With copier contracts that can span over several years, it can be easy to focus on other initiatives and forget the details of your agreement. This is especially true if you are not in constant communication with your representative regarding how your current equipment is serving your needs or how the pandemic is affecting your organization.
 
Below I will address five areas regarding your contract to make note of to safeguard your business from unexpected financial obligations and adjust to changes that may be needed.

1. Contract End Dates
 
With contracts come end of term requirements. If you forget about your lease end date and then decide you want to make a change a month out, you may have to absorb additional months of payments due to not adhering to the leasing company’s notice period. The notice periods vary, but many have a range of dates requiring no later than 60 days and no earlier than 120 days before the expiration of the lease term.

2. Allowances

Maintenance agreements are often based on allowances for both color and black and white prints. By dictating how many prints of each variety you are allowed for a specified period, you can have a monthly price to adhere to, although that monthly rate can go up if what you are using is above your allowance. If your print volume experiences any drastic changes up or down, it is always a good idea to strategize with your representative on how you can best adjust contractually.

3. Security Features
 
Within every new copier on the market there are standard ways to protect your print jobs and even access to the device all together. With the rise of cyberattacks and compromises taking place across the country, it is important you always understand the options available to you to safeguard your most sensitive documents and data. A conversation with your representative can bring to light the easy steps you can take to make your fleet more secure under your current contract or with an adjustment in scope.

4. Business Insurance Coverage

Your copier contract is usually available to be covered by your business insurance, though if you don’t add it to your coverage, you may be billed by the leasing company for insurance at a premium. This is simply an unnecessary cost that only occurs because people are caught off guard and overlook or don’t understand the process. Address with your representative during negotiations how to add your devices to your insurance policy and always monitor your bill to make sure no unnecessary insurance charges get mistakenly passed along to you.

5. Print Behaviors
 
For companies with many employees and multiple devices, it can be difficult to know how much everyone prints and scans. It is in your best interest to develop a strategy of identifying all the devices with the corresponding users and their usage over certain intervals. Whether it be monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually, if you are aware of the habits of your workplace you will be better equipped to know how to address your actual needs. At Copiers Plus, we offer a complimentary print analysis where we provide this resource to you in an excel spreadsheet along with a cost breakdown of what each print in your office costs so that the leg work is done for you.
 
Work weeks get hectic, and it can be easy to have things like copier contracts be out-of-sight out-of-mind, however, knowing these key points can make sure that you are always prepared when opportunities for adjustments present themselves. If you would like to learn more about how you can better understand your copier contract or what one could look like for your organization, we would love to help! Just reach out to us at 800-648-7081 or via our website to schedule a consultation with one of our representatives.
 
 
Drew Smith currently serves as Director of Communications for Copiers Plus. The company specializes in modernizing office equipment and increasing efficiencies in workplace communications throughout the state of North Carolina. To learn more about how Copiers Plus is providing their customers with innovative document solutions and enhanced printing transparency, visit www.copiers-plus.com. Drew would love to hear from you at [email protected].