businessinfomag.uk
magazine
34
MFPs
Smarter working
Document-related inefficiencies
are contributing to a 20% loss in
productivity, equivalent to more than
two working months each year, IDC
claims in a new whitepaper sponsored
by OKI Systems UK.
Are your business processes stifling
your market opportunity? Cost-efficient
print and document management
through smart MFPs
highlights a number
of key trends affecting document and
information management in enterprises
of all sizes. These include:
Data proliferation.
IDC points out
that the volume of data received by
businesses increased six-fold in the five
years to 2015 and is set to continue at a
similar rate in the future. The challenge
for businesses is to make sense of all this
data and provide access to it in the most
cost-effective and time-efficient way.
Cost-cutting.
Businesses under pressure
to reduce costs and improve productivity
are continuing to focus on printing as an
area where savings can be made; and
Workforce mobility.
IDC estimates
that by 2018, 75% of employees will be
working from mobile devices at home,
on the road, from business premises or
at customer sites. This creates a critical
need for secure ‘anytime, anywhere’
access to information.
These trends create a number of
challenges for organisations especially
in relation to document access and
security. IDC research shows that
75% of European SMBs have yet to
implement mechanisms for preserving
document security, such as the use of
user IDs, potentially putting data at risk.
IDC argues that smart MFPs can help
overcome these challenges by:
n
printing seamlessly and securely from
all types of mobile device;
n
controlling MFP access with secure
cards or secure PIN codes and delaying
printing until the user ‘releases’ the print
job by swiping their security card or
entering a PIN at the device; and
n
automating diverse processes
to deliver the efficiency gains that
businesses desire. IDC research shows
that 70% of businesses would adopt
business automation tools to increase
employee productivity.
Graham Lowes, Marketing Director
of OKI Systems UK, said: “Businesses
need to keep employees productive by
introducing more effective digitised
workflows, as well as putting the
necessary controls in place to protect
sensitive customer and business
data. There is a clear and pressing
requirement for smart MFPs that help
guard against threats or viruses with
secure printing from mobile devices.”
OKI smart MFPs combine
sophisticated software with advanced
technology to ensure the highest
level of support for printing securely
from tablets and smartphones and for
enhancing productivity by improving
document input, throughput and output
using OKI’s embedded sXP (smart
Extendable Platform).
The white paper states: “Smart MFPs
extend the utilisation of the device to a
customisable digital transformation tool.
They can act as a platform for growth
by providing cost and time-efficient
workflow solutions aligned with, and
in support of, companies’ business
objectives, such as improving compliance
and security while supporting mobility
and cost-cutting initiatives.”
For further information or to receive a
copy of the whitepaper and infographic,
visit
Smart MFPs essential for business efficiency, IDC claims in new white paper
IDC research
shows that
75% of
European
SMBs have yet
to implement
mechanisms
for preserving
document
security
Catalogues and direct mail rebound
The continued appeal of direct mail
and printed catalogues in an age
of multi-channel communications
is highlighted in a new study
by Infotrends,
Direct Marketing
Production Printing &Value-Added
Services: A strategy for growth.
The study identifies a resurgence in
the use of printed catalogues to target
different consumer demographics,
including Millennials, pointing out that
their effectiveness transcends income,
age-group and gender boundaries.
Barb Pellow, Group Director of
InfoTrends Consulting Group, said:
“Catalogues are effective at triggering
online and retail purchases: 62% of
consumers receiving catalogues who made
a purchase within the last three months
were influenced by the catalogue.”
The popularity of printed catalogues
as a marketing medium is not confined
to big brands, but extends to SMEs,
suppliers to niche markets and online
retailers that use them to extend sales
reach and brand awareness.
Another key finding is that direct
marketers continue to see value in direct
mail as a means of driving consumers
online or into retail stores. According to
Infotrends, two-thirds of direct mail is
looked at and over 40% of consumers
have made a purchase in the last three
months in response to a mailpiece.
Despite its effectiveness, Ricoh
Europe warns that direct mail still has
the potential to put off prospective
customers. In a survey of European
consumers, 84% said they were ready to
take action against brands that bombard
them with irrelevant communications.
Two-thirds (65%) of consumers report
feeling less loyal to a brand spamming
with irrelevant information; 63% say
they would spend less; and 57% say they
would stop being a customer completely.
Two thirds of respondents to the
Ricoh survey consider one quarter of
the communications they receive to be
junk. They also complain of poor quality
communications that have caused them
to miss a payment deadline (25%),
created uncertainty about how much is
owed for a service (34%) or made them
miss an offer they were entitled to (39%).
Almost two thirds (64%) think brands
could do more to tailor communications
to their individual circumstances – and
80% would be willing to share personal
data to make this happen, including
occupation, salary, Internet browsing
habits and health records.
There is a shift
away from big
book, general
catalogues
to smaller
titles targeted
at niche
segments
