The death of paper has been predicted for years, even decades at this point. People have imagined a world where offices are paperless utopias. Despite these bold predictions and advances in technology, paper remains an integral part of office life, which means the soft costs associated with copying, printing, and scanning are still adding up for offices and affecting the bottom line.
The legal industry, in particular, still relies heavily on paper copies. And in a time of falling profits and cost reduction, it is important to be aware of the cost recovery tools that are out there. Below is a quick look at three cost recovery tools for printers/copiers.
Top 3 Cost Recovery Tools to Implement NOW
PaperCut
Pros: Client Billing
PaperCut offers advanced client billing functions designed specifically for businesses like law firms. These functions allow the user to assign print jobs to specific client accounts, offer customizable charge rates, and store accounts in an easily searchable database. These functions offer an easy way for law firms to track what print jobs are for what client and to recover the soft costs associated with printing.
Cons: None
PaperCut does not have a lot of downside. Users have experienced issues when different copiers have different versions of PaperCut firmware installed. Overall, It is a robust tool, scalable for any size business.
UniFLOW
Pros: Security
Security of information is paramount of law firms. While UniFlow provides all the cost recovery features standard with print management software (such as document tracking, BYOD printing, etc…), it also has strong security features. Access to networked equipment is limited to authorized users, and print jobs can be released only after a user has used a proximity key fob or pin code.
Cons: Compatibility
Because UniFLOW is a Canon product, compatibility is the biggest issue. UniFLOW is designed to work with Canon products and a few select models from other brands. For offices with mixed brand fleets of copiers and printers, this can present a significant problem.
Equitrac
Pros: Versatility
Printing needs are not one size fits all, particularly now that many people work remotely. Equitrac reduces the complexities of managing multiple types/brands of copiers across an organization. Equitrac’s Hybrid Print Control reduces the dependency on print servers and drivers, thereby reducing the IT infrastructure footprint.
Cons: Setup/Implementation
One of the most frequent complaints about Equitrac is the time and difficulty of setting it up. Equitrac is an expansive software, and it takes more time to implement than PaperCut for example. If a company is installing Equitrac on numerous copiers and printers, the setup time will be lengthy and expensive.
Investing in cost recovery tools is essential to keep your business efficient and profitable. While you do not want to nickel-and-dime your clients, recovering soft costs like copying charges will go a long way towards helping your bottom line.