Loads of businesses opt for an office copier lease over buying new copiers outright these days. It’s not hard to see why. Leasing brings a bunch of benefits – the payments are more manageable, maintenance costs are often included, and you can access high-end models that might usually be beyond the reach of your company’s budget.
If you’re thinking about pursuing an office copier lease like so many others, here are some best practices and top tips to follow before, during, and after your next lease.
Before Taking Out an Office Copier Lease
First, let’s talk about the pre-lease period and what you can do to make sure you enter the right kind of agreement.
Assess Your Needs
Too many companies dive into things like office equipment purchases or lease agreements without taking the time to figure out what they need first. Don’t make the same mistake. Take the time to assess your company’s needs and learn what sort of office copier you’re actually going to need.
Think about the number of staff you have, the number of copies you produce weekly, whether you need a multifunction device that can do scanning and printing, too, and so on.
Know the Market
Learn about how copier lease agreements work and the options available. For example, some leases work on the principle that you essentially pay off the cost of the copier over the lease term, and you have the option to buy it at the end for a nominal ($1) fee. Others don’t offer that same opportunity.
By knowing what options are out there, you’ll have an easier time selecting an office copier lease agreement that suits you best.
Find the Right Partner
There are lots of office copier lease providers. And the last thing you want is to end up signing up on a five-year plan with a firm that doesn’t really meet your needs. So, again, take the time needed to assess your options and compare prices and reputations.
Good firms are honest, up-front, and transparent about pricing, lease agreement details, and what’s included (as well as what isn’t) in each lease. They’ll also be flexible, friendly, and easy to reach when you need them.
During the Lease Period
Next, a look at what to do while your lease is ongoing.
Treat Your Copier With Care
Once you’ve got your new copier in-house and up and running, do your best to look after it. Place it in a smart location with good airflow and easy access for your workers, and train those workers on exactly how to use the new device to avoid overloading it or inducing errors and faults.
Your copier lease agreement may include maintenance cover. That means the provider will cover the costs of any repairs needed. But that’s no reason to treat the device carelessly, as you’ll want to keep it running smoothly and efficiently as much as possible.
Keep Up With Payments
Of course, you’ll want to be keeping up with all relevant monthly payments for your office copier lease, too. Most likely, you’ll set up automated transfers so you don’t have to manually pay each month, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on your accounts and making sure payments are done on time.
This all helps to build business credibility and proves your firm can keep up with its debts and obligations. It also ensures you have a healthy relationship with your lease provider, which may come in handy if you want to negotiate a better deal in the future.
Track Your Usage
As your lease progresses, track how much use you’re getting from your copier. See how many times it has problems that you have to resolve, and find out how employees feel about it – is it just right, or are there complaints about its speed and efficiency?
All this information will help you later on when it comes to deciding on the next logical steps for your business.
When the Office Copier Lease Ends
Finally, some important tips to think about as your lease approaches its end.
Understand Your Options
A lot of leases give you a few options at their conclusion. You can, in some cases, prolong a lease if you’re happy with the copier provided. Others may have an option to buy your copier outright, or some even let you keep the copier at the end with no extra fee needed.
Make sure you’re aware of the options available so you know your rights moving forward.
Assess the Lease
Earlier, we spoke about the importance of tracking your copier usage and monitoring general use statistics and worker opinions on your copier. That information is needed for this step, where you assess how well the lease worked for you.
Weigh up the plus points and the downsides, and think about how much value you got from your device. Was the provider trustworthy and responsive? Or were there issues you want to avoid next time?
Make an Informed Decision
With all the information gathered and assessed about your lease, you can then make a smart, data-driven decision about what to do next. If all goes well, it’s probably an easy choice to make – you can just persist with the same provider and upgrade to a new model.
But, if the lease had issues, you may need to reassess. Consider switching to another lease provider or adjusting the specific sort of copier you get if your prior model wasn’t quite powerful or fast enough or if your firm has grown a lot since then.
Make the Most of Your Copier Lease
An office copier lease is a smart, sensible move for many businesses, but it can also be a frustration and a waste of time and money if you make the wrong moves. Like picking the wrong provider or settling on a copier that doesn’t really work for you.
Avoid those mistakes and follow the best practices above to enjoy the best benefits, and make sure to choose a trusted provider, like Docutrend. Serving the New York, Totowa, Cherry Hill, Edison, and Ft. Washington, we offer multiple office tech solutions. Contact us to learn more.