The winter, or fourth financial quarter, is a time to tie up loose ends, take stock of where your business is currently and examine what you want to take with you into the new financial year.
For many small businesses, it is about casting out the old and bringing in the new, and this can often include replacing equipment such as photocopiers that are no longer meeting the needs of the business.
Most companies will try to align this with other technological upgrades, which typically means an upgrade cycle every three to five years. However, there are also reasons to consider replacing or upgrading sooner, particularly if you are already noticing issues with such a vital piece of business equipment.
Whether you are looking for a new copier to buy or hire, or want a comprehensive managed solution that includes maintenance and consumables, get in touch with us today, and we can find the perfect machine for your needs.
With that in mind, here are some questions to ask yourself about your office equipment at the start of the new year.
Is Your Photocopier Beyond Repair?
Should you repair or replace your photocopier? This is the big question that is always asked whenever you have a problem serious enough to call a technician to fix, but whilst the most cost-effective and sustainable option is typically to have it repaired, this is not always an option.
Older photocopiers often use complex moving parts, drums, transfer belts and components that over time can wear out, and as these machines fall further into obsolescence, it can become harder, if not outright impossible, to find replacement parts.
Is Your Current Photocopier Working For You?
Every piece of office equipment should suit your business and its particular workflow, in order to create a streamlined, efficient operation as free from enforced delays and pauses as possible.
A common cause of bottlenecks in a wide variety of office-based businesses is the photocopier, which can cause delays in scanning documents, when large documents need to be printed out, or both, when scanning and photocopying are two functions which need to be undertaken separately from each other.
As well as this, businesses will often adapt how they work, with the rise of the mobile office and hybrid working creating fundamental shifts in how office-based equipment needs to function, even in smaller businesses.
Whilst many companies will adapt to inefficiency out of necessity, if you feel like there is a better way to work which is less stressful, it might be time to explore your options.
Working with the right specialist photocopier partner will ensure that the transition from your old machine to a new one is as streamlined and stress-free as possible, ensuring that there is little time cost to making the change.
Is It More Cost-Effective To Replace Your Photocopier?
Sometimes, a photocopier can still be made to work, but the cost of replacement parts over the years will inevitably increase as the supply starts to dwindle, which in turn can increase the total cost of owning and maintaining what is a critical piece of equipment.
As with any other piece of business equipment, there is a tipping point where it will cost more to keep repairing an existing piece of equipment and miss out on the additional functionalities and efficiency benefits of a new photocopier than it would be to keep the old one.
Is It Time To Upgrade Your Photocopier?
A curious trend in recent years is that technological advances and changes to how offices operate are increasingly becoming bigger drivers of replacing photocopiers than operational necessity.
Much like with computers, tablets and other pieces of IT hardware, photocopiers tend to physically last longer, but still need to be replaced within the same hardware cycles in a bid to futureproof businesses.
Features such as scanning to the cloud, more secure print servers, compatibility with modern hardware (and especially mobile apps) and additional features such as high-speed duplex printing, stapling or lamination can make an upgrade essential even if the photocopier is otherwise still functional.
Telltale Signs That You Should Consider A Photocopier Upgrade
A single fault or problem may not be cause to replace your photocopier unless it is severely harming your productivity, but once the following issues accumulate, it may be time to consider upgrading:
- Increasingly frequent malfunctions and paper jams.
- Faded printouts, streaking, smudging and misaligned documents.
- Print speeds that are noticeably slower.
- Increased printing costs, particularly those stemming from toner/ink use.
- Constant connectivity issues, particularly with larger print jobs.
- You have to adapt your workflow for your photocopier, rather than the other way around.