Service can be more important than the copier itself. Yes, you heard that right: The service performed on your copier can be (and oftentimes is) more important than your actual copier. Don’t believe me? Well, hear me out.
We here at ClearView Business Solutions have been in the copier business for quite some time now. One thing that we’ve learned is that after a customer signs a contract, service is as important as (if not more important than) the system itself. Your organization can have the fanciest, sleekest, most gleaming multi-function copier, but if a service technician can’t fix it…then that’s a shame.
Without adequate service, even the best office copier in the world will struggle to function, at least once. The total cost of working with a copier deal includes the amount of service required and their service rate.
Our goal with this article is to provide honesty around dealer service rates and the other aspects of service that you care about.
Do most copier dealers’ service rates increase?
Generally speaking: Yes. Most dealers’ service rates increase by 10 percent annually. Annual increases in service rates are mostly due to inflation. Just like other goods and services become more expensive over time, so, too, do your copiers’ service rates.
How do I minimize copier service costs?
Now that you know the reality about increasing copier service rates, you might be wondering how your organization can minimize all costs in this department. Wonder no more.
Here are some common things you can do to not have to pay for copier service. Check out some quick fixes to some common issues:
- Paper jam
Ah yes, the classic paper jam. It’s quite common and quite easy to fix. If your copier’s experiencing a paper jam, here’s why. You either have an overloaded paper tray, you used the wrong paper or your paper’s damp.
- If your paper tray’s overloaded, then simply use less paper. Copier users overload the copier’s paper tray because they think they’re being more efficient. They think they’ll save themselves the time and effort of reloading the paper tray later if they overstock it now. They’re wrong. When a paper jam occurs because the tray was overloaded, the time and effort spent resolving the paper jam exceed the time and effort required to simply restock the paper tray after the correct supply of paper runs out.
- Incorrect paper is another common cause of a paper jam. Oftentimes, copier users can load a tray with heavy stock paper, which is the wrong weight for whatever’s being copied or printed. To prevent these kinds of paper jams, ensure that your copier can actually hold thick paper. If it can’t, then the copier’s rollers could be altered, so then paper doesn’t pass through the machine properly. That’s when the paper gets in a jam.
- Finally, damp paper is frequently a reason that paper jams. Make sure your paper’s dry.
- Black lines
No, not blurred lines: black lines. Black lines on copies, that is. If you’re getting these, then you need to clean the scan glass on your copier. Grab a lint-free towel and cleaning solution. If you don’t have any such solution, then pick some up from a supply store. If you don’t want to do that, then use alcohol. Whatever you do, don’t use an ammonia-based cleaning solution (it’s bad for the film on the glass). Black lines form when an original document passes over a white mark, pen mark, speck of dust or any other debris that makes the scan glass unclean.
- Error message
Copiers are a lot like computers. What do you do when your computer freezes? Do you repeatedly mash Control-Alt-Delete? Or do you restart the computer? I’m no expert, but I recommend restarting it, and it just so happens that the advice for a freezing copier is the same.
If your copier froze, restart it. Power it off, then be sure to unplug it. Plug it back in then watch the error message disappear. Voila!
- Billing cycle
Choosing the correct billing cycle for your service contract is important. You need to choose whether you want to be billed monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. Your service contract is determined by the print and copy volume for the billing cycle.
If, for example, you work for a school, then your school might want to consider a quarterly billing cycle. During the summer billing cycle (when school is out of session), you can minimize service expenses by choosing to be billed only for that cycle. You won’t have to pay much for that cycle since you didn’t do much printing or copying.
When should I care about service rates?
Your organization should not delay in taking action to save money on its copier service. Chances are that if you’ve made it this far in the article, then you either currently have a copier lease or are about to have a new one. You might have learned a few tricks from this article that make it so that you don’t have to call a copier dealer for every issue.
Decide how you can minimize copier service costs before you sign a copier lease and service agreement. If you want to save money on copier service, you should know right away how much you need to pay for.
No matter where you are, if your organization thinks it could use professional, timely service for your copier, or if you’re just interested in more information about copier service rates in Florida, then give ClearView Business Solutions a call at (844) 282-2737.
