Probably more than any other industry, the legal profession still relies on massive amounts of documents flowing in and out of the office every day. The accurate composition, filing, distribution, and retrieval of documents is a primary concern for law firms as any deficiency in the process can lead to losses in revenue. Due to the sensitive nature of the information law firms’ process, they also require elevated data security controls to protect from the uncontrolled disclosure or dissemination of Personal Private Information (PPI).

The print and copy operations in firms usually run as high as 3% of their annual revenue. If the firm isn’t actively monitoring and controlling these operations, they will inevitably incur higher costs due to wasteful and inefficient practices. To help firms regain control over their daily print and copying workflows, Managed Print Services (MPS) provides a transparent business model that ensures the practice can track, allocate, and reduce the total cost associated with physical document processing.

THE ARGUMENT FOR ADOPTING A MANAGED PRINT SERVICES BUSINESS MODEL FOR LAW FIRMS

The legal industry has been slow to adopt digital transformation initiatives due to the nature of their work. Firms still need to file all documents in hardcopy, and any legally binding document requires physical sign-off on every copy. However, while the need for physical documents won’t suddenly disappear, MPS providers can streamline how law firms control and produce the documents they process daily.

IMPROVED OVERSIGHT AND CONTROL FOR THE PRINT FLEET

While the demand for physical documents will remain an overhead in law offices, an MPS provider will monitor all devices and establish policies to track the volumes and reduce wasteful practices. An MPS company will assess the current print and copy operations to develop a baseline of the firm’s current usage. With this information, they will create a solution that streamlines the processes with print policies and control measures to improve the firm’s efficiencies.

By remotely monitoring all the printers and copiers, the MPS provider can ensure only authorized personnel uses specific devices depending on their department or task. Companies can also implement a Pull-To-Print system that will only process a print job once the employee enters a PIN or swipe their access card at the device. Pull-To-Print will reduce the number of reprints and eliminate waste from uncollected prints ending up in the recycle bin.

ACCURATE BILLING AND CONSISTENT BUDGETS

It’s common for law firms to allocate document costs back to their customers. With an MPS solution, the firm will have precise tracking and reporting of all prints associated with a specific account or client. This will help the practice accurately and efficiently bill customers for every document they process. Print monitoring tools can also integrate with billing systems, helping to automate the administrative tasks in the firm’s accounts department.

A significant benefit of using MPS solutions comes from gaining consistency over the printing and copying expenditures. The MPS provider will establish a cost per month for the firm based on the amount of printing and copying they carry out over a specific period. The volumes a firm generates can change drastically during certain times of the year. If the practice didn’t budget for these kinds of fluctuations, their printing costs could vary greatly from one month to the next. An MPS company will ensure the firm can set a consistent monthly budget for all printing costs, helping them prevent the risk of incurring large unexpected expenditures that eat into their forecasted revenues.

HARDWARE UPGRADES AND REDUCED DOWNTIMES

Every company can suffer from technology lag when it comes to their print hardware. As acquiring new devices can be expensive, they usually take a lower priority in the budget. MPS solutions can provide additional cost savings for the firm with modern devices that use less ink and electricity during every print. Today’s Multifunction Devices (MFDs) come with a variety of productivity solutions such as mobile integration, Find-Me-Printing, and even include Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology that helps digitize documents directly from a scanned copy.

The MPS solution will also monitor devices for supplies and schedule the required maintenance tasks when required. This will ensure limited downtimes and reliable operations by reducing the risk of a major breakdown or an essential device running out of ink or toner at a critical time. With reliable print hardware, the staff is free to focus on billable work, and the entire firm’s workflow will be more productive.

DOING BETTER BUSINESS HELPS YOUR LAW FIRMS REDUCE PRINTING COSTS AND IMPROVE OPERATIONS

Doing Better Business (DBB) provides expert managed services to customers that need to regain control over their runaway printing practices. As an expert Managed Print Services solution partner, DBB helps firms to establish policies that ensure they have complete insight into their daily printing and copying workflows. Since 1973, DBB has served customers by finding innovative solutions and technologies to streamline the business process for greater efficiency and improved productivity.

To find out more about how Doing Better Business can help your law firm reduce costs with Managed Print Services, speak to one of our technology experts today.

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