Have you ever had that moment where you were listening to a song you had heard a hundred times and then for the first time realized what the lyrics were saying? Or maybe you are one of the people that mistook the lyrics of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, to say “Hold me closer, Tony Danza” instead of “tiny dancer”. Sometimes we get so caught up in the rhythm, catchy choruses and our perceptions that we miss the meaning of the song as a whole.
In the same way, today’s office equipment has generally been misinterpreted. Modern multi-function devices (MFPs) are oftentimes referred to as “copy machines” and are used over and over again for only the basic features they provide. It isn’t that the devices are lacking new features, they are filled with intuitive tools out of the box, but rather that the rhythms of life in the workplace have set a course where routine is associated with comfort and adapting to change is scary.
Why is changing how we view technology procedures scary? Usually, fear thrives when there is not a strategic plan in place for how the organization can benefit and execute new technologies. Change is hard, especially if there is no assurance from training on a personal level. Often times, people would rather keep their same process because they fear being left to figure out a new way on their own.
It is important to partner with vendors you trust and that will not only provide you with valuable insight on what technology is available but also provide the training and support at the individual employee level to make it a reality for your workplace.
Now that you know what to look for to ensure your workplace can adapt to new technologies, let's uncover some potential “hidden” features of your organization’s MFPs.
Access
Assigning pin codes or key card access for users of your devices allows a foundation for security, cost control, and collaborative productivity features. Organizations need to know that their vital documents are secure and that the users accessing them are credentialed. It is important for organizations to have an audit trail created through access protocols along with records of users’ print habits. Individual user activity insights can lead to valuable cost-cutting measures for managers in an organization of any size. Though, potentially the most important feature that access protocols create are the ability for individual users to access their customized workflows and applications such as shared folders, cloud platforms and other collaborative digital outlets. You can learn more about this topic in our blog on workflow integration.
Faxing
In the past, faxing consisted of sending your documents to a fax number, waiting on a confirmation page and hoping that the file size wasn’t too large to send. Or the frustrating result of a busy signal due to high traffic from the other end of the line. This way is still used commonly today even though a more secure, cost-effective, and convenient way exists. Now, you are able to ELIMINATE your additional phone line completely, cutting that monthly cost and in addition, you no longer need a fax board for your device, saving you even more money. We offer solutions that allow you to fax through your computer or MFP in a way that establishes an audit trail of outgoing and incoming documents along with an unlimited file size capability. In short, you can fax from your desk with a more secure procedure and save money!
Scanning to Email
Users that scan to email as their primary scanning procedure are often either using Gmail, Outlook or Office 365 as their mail platform. With Kyocera hardware, you are now able to incorporate both Google and Microsoft applications that allow you to access your individual email account from the device and have any emails you send show up in your sent folder. This provides an additional audit trail and the ability for recipients of the email to reply back to you in a thread.
Cloud Storage
Whether you use personal cloud storage applications like OneDrive, DropBox, or GoogleDrive or you use large scale enterprise cloud solutions, we can help your copier or MFP integrate with them. No longer will you have to scan to your email or desktop and then save to your cloud account. You now will have the capability to sign-in on the device using your credentials and access your personal account. Through this level of access, you will be able to save documents in folders and sub-folders and even retrieve PDFs for printing, all from your device.
Private Print
Have you ever had an instance where you picked up a print job you probably shouldn’t have seen? Or maybe you printed something and then ran to the copier to retrieve it before someone else could see it. These are all too common occurrences in workplaces of all varieties. What most don’t know is that there are private print features that are built into most devices. On all new Kyocera devices, a user can go into printer properties on the print driver and select “private print” from the choices. This feature will prompt for a four-digit code and then send the file to the device. At the device, the user can find the file in the job box located on the home screen under the title private print. After finding their file the user simply enters their four-digit code and then the print job is released.
Private Print Downloadable PDF
These five tips are just a few of the many features available to users of modern MFPs and serve as a simple guideline to unleashing the potential of your devices. Copiers Plus would love the opportunity to walk you through how to incorporate these subtle changes along with additional techniques relevant to your organizational workflows.
