It’s hard to overestimate the importance of having a reliable, secure print environment at a law firm. Any disruption to printing can have a detrimental effect on productivity, which can, in turn, reduce billable hours every month. And a firm’s entire reputation is at stake should they fail to protect a client’s data.
So it’s no wonder that many firms have turned to a managed print provider to help them avoid all sorts of problems. But a managed print provider that’s kept up with the times can do more than prevent problems. In this blog, I’ll explore what law firms should be getting from a provider.
What a Specialized Legal Office Managed Print Services Provider Brings to the Table
Not all managed print services (MPS) providers provide the same set of services in the same way. If you’re in the market for a provider, or you’ve been with the same one for years, here’s what you should be getting.
Boosting Efficiency Organization-Wide
An MPS provider should get to know your process, your tools, and how your firm works, so they can suggest smart ways to boost efficiency. For example, a document management system paired with print management software can transform your printers into time and money-saving machines.
Predictive Maintenance
If an MPS provider has kept their software up to date, they should be able to provide predictive maintenance — where they can get detailed information about components that show signs of wear and tear and dispatch a technician with the correct part before it causes a problem.
Wide-Ranging Expertise
You may wish to consider a provider that also has a full managed IT and cybersecurity department, even if you only want to purchase print services.
Today’s technology is meant to work together, and sometimes print disruptions are caused by other things — like a network issue. If your provider has IT experts in-house, then they can identify and resolve all printing issues regardless of the cause.
But that’s not the only reason why additional skills traditionally associated with IT may be needed …
World-Class Print Security
Because printers are now connected to your network, run software, and store data, they need to be protected, just like any other smart device. A provider that has the resources to keep up with cybersecurity threats is uniquely qualified to help you protect your systems and data from print security threats.
Most providers will charge an additional fee for print security, but because Marco has a dedicated print security team, we’ve made the decision to include print security for all managed print clients. Our approach to partnership is about acting as a trusted advisor, not a vendor. To us, that means that when providing a managed service, we need to give all of our clients the systems and data protection they deserve.
Insider Knowledge
Law firms have unique printing and compliance needs!
Not every provider can support every device or adjust the way they work to optimize their value for every client. But some providers can and will. And when they also bring insider knowledge of what’s worked well for other law firms encountering similar challenges, it’s much easier to make quick, smart decisions about equipment and software.
Detailed Analytics
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering which printers are running up a repair bill, which equipment is hogging the more expensive ink and toner, which departments have wasteful print habits, or even the big one — the ROI you’ve been getting from a print provider — then you can probably imagine how transformative it would be to have detailed analytics about all of these and more at your fingertips.
At Marco, we’ve designed our Insights Cloud Portal to provide a significant amount of value to our clients, including the ability for them to see how quickly we’re resolving service tickets.
Finding a Legal Printing Solutions Provider
At Marco, we’ve specialized in providing both IT and print solutions to the legal industry for quite some time! We’re able to support clients in every state, but we are structured to act very much like a smaller, local provider that does better when we help our clients grow.
You’re always welcome to reach out if you’d like to talk with a legal printing specialist. However, if you’re still in the research phase, click the link below to get additional tips on what to look for in a managed print provider’s service agreement.
