Remote work has gone from an occasional perk to the new normal in the space of a year — and the trend is showing no sign of fizzling out. As a flood of employees leave their cubicles and offices for the calmer, greener pastures of home, business productivity is climbing.
In fact, some theorize that an employee could work one-third their normal schedule and still get the same amount of work done. While that formula is a win-win for both employers and their staffs, smart managers are looking for even more ways to amplify that productivity further.
The most sensible approach to jumpstarting remote worker productivity is to make sure they have the appropriate tools to accomplish their daily tasks — and office equipment is high on that list. No matter how digital the business world has become, an office printer is still the workhorse of any office space.
Providing your remote staff with options to increase their productivity through smart printers and print functionality can help keep output high and frustration low.
Print Options to Amplify Productivity for Your Remote Staff
Not every employee does the same job, so they don’t all need the same tools. Understanding how your remote staff functions — and helping them to function more efficiently — is the first step toward optimizing your remote print environment.
Today’s print-oriented technologies have made that task easier. Here are just a few ways you can leverage that power to take your remote workforce to the next level:
The new breed of office printer coupled with a smart print management program, can bring high productivity to the remote office while reducing waste and costs.
Subscription-based auto-replenishment services automatically detects low ink supplies and sends replacement cartridges by mail so the employee never has to leave home — and never experiences an ink shortage.
Using native technology, employees can print from their mobile devices to any enabled remote printer so their print jobs will be ready when — and where — they are. Cloud services amplify security and reduce waste by not releasing print jobs until an authorized user is at the printer.
Print management can help you gain visibility into the needs of your remote staff by tracking their print usage. Usage reveals more than just how many pages an employee prints each day — it provides deep insight into the type of documents they typically output.
Understanding document type can broaden your understanding of the equipment needed for that particular staff member. An employee that prints full-color plans, drawings, brochures, and flyers will need a different printer than those that print contracts, invoices, or other simple, black-and-white documents.
Volume counts, too. Why waste precious capital resources on a high-volume printer if your employee only prints a few pages each day. Or conversely, if your employee is printing out large numbers of pages, their productivity will greatly benefit from a printer with faster speeds and a higher capacity output.
Remote work is not just for employees that live in the vicinity of the mail office. Now, you can hire talent anywhere — in your state, around the nation, or across the world. However, sometimes these geographically-scattered staff members need printed materials — either to represent your company in their local area or to interface with third-party partners or subconsultants.
With the cost of postage on the rise, sending these items by mail is a losing proposition. With digital files and a high-quality printer, however, you can reduce your mailing costs, speed up the process of getting hard copies into your employees’ hands, and help productivity soar.
Virginia Business Systems Has Your Remote Team Covered
At Virginia Business Systems (VBS), we have curated all the tools you need to keep your remote team productive and to manage costs efficiently.
From cloud services to foster faster and more secure communications, to print management solutions for better insight and cost-savings, to the widest range of printers — we have the most complete selection of remote-savvy technologies to serve you and your remote team.
Amplify the productivity of your remote staff — and save money in the process. Contact VBS today and discover how we can help you optimize your remote print environment today.