MPS FOR RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES
At your service Print is often central to businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors, so managed print services can be vital to help them to achieve efficiency and cost savings – and demand for it is set to grow in the coming years.
Retail and hospitality are two sectors that still require print for a wide variety of applications – from receipts to food labelling to marketing collateral – but with margins tight many businesses are looking for efficiencies wherever possible, including print – which is where managed print services (MPS) comes in. There are various ways that retail and hospitality businesses can benefit from MPS. “Retail and hospitality customers generally operate multi-site environments,” explains Trevor Maloney, product marketing manager at Kyocera Document Solutions UK. “If there is no centralised protocol from head office regarding print sourcing and expenditure, things can get out of hand quite quickly. MPS policies provide centralised control of print expenditure over multiple sites, rationalise print spend and encourage economies of scale for the purchase of hardware and ongoing service and consumables costs. “Additionally, a centralised MPS provides ongoing monitoring and support to ensure print usage is optimised with regular reviews – this reduces issues with inventory management, enables workflow optimisation and adequate network security planning for device allocation and load balancing.” Peter Shackleton, head of end user sales & MPS lead at Brother UK, agrees that MPS can help with print costs. “Margins in retail and hospitality are under constant pressure, with rising costs and shifting customer expectations challenging businesses to do more with less,” he says. “MPS are becoming an increasingly
valuable way to help them operate more efficiently and stay competitive.”
Addressing operational needs Deyon Antoine, product marketing
manager at Toshiba Tec, adds that MPS can offer distinct advantages to the retail and hospitality sectors by addressing their unique operational needs. For instance, with retail businesses: “Centralised print management allows for consistent branding and document handling across stores and can reduce downtime with just-in-time automated supplies replenishment,” he says. “It can also help to reduce printing costs by reducing waste from unnecessary printing and improves market agility, so retailers can dynamically change in-store signage, price tags, and promotional materials with consistent quality on demand.” Meanwhile for hospitality businesses it can improve the guest experiences with self-service printing for guests and conferencing events, Deyon adds. “It can also be integrated with back-office systems and automating document workflows in HR and finance departments. “It also helps with brand consistency for all printed materials, from welcome letters to restaurant menus.” There are also general advantages, Deyon adds. “MPS ensures a secure print environment encrypting print data, offering secure print release and iron clad device security, adhering to principles of cyber essentials and zero trust policies, supporting businesses to comply with
Trevor Maloney product marketing manager
kyoceradocument solutions.co.uk
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a centralised MPS provides ongoing monitoring and support to ensure print usage is optimised with regular reviews.
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printinthechannel.co.uk
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