Traditionally, accounting is a paper-heavy industry, with many documents to manage. Around 133,949,000 tax returns are filed every year, and many of them are received by accountants at the last minute.
During this busy season, accounting staff can’t afford to be slowed down by a printer malfunction or downtime due to print hard- or software issues.
And the rest of the year? Accounting firms provide a suite of services that assist business owners in keeping organized financially, staying tax compliant, and leveraging cash flow to promote strong business growth.
With the average employee using two pounds of paper every day, and just one four-drawer storage cabinet taking up 10 to 15 square feet of office real estate, there is a lot of opportunity for saving space, money, and time by managing print operations more efficiently.
Completely eliminating paper output within your accounting office is an impossible task but reducing paper output and streamlining workflows through the deployment of managed print services (MPS) can provide many benefits.
By targeting weaknesses in your current print infrastructure, designing more efficient processes, and deploying them MPS can help you manage and grow your accounting business.
Managed Print Services Benefits for Accounting Firms
Accounting firms can leverage the expert knowledge of a competent MPS provider to achieve the benefits of optimizing print infrastructure and workflows, such as:
1. Security for Sensitive Data
Hacker activity is on the increase in the accounting industry as more cybercriminals are targeting tax professionals and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).
This is most likely because accounting firms often possess high-value information like Employee Identification Numbers, numbers for bank accounts, Social Security numbers, and more.
In addition, firms are required to comply with the Financial Services Act of 1999 — and potentially other legislation — to protect this sensitive data from exposure, theft, or loss.
Fortunately, MPS allows office administrators to keep a close eye on data access by using authentication methods to control who receives printed documents from a specific device. Any unretrieved documents will stay safely in the print queue, rather than being output into a print tray to keep sensitive information safer.
In addition, your MPS provider will stay in front of software patch installation, automatic updates, and upgrades on equipment to ensure your documents and information are always protected with the latest security protocols.
2. Savings for Bottom Line Health
As accountants, you understand how to get the most out of your office environment — and that means controlling costs.
A managed print environment provides many ways to reduce expenditures — from decreasing in-house IT spend to reducing downtime and productivity loss caused by outdated or poorly coordinated equipment.
Adopting an MPS program will give you the tools you need to assess what you have, design and coordinate efficiency-enhancing changes, and implement cost-saving protocols such as:
- Automating supply replenishment to avoid capital expenditures on surplus purchasing
- Encouraging zero waste and reducing overbuying by providing supplies addressed to specific printers
- Providing cost-effective remanufactured toners and inks
Just these few measures can help accounting firms shave 30% off their print budget, in addition to the savings experienced by extending asset life.
3. Streamlined Workflows for More Productivity
Smart print workflows help your staff focus on their primary tasks — meeting deadlines, researching and preparing information for clients, and generating revenue.
Rather than having in-house staff be bogged down in mundane IT or print-related tasks, your MPS provider handles troubleshooting, remediation, and routine maintenance to ensure your equipment functions at full capacity.
State-of-the art software allows you to track documents from creation through delivery and report billable activity for focused auditing, while macros help streamline processes further by reducing redundant commands.
Finally, finding specific client-related information becomes fast and simple through special indexing software that provides rapid and accurate search results.
Choose PointManagement Managed Print for Accountability, Cost Savings, and Productivity
As a firm that handles sensitive financial and personal data, you’re held to the highest of accountability standards. For that reason alone, choosing PointManagement to handle your MPS needs is a smart move.
Our team of experts have the expertise it takes to deploy a state-of-the-art secure managed print program for your firm to provide your clients with the highest level of data safety and compliance.
And our professionals can easily assess your current print environment to determine functionality, uncover hidden costs, and provide advanced technology to take your workflow and business processes to a higher level of operability.
Ready to see how a PointManagement MPS solution can help your accounting firm manage costs, boost productivity, and secure sensitive data? Contact a PointManagement MPS consultant and get an assessment today!