The Datamax Thinking Blog

Poor communication?  In the top three?  Really? That's not a misprint ... poor communication.

There are many benefits from embracing this new network management paradigm: improved uptime, enhanced customer service and end user support, more efficient operations, and improved budget management to name a few. These benefits are realistic and attainable, yet many managed service providers struggle to deliver the promised benefits. Given the advantages provided by new technology, what else is required to be successful providing managed network services? Experience in the marketplace has shown that companies will fire technology service providers primarily for one of three reasons:

When you’re looking for a copier service provider (or whatever kind of service provider) to help you run your business, you need a partner – not just someone who’s only interested in selling you something.

Reliable copier service providers and a solid relationship go together like peanut butter and chocolate. You're willing to consume the calories, but you want it to be worth it. Like a peanut butter cup. When it comes to a service provider and a relationship there's not much differenceI – if you’re going to find one, you want it to be the right one.

When office equipment experiences downtime, so does your office. Accurate, fast service puts you and your equipment back to work.

“Ding.” 

Remember the simple ringer on the counter of a hotel desk or in a store? A quick press on the bell, a ringing “ding!” sound, and you’d almost always hear a “Be right with you” from somewhere in the store. Service was on the way and you were satisfied.

Use your office copier to scan documents directly to cloud storage for quick and simple access later.

Even if you don’t follow technology at all, you’ve heard of “the cloud.” Often mentioned with a touch of reverence and a hint that the cloud will solve your technology challenges, cloud services really can bring huge personal and business productivity improvements when used correctly. 

Any device that can access your network is a potential security loophole. Close it.

Look around your office. How many printers, scanners, copiers, computers, laptops, webcams, tablets, and smartphones do you see? Every one of them is a ripe target for hackers. 

Learning more about how selecting the right mix of office equipment will make your life easier and save your office money is a good first step.

You can save up to 30% of your printing costs by partnering with a managed print services (MPS) provider. This is a commonly accepted and used statistic based on research from industry analyst Gartner.

A rules-based printing strategy can get you on the route to a bulging bottom line.

Though we are interacting with information more and more online (PC, tablets, and phones), the need to print paper documents is still there. So, the question now becomes not whether or not you need to print, but how do you print in order to:

Documents are stored in a central location – allowing anyone to find, read, and update (all with proper permissions and authorization) documents when needed. 

If you have been in the following position, consider document management.

A potential client has moved their timeline up a week and you need to find a contract proposal – immediately. But, Todd's been working on it and he hasn't shared it yet – assuming he’s even created a draft – and you don't have a copy.

Undertaking and trying to accomplish multiple tasks all at once is actually making all of us less effective.

“Focus, Daniel-San!” and “Look eye. Always look eye.” Remember Mr. Miyagi telling Daniel that in the Karate Kid? Bet nobody knew Mr. Miyagi was also offering great advice for business productivity!

You’re busy. And being as busy as you are, it’s important to focus. 

Multitasking, for some, is associated with a badge of honor. We like to say and feel like, “I can do it all.” And it’s a commendable skill – the ability to juggle multiple tasks and get them done.

Color means many things to different people. It can be a symbol of a culture and a play on our emotions. It also captures our attention when we need it to. 

Color has meaning. While traditional China sees white as the color of mourning, in Western culture white represents “cleanliness” and “purity” (or when taken to extremes, “sterility” or “coldness”). In Japan and most of England, black cats are a symbol of good luck; but are seen as a bad omen or bad luck in the West. Color has meaning (and, yes, the color scheme in McDonald’s is designed to get you to eat more!).