Money Saving Tip: Assign a copier Manager

Money Saving Tip: Assign a copier Manager

Copiers are a huge expense for a growing business. While the lease itself costs you money every month, there are also a number of consumables that are impossible to get around. Unfortunately most people do not have a system in place to track their usage. This leads to extensive waste of resources and money. One of the simplest ways to save money on your copier is to assign a copier manager.

Here is the problem that most offices encounter. The manager or owner has a copier that employees use. At some point the copier needs more toner or paper, so the owner puts an order in. Eventually they need more again, and they order more again. Doing this makes it so that no one is accountable for what is happening with the copier.

This is a problem because it can feel like you are always playing a game of catch-up. Instead of having a monthly plan, they are simply spending money when their consumable runs out. This is horrible in terms of things like copiers. A manager will have a number of roles to help bring down costs.

• Manage and track usage of consumables. This is the biggest job because it is where all the money goes. Choose someone who is good are recognizing patterns and has a good eye for money.
• Be in charge of ordering new consumables. Because this person knows the usage they can intelligently order the right amount of product. This helps you find better deals and keeps unnecessary spending down.
• Notice areas that money is being wasted. Pay attention for excess use of color. Notice if there is one employee who is printing 5 times what everyone else is printing. Finding waste and fixing the problem is tantamount to saving money on your copier.
• Understand the basic mechanisms of your copier. This will not only help you save money on consumables, but will hopefully save you money on repairs down the road. Make sure they know how the copier works and what negative effects to look for.

A copier manager should be a trusted employee that is good with money and can handle to extra responsibility. Establish this person in a meeting or a company email and hold them to their job. This can save your business hundreds, if not thousands, in the long run.