Harold Sharp Count on Managed Print Service

Harold Sharp Count on Managed Print Service

.Based in Sale, Manchester, Harold Sharp firm of chartered accountants has facilitated business growth… by selecting Midshire’s comprehensive Managed Print Service.In a bid to bring their office into the 21^st century, the firm needed innovation, consolidation, and someone to take the reins, so Midshire was their first port of call.

The Problem: A massive need for Managed Print Services

Problem 1: Managing their own massive print needs
Problem 2: Storing of toner and consumables on-site
Problem 3: Financial burden

The historic nature of accountancy means that processes are old-fashioned, which inherently equates to a huge paper trail. The problem for Harold Sharp was the sheer volume of prints being done, with no time to innovate the process themselves to reduce that volume.

The firm also aimed to manage its own fleet of printers, a very ambitious goal, but unfortunately with over 30 machines of varying brands, all requiring different, parts, and toners, this proved more difficult than anticipated. The print volume alone proved to aggravate this issue as the old machines broke down more frequently.

As a by-product of the dated fleet of printers, Harold Sharp’s increased downtime, coupled with having to cover all of the ad hoc costs, highlighted that the endeavour was not only difficult to manage, but a huge financial burden.

The Solution: Driving Harold Sharp’s office printers into the 21^st century.

Solution 1: Consolidated solution
Solution 2: Managed Print Service
Solution 3: Proactive toner ordering

Midshire’s first proposed goal was to completely modernise and centralise Harold Sharp’s printing process with 30 innovative Lexmark printers. These smaller, robust, space-saving devices would not only allow staff to print uninterrupted and much more quickly, but also scan directly to email, minimising the reliance on printed records.

Once the machines had been modernised, the next step of the solution was to get the firm on Midshire’s Managed Print Service to completely administer every aspect of their fleet. With all toners automatically ordered through OneStop, Midshire’s managed print service software, a 24-hour hotline, and expert photocopier engineers that periodically service machines to proactively prevent breakdowns, everything causing staff hassle prior would be alleviated, all in a consolidated and budget-friendly cost-per-copy format.

“Harold Sharp had spent a number of years managing their own solution, which proved time consuming, un-reliable, and costly. Our solution was to consolidate devices across the entire business, so that all replacement parts and toners were consistent. Using our OneStop software, we are able to monitor the machines, automatically take meter readings, and dispatch toner, which takes away a huge headache for the customer.” Stuart Carruthers, Technology Sales Manager, Midshire

The Outcome: Midshire’s Managed Print Service for Seamless Innovation

By partnering with Midshire, Harold Sharp have seen tangible benefits that go beyond simply overhauling their fleet with better machines. New HMRC regulations launched in 2016 make it a legal requirement for firms to store tax accounts digitally, meaning that Harold Sharp needed to innovate with scan to email functionality to remain compliant. By identifying the Lexmark Printers as the perfect product, Midshire have brought the firm in-line with this new initiative.

Lastly, because Midshire removed the headache and took the reins, staff are able to seamlessly work towards the betterment of the business, instead of spending time and resources on worrying about the inner intricacies of the office printers

“What we now have are people managing the whole function for us, what we don’t have to worry about are printers going offline, engineers will come out and maintain the printers, even if they’re working perfectly well they still come on planned maintenance visits. The key thing we were looking for in our outsourcing partner was actually just somebody that we could rely on, and I think in Midshire we’ve found that partner, the one that we can trust.” Chris Wrighton, Partner, Harold Sharp