News / What's happening at System One

    System One's guide to the office Christmas party

    Tis the season to be jolly, so instead of telling you how great our RICOH multi-purpose print devices are or why our support team and customer care is second to none, we are going to give you some advice to steer you through the holiday season.  Focusing specifically on that seasonal pinnacle of high jinx in the office:

    The office Christmas party - some look forward to the free booze, silly games and the opportunity to flirt with Dave in finance.  Others hate it, for after a few festive snifters, they are routinely cornered by maudlin Mary, bemoaning why she's always passed over for promotion. 

    Either way the potential for disaster always looms large when it comes to fuelling the office-gossip fire.

    Singletons are most at risk of embarrassment with the lethal combination of too much cheap fizz and the inappropriate dangling of mistletoe.  But here are the important NO-GOs that all us should avoid:

    1. Wearing a ‘sexy' Santa costume

    These are not sexy. The LBD is a classic for a reason, so stick to what you know. If you are male - Santa outfit! - what on earth were you thinking?  Someone would sit on your knee?  Too creepy by half.

    2. Flirting with the CEO/your line manager

    I'm sure after a few drinks you think you're coming across as ever-so-charming, but do resist. They're most likely married, and will usually stay more sober than everyone else. There is a 90% chance you will be slurring, which while having the benefit that none will understand your ramblings, its still a bad look all the same.    

    3. Placing mistletoe on or around your ‘erogenous zones'

    Just no. A few sprigs tucked in the zipper of your suit pants or between your cleavage is not in any way alluring, and if it works with anyone, it will be spotty Jimmy the intern.  And no one wants to wake up to that.

    4. Asking for a pay rise

    Drunken ranting about how you work far harder than Sophie in the accounts department is not acceptable. Plus even if you manage to win the boss over, they'll probably have forgotten by the morning.

    5. Photocopying your bum/boobs/other unmentionables

    One of those things that seems really funny in movies, but actually is more difficult to execute than you'd think. Photocopiers and printers are much higher up than you expect, so it has to be a team effort, which kind of ends up looking like a copy room orgy on the CCTV.

    6. The ‘Christmas' kiss

    Do resist the temptation to down one too many J-bombs before setting yourself upon anyone vaguely attentive.  Regardless of whether it's Christmas or not:  if you are married, the person you wan to snog is married or your boss (see point 2)  it will still be highly inappropriate, and you will be the source of water cooler laughter until at least Easter.

    7. Chicken out of going for it

    That said, if you've liked someone for ages, they are a free agent and you've never had the guts to declare your feelings, then just go for it. Use Tim from The Office as your inspiration. The worst that can happen is they'll say no, but the Christmas break will give them (and you) time to forget about it and move on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

    8. Inviting someone you've only just started dating to the party

     

    This is an intense situation, the booze will be flowing, and you'll be surprised by how much dirt your colleagues can and will dish on you, especially when inebriated. Revoke the invite, and take them to a Christmas market another night instead.

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    The importance of putting customers first

    It is well recognized that if firms want to succeed and beat the competition, customer service is key to achieving this. Even Michael Leary has done a U-turn on customer service, stating 'We should have been nicer to customers earlier than we have been'.  However, it's one thing to tell the world ‘we offer great customer service', but it's a different thing entirely to actually deliver it - all the time, to the same level, regardless of whatever else is happening your business.

    Here at System One we believe good customer service is an intrinsic part of a company's DNA.  For the past 20 years, it is what has differentiated us from our competitors and ensures that our customer retention is second to none.

    It's also important to underscore that good support is paramount to any technology-driven services company.  When your email server fails, or your printer breaks down, you need to be confident that you have the right people at the other end of the phone and, if necessary, on site.

    System One's support plans are flexible, so that you can receive the level of service that is right for you.  We also offer bespoke service packages, where required, for individual customers.  Please call our support team for further information.

    In addition, our Print Audit offers remote toner ordering & automatic accurate usage readings.  This service means that our invoicing always reflects exactly what has been used and also reduces your staff's involvement in monitoring stock levels, allowing them to focus on their individual responsibilities and thereby add more value to your business.

    We'd be happy to talk through your requirements against the support services we offer - from pay by the hour to the outsourcing of infrastructure costs - and can provide a free, no obligation, review of your businesses IT systems.

    Call us today on 01279 602702 to identify the solution that is right for you. 

    We can also provide all of the below:

    • MFD's (multi-functional devices)
    • Photocopiers
    • Laser Printers
    • Document management Software
    • MPS (Managed Print Services)
    • IT Hardware & Support

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    System One: leaders of the print pack

    The print industry, more than many others, needs to embrace technological innovation.  Whilst it's clearly not true, as we sometimes hear, that ‘print is dead', it can quickly become the case for print supplier's whose devices and services are not meeting the marketplace's requirements.

     

    A recent study from MIT Sloan Management underscored this in concluding that most companies now face a digital imperative: adopt new technologies effectively or face competitive obsolescence. This is especially significant in the light of technology advances where the rate of change has nearly eclipsed our ability to teach and train for it.

     

    The reason System One chose Ricoh as their main partner was because of their forward-looking approach to technology. Ricoh's simple strapline ‘Imagine. Change.' expresses their appetite for innovation, as well as industry leadership in delivering what is required in the here and now.

     

    In turn, System One have lead the way in transferring the benefits of Ricoh's technology to its customers.  A prime example is in the three-tiered billing model, devised by System One, which allows end users to recognize and reduce toner coverage on certain types of printed documents.  System One was the first Ricoh supplier to pass the benefits of this solution, which include colour printing as low as 2.75p, onto its customers.  Having tested the billing system in the field, across a range of industries, we are regularly seeing delighted customers report cost savings of up to 35%.

     

    It is not just Ricoh's leadership in technology and innovation that saw us partner with them.  We also chose Ricoh because of their investment in the education of all their partners, so that their technology is used to maximum effect in the field by end users. All of our System One technicians receive comprehensive and up to the minute training from Ricoh, so we can ensure that clients get the most out of their machines.

     

    No only were System One the first print supplier to roll out the benefits of the Ricoh three tiered billing system to our clients, we also offer a comprehensive print audit free of charge.  This allows existing and potential clients to examine how they can implement Ricoh technology and System One's print managed service options in order to save their businesses' time, money and trees.  It's this commitment to putting our customers first, and seeking out new ways to add value to their business, that provides us with competitive advantage and carves out our leading position in the industry.  We work on the basis that if our customers are productive and efficient, then it's a win-win situation for them and us.

     

    As a UK leader in the supply of managed print solutions and service support System One can create a customised, value for money solution to meet your specific company requirements.  Call us today to see how we can boost your print productivity and reduce your costs.

     

     

     

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    The Benefits of Print Managed Services

    What is "managed print services" (MPS)? The definition for managed print services is broad, but the end result is simple: gaining visibility and control of your printing, which helps you save money and boost productivity. Managed print also helps you improve environmental sustainability and document security.

     What System One Can Do for You:

    At its most basic level MPS (Managed Print Services) will be a combination of hardware, software and service support that improves your company's print facilities and helps reduce associated costs. Independent market statistics indicate that customers introducing MPS are likely to see cost reductions as high as 30%.

    System One's focus on supporting end-users and effectively managing change, means we can make long-term improvements to your document processing and business efficiency. Through on-site and off-site services, we help streamline and manage your entire document environment, and you benefit from just one point of contact. 

    So specifically what are the benefits to be gained:

     

    • Fleet Management
    • Low Total Cost of Ownership
    • Single point of contact
    • Centralized billing
    • Flexible terms & contract lengths

     

    Backed by Ricoh, working with System One enables clients to scale their business up (or down) by adapting solutions from local to global coverage, from Distributed Print Services to Central Reprographics Departments.  This way IT and Operations professionals can focus on running their business while we make sure that you have maximum productivity for all printing and document handling across the organization.  System One's Print Managed Services offer more benefits than ever before and leaving you focused to achieve your companies' goals.

    Call us today on 01279 602702 to identify the solution to your printing concern or for a free print audit.

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    Guaranteed print efficiencies: Book a free print audit now

    At System One we understand the multifaceted and unique problems that businesses face when they rely on numerous printers and multifunctional devices (MFDs) as part of their day-to-day operations.  Many organisations acquire their print, faxing and copier devices organically, over a period of many years, and from a variety of suppliers.  This can lead to inefficiency in a number of forms including the incompatibility of the devices themselves, to relying on multiple disparate suppliers for maintenance and consumables such as toner and ink cartridges - this causes extra work and reduces the opportunity for economies of scale. 

    Another source of inefficiency we see is companies who stockpile thousands and sometimes even tens of thousands of pounds worth of expensive toner, for fear of running out. Often that money could be working for the organization better in terms of available cash-flow and additionally the toner cartridges are often not kept in optimum conditions or go out of date and then are completely wasted.

     To help businesses streamline their in-house print capabilities, System One offer organisations a free print audit.  Undertaken by one of our experienced print management consultants, the purpose of the print audit is to determine how efficient your office print function is in terms of usability, economic performance and environmental impact.  We will review areas for potential saving such as toner costs, through implementing remote stock check software and automated replacement systems.

    Our print audit process is quick and hassle free. 

    Here are the steps we undertake:

    Review: We undertake a physical audit of your fleet to determine the number of devices in use and their respective volumes and running costs.  Our consultant will also collect information from key users on the types of documents they are producing and any specific unmet-requirements they may have

    Reporting Our Findings: System One's Audit Report will provide full details on your entire fleet and give you an accurate situation analysis of your current print and toner running costs across your organization.

    Our Recommendations: Based on our findings we will advise on the most effective positioning, service levels and deployment of new and retained devices.

    This may involve phasing out expensive and inefficient desktop machines, reducing the number of consumables in use, moving devices to strategic locations for optimum usage and recommending the use of rules and routing to control and monitor output.

    Both IT professionals and facilities managers are regularly blown away by the advanced technological capability and usability of their new fleet. Additionally it is not unusual for those new clients, after having received their print audit report and implementing our print management solutions, to experience savings in excess of 30%.

    Book a free 'Print Audit' and see how System One can save you time, money, and reduce your impact on the environment. Call 01279 602702 or complete our contact us form.

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    5 top tips to saving trees and saving your company money

    At System One we are always looking at ways to save businesses time and money. We also pride ourselves on helping companies reduce their impact on the environment.

    Research shows that generally people want to do the right thing but due to today's busy 'always online' culture they struggle to make the right choices when it come to the crunch.

    What really helps is having what we call a 'nudge' - a small reminder, with some quick tips on how to make a small but positive changes. This is why we have created a set of the "5 top tips to saving trees and saving your company money". Print this off and post it next to your printer and you will not only reduce your paper and toner wastage costs, you will be doing something great for the environment.

    As we mentioned, System One prides itself on helping customers reduce their print running costs. One unique way we do that of is through our 3 Tiered Billing System. As an example, this means a Ricoh MFD will determine the required toner coverage when a user prints a document and bill this accordingly, based on the 3 tiered billing method: 0-10% @ 2.95p / 11-30% @ 4p / 31% and above @ 5p

    To read about how we saved the YMCA 40% off their print costs using the 3 tiered billing system click here.

    Remember to print off our A4 poster and put it up next to your print devices - print this one sheet is guaranteed to save you money and the planet trees.

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    Dynamic law firm invests in new secure System One printer fleet

    Tees Law are a major regional law firm with offices in Bishops Stortford, Cambridge, Chelmsford and Saffron Walden.  Their expansionist ethos has seen recent mergers in Northampton, Cambridge and Chelmsford.  To support this ambitious growth and their commitment to innovation, the business has consulted with System One to find a next generation solution for a highly secure, print anywhere, fleet of multifunctional-print devices.

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    Make a 40% saving on your office printing - see how the YMCA did!

    One YMCA group made up to 40% savings on their office print costs – now so can you!

    The YMCA have recently engaged System One to review their printing requirements and in doing so have saved between 35-40% on their annual print cost.  According to recent research organisations, large and small, regularly underestimate their annual printing budget by up to 60%.  In these tight economic times it’s important to run your business as efficiently as possible – to find out how we provided such significant savings for the YMCA, read on……


     

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    How to choose a new office printer – The Which Printer? Infographic

    Need a new printing device but confused by all the different options?  Our System One infographic outlines the 5 key considerations when choosing a multipurpose print device.  We also highlight some of the reasons you could be spending more on printing than you need to.

    One way of reducing your ink costs could be using our unique 3 tiered billing system which enables System One customers to make massive savings, with A4 colour printing as low as 2.95p per sheet.

    We also highlight the features from four different print devices to demonstrate the capabilities on offer from the System One RICOH range. 

     

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    Print still has an important place in a digital workplace

    Recent research conducted by Great Guns Marketing reveals that whilst we are most definitely working in a digital world, print still holds its own in some important areas.

    Business professionals were asked a series of questions and their answers demonstrated that printed materials were preferred for ease of interpreting business information, checking and proof reading important documents and especially for evaluating proposals.

    55% of respondents said that they found information easier to take in when printed and the same again when reviewing work of their team workers, compared with only 18% on screen.

    If you are an organisation that regularly creates pitch documents to win business, the case for taking a hard copy of your proposal as well as a USB stick is compelling, given that 63% of respondents said they preferred to evaluate proposals in hard copy.  The reasons given included being able to annotate the hard copy, being able to pass annotated copies to team members for their comments and having a marked up hard copy gave the decision maker more confidence they hadn’t missed anything.

    It seems that whether you would like your employees to be able to assimilate information faster, or whether you want to present your business proposals for key clients in their most useful form, ensuring that your workplace print and copy facilities are meeting requirements should be top of any Facilities or Office Manager's agenda.

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