Begin by digitizing your existing documents and implementing digital solutions for document storage and sharing. Additionally, encourage employees to use digital note-taking apps and other productivity tools to reduce the need for physical paper.

Opt for Cost-Effective Furniture and Equipment

Office furniture and equipment can be quite expensive. However, you don’t need to break the bank to create a comfortable and functional workspace. Consider purchasing second-hand or refurbished furniture, which can be more affordable than brand-new options. You can also explore leasing or renting office equipment, such as copiers and printers, which allows you to spread the cost over time.

Another strategy is to repurpose and repair existing furniture and equipment. For instance, if your office walls have seen better days, a simple drywall repair can breathe new life into your space without the need for costly renovations.

Streamline Your Subscriptions and Services

Today’s businesses often rely on a variety of software subscriptions and services, from CRM systems to team collaboration tools. While these tools can improve productivity, they can also add up in terms of cost. Regularly review your software and service subscriptions to ensure that you are only paying for what you actually use.

Consider consolidating tools by opting for all-in-one solutions or negotiating with vendors for discounted rates. You can also take advantage of free alternatives to paid software, provided that they meet your business requirements.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, global governments implemented extreme lockdowns. As a result, businesses that weren’t considered “essential” were forced to find new ways to do business. And a large part of that was moving employees to remote workspaces wherever possible.

Both businesses and employees reaped the rewards from this maneuver. Perhaps the most important benefit was that companies were able to stay open despite mandates. As such, employees were able to ditch their daily commutes, spend more time with their families, and generally avoid exposure to COVID, flu, and other common illnesses found around schools and offices.

But now that COVID-19 is not a big concern, some employers are starting to change their tune about remote work. Unfortunately, hybrid and remote jobs have dominated listings for the past two years,. Employees have begun to accept that the new workplace norm includes allowing employees more flexibility over time and place of employment.

The contrast between what business leaders want and employee expectations are increasingly stark. For example, recent polls show around 50% of company leaders want their staff back in the office full-time. Yet over 52% of workers have plans to switch to hybrid or fully remote positions. Even more, telling is the number of employees that would actively choose to be in an office forty hours per week – 12%.

But, as the job market continues to favor the worker (at an average of 1.7 positions open for every person looking), employers may want to step back on their demands for in-person appearances at the office. Fortunately, the right printing programs can help any office be a more flexible workspace – providing better options to attract and retain employees, no matter the office format.

Why Aren’t More People Willing To Work On-Site?

The ratio of occupied space to the total available space is known as an occupancy rate. Compared to the pre-pandemic era, office occupancy in the top 10 metros is now over 50%. Yet, many US businesses, including Vanguard, Paycom, Amazon, Salesforce, and Google, are pushing employees to return to the office at least three days a week. Some have begun taking attendance and threatening to fire for those who don’t comply.

But most (75%) of US businesses are still using hybrid work models or are planning to move to that model soon. So despite the end of the government pandemic response and the proliferation of vaccines, experts don’t anticipate office occupancy to get much higher than it is right now.

But why are workers seeming more inclined to the hybrid office than a full return? COVID had a lot to do with that.

During lockdowns and in the years after, when hybrid and remote work continued to be the norm, many workers took the opportunity to move – seeking out locations that had more affordable living and better education or communities for their families. But even those that stuck closer to the office saw added benefits such as:

• More freedom to choose a working model that fits their needs to increase productivity.
• Better work-life balance as employees and their families feel they are home and more and more attuned to what is happening there.
• Spending less on childcare such as before and after school programs.
• Reducing or eliminating the daily commute lets employees spend less on fuel, vehicle maintenance, or public transportation fees. In many municipalities, it also saves a notable amount of time.

It is hardly surprising to discover that most employees don’t want to go back to the office. A Gallup survey in August of last year found that 34% of respondents chose to work remotely full-time, while 60% preferred a hybrid setup Only 6% of respondents indicated they would like to work in the office full-time.

Meeting the Needs of Business and Workers

Acknowledging this new trend toward remote and hybrid work, over half of US jobs that can be performed remotely were officially hybrid as of November 2022. And they are reaping the rewards.

Recent research has shown working from home boosts productivity by thirteen percent. This performance improvement came from more calls being made per minute due to a more comfortable and quiet working environment and by working longer shifts with fewer sick days and breaks.

But what does that mean for printing, something many businesses have struggled to modify to fit the remote workforce? First, printing is a crucial activity for workers, no matter where they are.

Businesses looking to provide real flexibility for their employees can look at leveraging the power of Managed Print Services (MPS) partners. These businesses can provide a wide range of options that fit fully remote, hybrid, and in-person offices.

Even workers with print-heavy jobs have found the flexibility MPS provides an easy way to maintain productivity no matter their office set-up. Mobile printing setuptivity, small-footprint printers, multi-address supply delivery, and service to any location make office printing easy for any office format.

Keep Workers Happy With Flexible Office Printing

Remote employment is here to stay. But, according to a recent survey of more than 1,100 US business executives, only a small fraction of CEOs consider moving workers to a physical office a priority in 2023.

Over ninety-five percent of job postings today are considered flexible, allowing the best candidates to work remotely, hybrid, or entirely on-site potentially. And employers see the option as necessary to tap into talent pools that would otherwise be out of reach.

Office printing partners are the best choice for business in this flexible office environment. These businesses have built options, technology, and service structures designed to fit a variety of office configurations and needs. In addition, most MPS partners include must-have features for any US company, including printer security, print tracking, ongoing remote print software updates, and robust reporting.

With most employees preferring more flexible work options, businesses need the technology and capabilities to accommodate remote, hybrid, and on-site workforces. Fortunately, thanks to managed print services, companies can provide their employees with adequate and reliable printing equipment and solutions.

Get on board with Power MPS

Let’s take the mystery or any confusion out of the meaning of managed print services, also known as “MPS”. The reality is that managed print services can extend to many boundaries, limited only by the solution provider’s ability to deliver a complete solution specific to managing and supporting the print environment of a company.

What Is Managed Print Services?

Managed print services is made up of providing a complete yet customized solution to solving the needs of a specific customer’s printer and copier fleet. This can be a comprehensive set of hardware, software, services, supplies, and consumables, with support and infrastructure management that enables better printer and copier utilization and lower costs. However, by simplifying what MPS is or what an MPS program looks like as a value offering and solution from YOU (the provider), life will be easier on your organization’s effort in rolling out and delivering an MPS program, as well as being able to communicate and educate the end-user on what exactly MPS means for them.

MPS Is Flexibility, Transparency, And Automation For The Printer Fleet

The most important aspect of MPS is the ability to monitor and manage the print environment with a print management software solution and data collection agent (printer dca). Delivering a managed print services solution requires at a minimum, an ALL-in-ONE software platform that will allow you to automate and streamline as much of your business processes as possible. Such as having the ability to track and report on devices and consumable data (i.e. page counts, print volumes & usage, track and monitor toner waste, track cartridge installation dates and cartridge utilization to prevent waste, track orders & shipments, etc.)

Keeping things simple, start small, and then GROW (depending on what your current offering and capabilities are today). First create YOUR own definition of what makes up YOUR MPS offering on a high level. For example, purposes, use the foundation of any MPS solution and know you must offer one or all of the following solutions, services, and/or toolsets to start:

• Data Collection Agent or printer dca Software (mandatory) – Print Device Monitoring
• Supply Fulfillment Program (Toner & Ink) – Automated supply fulfillment and order management processing
• Break-Fix Service & Maintenance – Printer service and repair program (JIT or SLA)
• Hardware Optimization – Print device sales, upgrades, etc.
• Toner Cartridge Recycling – Environmental sustainability program

Is the above an elementary breakdown of what encompasses Managed Print Services, of course it is. But that is my point. Keep it simple.

1. Define your purpose for offering MPS
2. Develop a Strategy to get there (start SMALL and then GROW)
3. Conduct a GAP analysis (including the type of solution you truly want to offer) and determine what capabilities you have today and what type of MPS solution you can currently offer (simple/basic or robust) and identify what the differences are.
4. Take an Inventory of your resources (that includes people, software, hardware, and capabilities), and determine what parts of an MPS Solution do you sell today and what skillsets do you currently have in-house to sell MPS.
5. Determine what else YOU need to close the GAP(s) and figure out how to get those things (utilize toolsets available on the marketplace that can streamline and automate processes, don’t try and re-invent the wheel, use relationships, partners, and other available resources, or acquire the things you need in order to reach the desired state of your MPS Solution Offering!
a. Determine the things you WANT to offer
b. Determine the things you CAN offer
c. Determine how to GET the things you CAN’T offer
The example of Providing the 5 service offerings as the core of what makes up an MPS program or MPS solution is key, (with the understanding that ALL of the above aspects of MPS do NOT have to be implemented at the same time in order to be considered an MPS program). Certainly, within each of the above service segments, there are a number of processes and procedures that take place which can and will turn the program from simple to robust, but that is the beauty of defining what your MPS offering consists of! Keep it simple. Start small and Grow. A most importantly, commit to learning and educating.

BASIC Components Of A Successful MPS Program

1- The MPS Educator/Director

First and foremost, there must be a committed MPS educator, director, or trainer at the dealer level, and there SHOULD be (in my opinion) a committed MPS educator, director, or trainer provided to the dealer at the distributor level. These point of contacts need to know all things MPS, including the vision, direction, toolsets, resources, with a goal of providing education top-to-bottom on the why and how managed print services is crucial and successful for all parties involved. Without these committed individuals, it’s going to be a challenge to garner MPS business from your clients.

2- The Printer DCA must be installed.

Without the deployment of the printer data collection agent (DCA) to monitor the end customers’ device fleet and print environment, there is zero visibility, transparency, or data to be able to offer the end customer with true MPS solution. Simply put, without an intelligent, flexible, brand-agnostic printer DCA, there is no start to offering an MPS program.

**NOTE – We will be outlining the detailed components for a successful MPS program in the coming weeks, so be sure to join our newsletter for details when it is live!

Detailing The Flexibility, Transparency, And Automation Of MPS

Flexibility in the general supply ordering and order fulfillment process:

• Providing automated toner and inkjet supplies fulfillment, which is only possible with the use of a printer DCA to monitor the device fleet and trigger consumable alerts and orders automatically at the right moment.

Flexibility in payment or billing options and structure:

• Providing the end-user with the ability for orders to be automated and purchased on a transactional basis. (The MPS DCA must be installed at the end-user location, an alert is triggered by MPS DCA, toner is shipped, end-user is charged or invoiced for the individual toner or ink consumable)

• Providing the end-user with the ability to be invoiced on a cost-per-page billing structure (DCA is monitoring print environment, page counters report is generated at the end of the billing cycle, end-user is invoiced for total pages printed during billing period x cost per page black & cost per page color) In addition to billing CPP, dealers also have the ability via the MPS DCA, to build in additional revenue-generating billing parameters, such as charging for scans, toner waste (utilization), page covered percentages, min/max page counts, additional flat fees, and more.

Transparency in what the print environment looks like:

• Dealer ability to monitor all print fleet-related data, including:

– device inventory
– page counts
– print volumes
– device make and models
– service and technical alerts
– cartridge utilization and consumable waste prevention
– fleet optimization and obsolescence avoidance
– actual page coverage
– consumables status and alerts
– preventative maintenance and downtime reporting
– consumable forecasting
– and more

• End-user visibility via a customer-facing data collection panel or dashboard to view

– the devices being monitored by the DCA
– fleet status
– page counters
– consumable alerts
– technical service events and alerts
– device uptime and downtime data
– TCO reporting
– and more

Automation for Print Fleet Management, Order Management

Including:

– Sales order & Purchase Order
– Supplies Fulfillment
– Technical Service & Support
– Device Analytics
– Billing
– Fleet Optimization
– and more

Providing transparent and flexible solutions to ordering consumables and automating the fulfillment process, along with monitoring the print fleet and environment so that both the end-user and dealer know EXACTLY what the print environment is costing (the end-user) and what opportunities reside within the environment to capture revenue (for the dealer), is the core value behind operating a true MPS solution. This is combined with the goal of securing and increasing the customer lifetime value (CLV).

The end-user and the dealer (MPS provider) all get value in the form of transparency and strategic control (with visibility and access to print devices being picked up by the DCA), long-term recurring revenue in the form of contractual agreements for providing the aforementioned MPS services defined, and closes the loop for keeping competitors out by offering more value-added services where the end customer does not need to go anywhere for services you can provide.

Today we take for granted that we can print any document we wish from pretty much any device we want at the click of a button – even while working remotely. We have to face it – in today’s society, it is impossible to be completely printer-less. Our shipping labels, boxes, driver’s licenses, credit cards, stamps, and money are all printed. Despite the initial excitement over ebook technology, print materials continue to outstrip sales of digital copies. In 2020, printed editions accounted for around 80% of total book sales.

The truth is that printing is an essential building block of modern society. It is supported by a rich history that has improved worldwide literacy rates, increased communications and recorded data, and paved the way to modern computer printers and copiers across the business corporate environment. All of these changes have increased the need for managed print services to enable companies to more efficiently manage all of these devices across their in-office and remote staff scenarios.

But how did ink and toner come to dominate the business and home device printing world that we know today?

Where it all began

The first invention that we can classify under a version of printing was over 5,000 years ago, in the era that saw the wheel invented. Around 3,500 BC in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia – the land now known as southern Iraq from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf, the people known as the Sumerians used cylinder seals to certify documents that had been written in clay. The seals were round beads carved in reverse, typically around 3-4 inches in length. A single person owned each seal. They were often worn around the person’s wrist or neck as a decoration when not in use.

While the invention of paper is credited to Ts’ai Lun, a Chinese eunuch court official in 105 AD, block printing on paper did not become prevalent until around the 7^th century. At this time, Buddhists used the method to create religious texts as ritual items. The oldest known printed book is The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist text created sometime around 868 AD. Woodblock, and later metal block, printing spread worldwide in the coming centuries, leading to a growth in Buddhism as well as “The Golden Age of Islam.”

“Modern” printing shakes up the game

In Hubei, China, around 1000 AD, a man named Bi Sheng did something unusual. He created individual letters out of clay and baked them into hard, reusable blocks that could be arranged onto an iron frame. Nearly three hundred years later, Wang Chen, a Chinese magistrate, built further on Bi Sheng’s concept by creating a durable wood version of these blocks, built on a revolving table to increase the speed and efficiency of the printing process. [https://www.history.com/topics...tions/printing-press]

The European version of movable type, the Gutenberg press, was invented in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg. Rather than wood blocks, Gutenberg created more reliable metal printing blocks for each individual letter. The letters were cast using a uniform outer mold that would allow each piece to precisely and uniformly fit together into level lines.

The result was a mechanical device that puts pressure on a customized, inked surface resting on paper or cloth to transfer the ink. The Gutenberg press cut printing times exponentially – reducing the printing time for a 1,300-page Bible from ten years to a single week. Gutenberg himself printed 180 Bibles in less than four years.

However, the inks of the time were water-based – designed for wood and clay, both of which soak up and store pigment in a similar manner to paper. The same inks did not sit well on metal plates, sliding off and creating drips that distorted printing. Gutenberg had to create an oil-based ink, more like a varnish or oil paint that would stay on the plates until pressed onto a flat surface to make his press work. Similar inks, all specially designed to work with specific types of metal components and modern technologies are still used in printers and ink cartridges today.

*Fun Facts: The cost of the initial Gutenberg Bible was equal to around $200,000 in today’s US Dollars.  49 of the 180 Bibles Gutenberg printed still exist today.

Changing The World Through Printing

Despite Gutenberg’s invention, eastern countries such as China, Japan, and Korea still used their original woodblock printing processes for several centuries. But the additional time it took to mass-produce texts with this method did not reduce its impact on the area’s culture and education. In 1600s Japan, the availability of texts contributed to a high literacy rate – with even farmers of the time boasting a 50-60% rate of literacy.

Before the invention of the Gutenberg Press, literacy rates in Europe hovered around 30%. In the four centuries following, the rate climbed to 62%. The increased production of written materials and education spreading from Europe and Asia concurrently created an unintentional intellectual movement across continents. Today the average world literacy rate sits around 84%.

The invention of the printing press did far more than improve literacy rates. It facilitated the sharing of ideas across cultures, which influenced politics, changed religions, and led to vast improvements in technology, education, and society.

Printing Becomes Commonplace

In addition to a movement in education and sharing of ideas, the invention of the printing press also created a larger demand for printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, and books. These items quickly became a popular part of modern society. But it wasn’t for another 300 years when, in 1837, Charles Babbage designed the first mechanical printer, that printing technology became an integrated part of the workforce. Only 31 years later Christopher Sholes would invent the typewriter and suddenly ink, printer, and copier management became a key part of managing any business.

For the next hundred years, the typewriter would see a series of upgrades from large, unwieldy machines to portable electric contraptions. In the late 1950s, these handy machines were coupled with the Xerox copier and, eventually, the Dot Matrix Printer to create documents and then reproduce them en masse for use in a multitude of office tasks. All of this led to a flurry of new printing innovations – aiming to be faster, more accurate, and more efficient. Today nearly every company has a printer, often more than one, and usually of varying sizes, styles, and brands.

Print Management Today And Tomorrow

The rise in office computer printing, copiers, and other print technologies, multi-printer offices has created a challenge for companies in managing their printing materials, machines, costs, and capabilities. The increase in remote workers, companies with satellite locations, and the “paperless” office have only added to these issues. It would not be until 2020, with the creation of PowerMPS, that businesses would have a solution to manage all of their print devices seamlessly. Just as printing and printed materials have become an essential part of our society, print management is quickly becoming a fundamental requirement for efficient office and workspace administration.

More about partnering with PowerMPS here

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic created chaos in the workspace, forcing companies to find new ways to operate outside the traditional workspace. For most of us, working from home was considered to be an impossibility. Few businesses had reason to consider a remote workforce as something worthy of research, investment, or consideration as a part of their future development.

Yet, as of December 2020, around 71% of employed adults performed at least a portion of their jobs from their homes. And, while some individuals have voiced a desire to get back to the office, approximately 54% of workers have said they would like to continue having work-from-home flexibility in the future. How did we realize such a startling turnaround?

The Rise Of The Remote Workforce

It all began when the world was introduced to SARS-COV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. Understanding this was an easily transmissible disease, and with limited knowledge of its potency and long-term effects, governments were quick to implement widespread shutdowns and regulations, including school closures.

Many businesses, faced with growing demand from parents, who now must stay home with their children, and rising health concerns from other employees, were forced to investigate and invest in the technology required to facilitate a remote workforce and keep their business operating.
Suddenly, software as a service (SaaS) and connected services companies such as remote monitoring software, cloud-based database options like Microsoft Azure, secure VPNs, video conference and meeting software like Zoom, project management platforms such as Slack and GroupMe, and managed print services software like PowerMPS are getting a boost of buy-in and market share.

Where Did Remote Work Technology Come From?

While most of us have believed working from home was a pipe-dream, the hardware, and software to facilitate a remote infrastructure have long been in development.

Building on growing speed and access to the internet, innovative technology companies have been working to find ways that reliably keep business travelers connected and find ways to support international and regional offices operating as a united organization. As a result, the past couple of decades have been a boom for customer management, communications, and cloud storage tools.

As businesses continue to expand beyond local, state, and even national borders, tools to consolidate and manage other standard operations have also grown in demand. Order automation software, managed services software, and performance metrics tracking are just a few of the mechanisms upon which companies have come to rely.

In addition to connecting satellite offices, these technologies had an unexpected benefit; they made it possible to begin allowing a small number of employees to work from home. In 2000, 1.9% of employees in the USA worked from home full-time. By 2017 there were roughly 6.5 million full-time at-home American workers while around 23% of the US population worked from home for at least a few hours per week. All of these statistics began to impact the MPS industry and will continue to into the future.

Then the Coronavirus arrived, and companies who had never even imagined a remote workforce quickly discovered what more adventurous and agile businesses had known for years. They found that secure work-from-home is an affordable and achievable alternative to the long-standing office format. In many cases, it has been shown to increase productivity by an average of 13%.

The Future Of Work-From-Home

With fears of the COVID-19 outbreak waning, governments have begun systematically removing shutdowns and restrictive regulations. Some earlier predictions in 2020 assumed things would return to “normal” post-pandemic, with most workers returning to an office setting. However, many companies have signed contracts and made significant financial commitments to keep their businesses running over the past year. And, while some big-name organizations are making moves to double down on offices as a “community meeting space,” a large number of institutions are seeing the advantages of reducing business-owned workspace costs, increased employee efficiency, and lower attrition.

As of the first quarter of 2021, as offices re-open and employees are allowed to slowly return, 26.7% of the workforce is working from home full-time. Even if things do gradually return to “normal” office space culture, roughly 22.9% of the workforce, or more than 36.2 million Americans, will be permanently remote by 2025. That is over an 87% increase in the number of remote workers prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. But it also shows that work-from-home is no longer a trend. Rather it is a valid option for businesses to use in their ongoing strategy, recruiting, and operational plans.

It is unlikely that large offices will completely disappear. After all, studies show face-to-face interactions are still an essential part of building successful, long-term relationships, and there are some industries and positions where the work can’t be performed at home. But it is estimated we can expect to see over a quarter of the USA workforce operating remotely within the next ten years.

Businesses that continue utilizing office spaces will have to reimagine their workforce to take advantage of a mixture of on-site and work-from-home employees. This hybrid workforce style will prioritize the use of integrated software solutions to facilitate efficiencies across the in-person and remote workforce. All-in-one cloud-based software, such as PowerMPS, will be a critical part of conducting business, impacting the printer and copier fleet management industry and across the entire corporate world as we enter into this new organizational landscape.

MPS providers have been thrown many curve balls over the last decade. Covid-19 was just the latest in a string of circumstances and technological transformations facing MPS. These difficulties have disrupted the managed print services industry and they likely won’t be the last. Business automation requirements for vendors have steadily increased, requiring that MPS providers keep up with digital transformation and technology innovations. Industry leaders are being expected to meet the challenges with systems that serve the needs of their business clients who are pushing to transform how they do business.

More than ever before, businesses are changing how their operations and workforce utilize corporate offices. They are fragmenting their employees into hybrid workplace environments spread over multiple venues. Work at home, staggard in office shifts are being deployed along with numerous other variations that make up the new normal of the hybrid workplace. These changes have been coming for some time, however, they have been forcibly pressed into service by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last year.

Well before the pandemic, most large and mid-sized brands were on a mission to undergo digital transformation. But what is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is often described as the transformation of business to integrate technologies, processes and priorities that allow for an overall more efficient, competitive and effective operation. source fondalo.com In this article there are some incredible facts about digital transformation that MPS providers need to pay attention to. You must understand the effects of Covid-19 as well as the transformation of business and the hybrid workplace.

Digital Transformation Facts

– more than 80% of Fortune 500 companies that existed 20 years ago, either are no longer in business or are no longer on the list.

– many of the current fortune 500’s did not even exist as companies just 20 years ago.

– as many as 40% of today’s F500 companies on the S&P 500 will no longer exist in 10 years.

– entire industries along with major brands have died because they failed to digitally transform.

How Managed Print Services Providers Must Transform

Recently Quocirca released their Managed Print Services Market Landscape 2021 report. It is no longer a secret what is at the door for MPS. Let’s go through some of the findings of the executive summary from the Quocirca report.

MPS leaders are differentiating beyond traditional print services.

MPS leaders are offering broad service offerings across office and production print environments. They are also delivering on the digital transformation of business process automation. Offerings by MPS leaders that focus on security services and solutions portfolio along with distributed environments and cloud print services are standing out in the crowd.

Slow recovery of office print volumes.

• 77% of those brands who were surveyed indicated that paper is fairly or very important to their business, down 10% from 2019.
• Large companies are more print-dependent than smaller and European counterparts.
• HALF of the respondents reported a decrease in office print volumes since the start of the pandemic.
• As companies continue to reduce print-based processes, it is clear that a return to pre-pandemic print volumes is unlikely.

MPS spend growth is slowing.

• 53% of respondents expect to increase MPS spending in the coming year. This is a drop from 79% in 2019.
• The US remains the most positive about MPS spend, with 73% expecting it to increase, though that’s down from 84% in 2019.

MPS being used to support the new hybrid workplace.

• Outsourced MPS is showing to be the perfect fit for the future hybrid workplace.
• 56% of companies with fully outsourced MPS have provided printers for remote workers, compared with only 42% of those using a hybrid model.
• Provisioning printers for the home worker can combat shadow IT purchasing. This allows companies to control devices accessing their network and data.

On-line purchasing of home printers has filled MPS provider supply gaps.

• While 52% indicated that they used their MPS supplier to procure home printers, 44% indicated that these were purchased online.
• 10% purchased using a B2B online store such as Amazon Business.
• This highlights the changing nature of B2B purchasing. This is particularly through the pandemic where speed of purchase and delivery was critical to ensuring remote workers were set up quickly for home working.

Cloud adoption accelerates.

• As businesses adjust the physical space and infrastructure changes, as well as to adapt to a large number of remote users, cloud-based print management and advanced analytics can play a core role in print environment redesign and deployment.
• 75% of companies expect to see greater use of cloud print management by 2025.

MPS as a digital enabler.

• Companies continue to see MPS as a key component of their digital transformation efforts.
• 37% saying MPS is very important to digital transformation in their organization.
• Companies have accelerated digital transformation programs to lessen the impact of COVID-19.
• MPS providers should be capitalizing on the current climate by assisting brands with business automation processes and workflows and aiding remote collaboration and print management.

Read the executive summary here

What Does This Mean To MPS Providers?

In the current business climate, companies desperately need solutions that further their ability to adjust and manage the challenges of today. They’re facing obstacles with remote employees, fragmented corporate real estate consumption, and the hybrid workplace. Managed Print Services software solutions are the critical components that will enable MPS providers to help their customers digitally transform. Furthermore, it helps automate customer business processes and reduces their overall costs. Automation, end-to-end print fleet, and purchasing management along with actionable data are key to the success of the MPS industry moving forward.

Find out how PowerMPS can help you deliver what your managed print services customers need today and into the future.