Our analysis (or assessment) is a free service offered by us. We keep it simple and targeted to the client’s need. West Coast does not fit into a box plan and strategy being implemented by the larger box stores with multiple locations. We remain with the flexibility needed to make your analysis a success because we are not accountible to a board or upper management who are not out in the field daily.

There are many aspects of document output and workflow (make daily task simple) that someone in the industry usually can not consider. Even if it is just buying a copier to sit in that corner because that is the way we have always done it. The newer generation of copiers offer much much more. Below is a short list of some of the items we can address and offer for efficiency and cost reduction. After all, that is what it is all about, isn’t it?

• Enforce rules for color output or duplex printing
• Redirect print jobs from desktop printers to multifunctional products (MFPs) with lower cost-per-page.
• Recover thousands of dollars in output costs with accurate cost accounting that allocates individual job costs to specific users, departments, clients or job codes.
• Track costs by file size, paper size, media type, color or duplexing
• Mobile printing
• Scanning in many ways and formats. From scanning to email and folders to scanning directly into the core software you use everyday. (Yes, It can be done)
• Secure printing

We could make this list go on and on concerning what is available. This is exactly why you should just employ a free professional to evaluate what is best for your company. The right technology is key to maintain control of quality, cost and security for your document needs. No one understands this better than West Coast Copiers. From day one, your business needs the training and integration only a reputable and established partner can provide.

Yes, I know your next question…contact us by simply clicking the picture above!

Our copiers and printers offer control over color privileges, greatly enhancing your ability to track and/or enforce cost control.

To decide if color is the right choice for you, try to project your color output needs over the next few years.  Remember to include all color output from printers as well as any outsourced color printing and existing color copier products.  Very often there is an opportunity to save money by retiring or limiting printers while migrating printer color output to a larger multi-functional product since printer cost per color page output is generally higher.  Of course, you need to consider many issues when you balance a distributed vs. centralized approach to output.

While color is cheaper than it was, it isn’t free.  If your color volume is low and/or you work in an office environment where controlling color output costs is difficult, or your strategy for output calls for a monochrome “work horse” to drive your costs as low as possible, you should focus on monochrome devices.

The new generation

Our color and most of our monochrome MFP’s offer color scanning capabilities and color fax options, though these capabilities will come with higher price tags.

Once you have a working knowledge of your volume needs and how much of that is color or monochrome, you can then intelligently begin to decide what types of devices can serve that need. That is when we at West Coast Copiers are very valuable as your partner.

West Coast Copiers is by far not the biggest player in the market, but we have been here for over 36 years and work very hard to become the premier provider for the whole Tampa Bay and surrounding areas. You will not fit into a large corporate box program. You will fit into a program that works for you and into a company that has a client return rate unparalleled in the market.

We welcome you to contact us even if your contract is not up for a few years. Intelligent, free and professional consultation is a must in this economy. We can help return more of your bottom line to your company than your realize. Take us up on that challenge and see how we can help.

Did you know that modern copiers have a hard drive that digitally retains every (or nearly every) document copied on that machine and the vast majority of those machines are without any mechanism to erase or encrypt the data.  As a result when you sell or trade in a copier you are probably sending all kinds of private information that identity thieves can then get their hands on.

In addition, lawyers conducting discovery should be aware that an individual’s copier or a company’s copier may be a source of information relevant to an on going law suit.

One law firm I spoke with purchased what was represented as brand new copier and its hard drive was full of documents from and accounting firm.

For a brief primer check out this video from CBS News that aired in 2010.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6412572n

When a copier company comes out to meet with you to give you a quote many times they will ask you how many copies/prints you are doing per month now. The reason they ask this question is because when they prepare a quote for you they’re going to quote you a price for the machine (cash or lease price) and they’re also going to quote you on a service contract for that machine.

Just to be clear the terminology may vary depending on what part of the country you are in but typically the contract will be called a service or maintenance contract/agreement.

The quoted price usually includes toner, repairs (parts & labor), preventative maintenance, and any consumables. Basically everything except your paper and staples.

In case you’re not aware a copier service agreement usually consists of 2 components. A monthly minimum number of copies at a set price and then a per copy/print price for “overages”. For example your agreement many be for 10,000 black copies/prints per month for $100.00 (1 cent per copy/print) and then any “overages” will be billed at an increased rate say, 1.5 cents per copy/print.

I’ve never really understood the overage thing and it truly baffles me. In what other business does a company penalize you for buying more of their product? In other words in the above example as part of your monthly “minimum” 10,000 copies you are billed at 1 cent each but magically after the 10,000 copies/prints per month the price goes up to 1.5 cents. Why? I really can’t tell you. Does it cost the copier company any more for the toner at the 10,001^st copy than the 10,000^th copy. I think we know the answer to that.

On top of this mystery there is another mystery I can’t seem to solve about my industry. If you do less than the “minimum” number of copies/prints per month (again 10,000 in our example) than you are still charged for the 10,000. Why? Again, no clue.

I would agree that in some cases where a business or professional practice does a very low volume per month/year there does need to be an annual dollar minimum. At my copier company in Baltimore, Maryland we have a minimum of $300.00 per year for the service agreement. I think this is very reasonable due to the fact that the service agreement covers repairs and toner. In other words if your copier goes down and we have to send a technician to your location and you bill less than $300.00  for an entire year than you can see how the company can easily start losing money. When your copier goes down they/we have to pay the technician, gas, parts, ect. Again keep in mind that the $300.00 minimum includes toner.

So in summary if you go over your “minimum” monthly copies/prints the cost per copy goes up and if you go below your minimum you still would be charged for the 10,000 copies/prints. Sounds like a lose/lose proposition for the customer to me.

Here at Action Business Systems I write my service agreements very differently. For example, I have a company interested in a new copier in Towson, Maryland. The way I quoted their agreement is the way I quote them all.

First, we agree on a per copy/print cost. In this case we were at $.007 (less than one penny) per copy. This amount varies depending on the type of copier you buy due to the toner efficiency of each machine.

Then, once the copier is delivered we wait until their first month is over and bill them for the exact amount of copies they did in that month. Then we do the same for every month thereafter. There is no lose/lose situation with minimums and overages. This is the most fair way to bill a customer for their copies/prints.

So in the example of the Towson, Maryland customer above if they do 20,000 copies/prints per month we just multiply that by .007 for a total of $140.00 for that month and we send them an invoice for that amount. Simple and fair.

You may have trouble finding a copier dealer in your area willing to do business this way but if you insist on it you may just get it.

If you’re business or professional practice is located in Baltimore, Maryland, Washington DC or Northern Virginia area I would be happy to give you a simple and fair quote on a new copier and copier service agreement. Just shoot me a call or email. In the month of December 2012 we are giving away a free Toshiba Laptop, Toshiba Thrive Tablet or Toshiba flat screen TV with every new copier purchased or leased. Contact me, Ed Worthington at 443-570-0414   eworthington@abscare.com or just fill out the form below.

Part of your contract will probably include that we collect meter readings from your machine(s).  For some, that is over the phone.  For others, we send them a fax.  For all, it takes time to go to the machine, print out the counter sheet and fax it back to us.

We use two technologies, @Remote and FM-Audit On Site.

FM-Audit is a server based service that runs in the background to monitor the health, toner consumption and meter reporting for your Multifunction Devices (printers, scanners, copiers, etc.).  @Remote is installed on the machine.

The services monitor the health of your machines, and reports any anomalies to us so we can take pro-active action and dispatch a tech to fix the problem, possibly eliminating and most certainly reducing your downtime.  The service will also notify us of the toner levels on your machine so that as your toner nears its end of life, or your change it, we can ship another out so that as you replace the dead toner a replacement arrives just in time.  The service will report its meter reading to us on your billing cycle.  This will eliminate the need to assign employees to manually go to the machine, print out a counter sheet and send it to us.

Over all, it provides you with areas a worry-free service for your machines.

The only prerequisite is that your machines is hooked to the network (able to reach the Internet) or you have a server or dedicated PC that we can setup the service..

Give us a call, we’ll check out your situation and see if you’re ready.

A copier with erasable ink?  Now that’s different.  Toshiba, once again, leading the way.

Launching in Japan…coming to America….?  Stay tuned.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/11/eco-friendly-copier-erases-printouts/

It’s a question I get from my customers as well as my friends who are in the business world.

The many different vendors,copy machines, accessories and service plans can make your head spin.

I’m here to help.

Take a look at my Copier Comparison Guide. It will help you compare different vendor proposals in order to get the best deal for your business.

Perhaps most importantly it will empower you by teaching you the questions you should be asking each vendor in order to get the best deal.

When a prospective vendor hears you ask these types of questions they’ll know that they’re dealing with someone who knows more than the average person about copiers.

This will significantly decrease the chance of them trying to get over on you.

My advice, print this guide, contact the top 3 copier companies in your area and compare.

Please call or email  me with any questions. Hope this helps.

Ed Worthington  *443-570- 0414  *eworthington@abscare.com

https://www.box.net/s/txmhoehkwnghfk7mce25

I am taking the questions I get the most from my existing clients and prospective clients and answering them one at a time in this blog. Over the next several weeks I will answer probably just about any of the basic questions you could have about purchasing or leasing a new copier so stay tuned for fresh,  helpful information weekly.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

One of the questions I get the most and probably the first question you should ask yourself when purchasing a copier is, “how fast does my copier need to be?”.

The speed of the copier you select should be based on the number of copies and prints you will do per month.

Buyer Beware! When reading the manufactures literature they tend to overinflate the number of pages per month that their copiers can handle.

So in order to help with this question I have copied the information below ( how to determine your monthly output and the maximum duty chart) from BLI’s (Buyers Laboratory) website.

BLI is an excellent source of unbiased information for anyone in the process of buying a copier or printer. At the end of this post I have included information on who Buyers Lab is and how to contact them.

How do you determine your monthly output volume?

• Bills for your service agreement and print shop provide a good snapshot of your current usage; so does a look at your current copier’s meter.
• Some copier companies use network management utilities that can tell you all the prints, copies, faxes and/or scans sent from the network to your copier or printer.
• Many dealers also use devices that audit your volume. However, audit tools can sometimes miss devices such as small printers.

The chart below compares the average manufacturers maximum monthly page output vs. what Buyers Lab recommends so you don’t  send your copier to an early grave.

Manufacturers’ Maximum Monthly Duty Cycle vs. BLI’s Optimum Monthly Volume

* For color models that a have a different speed for color and black modes, the speeds listed are the black speeds.

Hope this helps!

Come back next week when I’ll cover the question, “Should I lease or buy a copier?”.

If you have any copier buying questions please feel free to contact me.

If your business is located in Baltimore, Maryland,  Washington, DC or Northern Virgina and you are in the market for a new or used copier please contact me for a NO OBLIGATION, ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE quote.

Ed Worthington- Senior Account Executive

Action Business Systems-Toshiba

eworthington@abscare.com

443-570-0414

Buyer Lab Info:

For over 45 years, Buyers Laboratory (BLI) has been the leading source for unbiased and reliable intelligence for the imaging industry. BLI was founded in 1961 by the late Arthur Kallet, the co-founder and 20-year head of Consumers Union, the publisher of the highly respected Consumer Reports magazine (BLI is not affiliated with Consumers Union). In February 2004, BLI was acquired by publishing industry veterans Michael Danziger and Mark Lerch, the current Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of BLI, respectively. In 2005, BLI launched its international division with offices in Hong Kong and London.

You can reach Buyer Lab on the web at http://www.buyerslab.com

If you are someone who just needs to have the latest and greatest, you should look into recycling. There is nothing wrong with getting a new computer or Xerox machine each year if you make sure the old one is properly taken care of. Most parts of a given computer of office shredder can be recycled. The metal, the wires, circuits and many other components can find use again. Certain parts of these devices, like battery fluids, need to be disposed of properly. Having them leak into the ground by way of a landfill is bad for the environment and can contaminate drinking water and nearby natural land.

Recycling is the only want to find a new home for a laptop or color copier. If the items are only a few years old and are in good shape you can donate them for continue used. Charity organizations like the United Way or Salvation Army will gladly take such items and this will add years to their life. Just make sure you wipe any personal information before you make your donation.

You can also opt to try to resell your old machines. Although a dated office shredder or office copier many not be worth much you can make anywhere from $20 to $100+ selling the old equipment. You can use online resources or just take out ads in local press. The money may not be much but you can take comfort in the fact you made a bit of money while keeping the machine out of a landfill. Some stores have buyback programs where they pay you for your dated electronics with a discount on a newer item.

Whatever you choose to do, be responsible with your old electronics. More used color copiers and Xerox machines arrive at landfills every day. Almost all could be recycled, reused or otherwise salvaged. You bought the device so your purchase through by making arrangement for proper disposal. It helps the entire world.

World Trade Copiers has supplied thousands of businesses with high speed scanners, printers and other necessary equipment. They sell and lease top of the line office equipment. Can they help grow your business?

If you are someone who just needs to have the latest and greatest, you should look into recycling. There is nothing wrong with getting a new computer or Xerox machine each year if you make sure the old one is properly taken care of. Most parts of a given computer of office shredder can be recycled. The metal, the wires, circuits and many other components can find use again. Certain parts of these devices, like battery fluids, need to be disposed of properly. Having them leak into the ground by way of a landfill is bad for the environment and can contaminate drinking water and nearby natural land.

Recycling is the only want to find a new home for a laptop or color copier. If the items are only a few years old and are in good shape you can donate them for continue used. Charity organizations like the United Way or Salvation Army will gladly take such items and this will add years to their life. Just make sure you wipe any personal information before you make your donation.

You can also opt to try to resell your old machines. Although a dated office shredder or office copier many not be worth much you can make anywhere from $20 to $100+ selling the old equipment. You can use online resources or just take out ads in local press. The money may not be much but you can take comfort in the fact you made a bit of money while keeping the machine out of a landfill. Some stores have buyback programs where they pay you for your dated electronics with a discount on a newer item.

Whatever you choose to do, be responsible with your old electronics. More used color copiers and Xerox machines arrive at landfills every day. Almost all could be recycled, reused or otherwise salvaged. You bought the device so your purchase through by making arrangement for proper disposal. It helps the entire world.

World Trade Copiers has supplied thousands of businesses with high speed scanners, printers and other necessary equipment. They sell and lease top of the line office equipment. Can they help grow your business?

… and it reminded me of one of my mentors in Kleeneze – John Hawkes.

John was giving some training a few years ago, and told us his story. I recall it here as best I can…

He had joined Kleeneze when he was 58. He was having some financial difficulties after mortgage rates shot through the roof!

He started Kleeneze with his wife, Jeanette, and set a target of earning £1000 a month.

It was hard work, but they achieved their target, which helped them survive their cash crisis. They continued to grow their business, but after a while, they hit a plateau – one month the business would grow, and the next it would drop, and so on, and on. Putting in a lot of work, and not seeing much reward, but keeping their head above water.

Somebody asked him – “Did you ever feel like quitting?” and his answer was “Every Bloody Day!”

But he persevered, and then suddenly, his business exploded, some new dynamic team members joined, and his business grew from strength to strength.

John and Jeanette earned over £1 million in their first seven years in the business. I think he is pleased he did not quit.

So… Is Kleeneze easy? – No. It is simple, but not easy.

You need to work hard. There will be good days and bad days, and there will be days you want to quit. But as I said at the beginning – I am not telling you it’s going to be easy, I am telling you it is going to be worth it!

If you would like to find out more about becoming a Kleeneze distributor, click here for a FREE Kleeneze Information Pack.

Best wishes

Michael Ogden
http://www.fortunenow.co.uk