Here at Copitex Business Machines, we focus on a consultative approach to helping our clients select the proper office equipment. We do this by understanding their needs and selecting the right hardware, software and services to execute a smooth workflow. The traditional copier and fax dealers are long gone, being replaced by total document solutions companies; businesses that must understand all the needs of a client’s document scanning, storage, copying and printing needs. All companies go through the process of acquiring office equipment. Whether it had been simple or painstaking process, after working with thousands of companies we have noticed similar mistakes being made that we’d like to help you avoid.

  1. Not putting all of the office equipment (copiers/printers/multifunction products) on one price per print charge contract.

Many vendors give proposals for a price per copy for their piece of equipment only. But this is a mistake! A total document solution company would have the ability to put all of your document output devices on one service and supplies agreement. Why does this matter, you ask? In your typical office, printers outnumber your copier/printer fax device 5 to 1. Vendors may try to tell you that you can rout all your printing traffic to this one device – for scanning, printing, faxing and copying. Which yes sounds great, at first, it may have been cheaper to run, but it isn’t better. Customers complained about all their employees having to go to one machine and have difficulty finding their print jobs. It slows down productivity in the office, rather than speed it up. Worst of all, employees would get so confused with the change they’d ask someone to change their computers back to the printers they had used before. This affects your cost because your new machine would be severely underutilized so you end up paying for what “should be” your predicted volume, but you’ll end up paying for prints you’re never going to make.

How to avoid it:

Always go with someone who can service all of your office equipment as well as the new multifunction device under one price per page contract. All your employees are different, some willing to use the new equipment, while others are creatures of habit and will not. You also have a few machines in the office, which at some point will need maintenance kits, which can cost $250 and up per kit, and toner cartridges at around $97 and up. These costs can add up quickly and be very expensive! With each machine, it’s hard to know what you’re really paying per copy. With one price for every single print your office makes– it makes it really easy to avoid all the nickel and diming, not to mention keeping your employees happy!

  1. Allowing the dealer to talk you into a monthly minimum copy charge that is too low, or too high for your current needs.

Most office equipment dealers have what is known on the maintenance portion of their contract as a “service and supplies agreement”. When you make a copy/print you are charged a certain rate – anywhere from .008 – 2.0 cents for each one made. Sounds simple right? It’s not; this is where you have to pay very close attention! Dealer’s salespeople are trained to “undersell” you on the amount of copies that they put into your monthly minimum – hoping/ knowing that you’ll go over. Why is this a big deal? The big deal is that, the rate of the “overage charge” is always higher than the rate you negotiated for as a base rate. Now, not all dealers are doing this to mislead the client – they’re doing it out of necessity really. (They are trying to run a business after all.) But on the flip side, the opposite is also true. Sometimes salespeople will sell you copies on your base rate that are well above what you could ever possibly do in a month. So you’re paying for copies you’ll never make.

How to avoid it:

  1. When negotiating and signing be very careful when you review the service and supplies portion of your contract. Make sure that the “base rate” and the “overage rate” is the same.
  2. Check the number of copies/prints that your company is making YOURSELF. Do not, under any circumstances, listen to the salesperson’s story about the “industry average” It almost never will apply to your business. It’s either too high or too low!
  3. When signing on the bottom line – make sure that you can increase or decrease the amount of copies/prints that you’re committing to as needed.

 

  1. Getting into a lease program – that doesn’t allow you the flexibility to upgrade the equipment without a severe penalty.

Most equipment leases have penalties for terminating the lease early. Standard equipment leases are very straight forward in the sense that if you sign up for a 36 month lease for $100.00 a month, you’re paying $100.00 for 36 months plus the FMV (Fair Market Value). Dealers can get discounted rates on the FMV with the leasing company if they upgrade your business and start another lease, but you’re still responsible for paying the whole amount. Warning! If the salesperson is telling you that it will only be a few hundred dollars, or that it’s about 2 extra lease payments. These should be red flags!

How to avoid it:

When you’re getting involved in the lease portion of your negotiation, be sure to ask about all the programs/options that are offered. Do not under any circumstances, only look at one of your options! There are so many leasing options available in today’s world. The problem is that many dealers don’t tell you about those many options, because it’s easier for them to process only one type of lease.

When buying your next copier/printer/fax, businesses fail to think about the realistic life of the machine and how it can be easily extended.

Office equipment has a realistic “life” – based on things like; time, usage, and how the machines have been taken care of. We’ve seen machines that are 7 years old with a million copies on them, yet look brand new and as if they were just installed. But, we’ve also seen machines that only have a couple years on them, and look like they’ve been to hell and back. The mistake lies when you are purchasing the machine and the dealer who services it, gets away with not putting in all the necessary replacement parts they’re suppose to. For example, service technicians may “tweak” a machine out of the manufacturer’s specifications rather than replacing the maintenance kit as it called for. If they don’t use the parts, it won’t cost the dealer more money. This isn’t good for you, because it shortens the life of the machine.

 

How to avoid it:

When purchasing your machine, have the dealer commit to a guaranteed service program – with no escalation clauses, for up to 5 years. This way, the dealer will be forced to put the proper care into servicing your machine. Knowing that they will have to come see you for the next 5 years, they will make sure that there aren’t any short cuts taken with your machine, because between you and me, they’ll want to be there as little as possible.

 

  1. Thinking that when you replace your copier, that you only “need another copier”.

 

Technology is rapidly growing. What you needed from your office equipment 10 years ago, may still be the same things you’re looking for in your new equipment, but don’t discourage from looking into what else the machine can offer you. Now, printers/copiers may come with scan to file, scan to email, electronic faxing and much more. Don’t let some dealers discourage you from looking into the new technology that office equipment has. Why would they discourage it you ask? Some dealers don’t have time or funds to recruit, hire, train and motivate the appropriate staff needed to manage the “new” aspects of the dealer’s business. Another underlining mistake is thinking that the new technology is expensive. The average price of a multifunction printer has decreased by 24% over the last 4 years.

How to avoid it:

            This is easier to avoid, then the rest. When you begin your search for new office equipment, have the company send someone in to do a full “Needs Analysis” and make sure that they include the following:

  1. Copies of your current lease as well as service agreements on your office equipment.
  2. 3 Months worth of invoices for the supplies that you’ve purchased for you copiers, printers and fax, if they are not included into your lease.
  3. A full “mapping out” of your current equipment that’s located throughout your office. This helps visualize what the “document flow” truly looks like, and we may even tell you about printers you didn’t know you had!
  4. An analysis of the bill paying process in your office and what it really costs you to issue each and every check. (You’d be surprised at what this really costs.)

 

When companies go on a search for new office equipment, there are a million ways to get off track, or make mistakes. The companies that were successful and happy with their office equipment took the time to avoid these costly mistakes. Companies that were not successful or unhappy simply didn’t. Whether you avoid these mistakes or get caught up with them, is always up to you. At Copitex, we’ve helped many businesses get a grasp on this industry and have helped our clients have a sense of comfort though this process. We strive to do that with each and every account and help you avoid making any of these mistakes.

Copitex Business Machines, Inc. is a leader in Boston Copier Sales, Rentals, and Leasing. We feature a full line of office products including digital copiers/printers, fax machines, scanners and document management solutions from such top brands, such as Konica Minolta, Ricoh, HP, NEC, Muratec and more. We also offer reconditioned, discontinued, used , repossessed and refurbished multifunction printer. We are proudly celebrating our 15th year in business, and have helped thousands of customers with all of their business machine needs. Contact us for a free quote today, we are standing by and ready to assist you.

 

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