Overcoming users' printer frustrations
Frustration is a fact of life, but we have a choice on how to deal with it. Unluckily for some, that means blowing a fuse no matter what; and luckily for others, letting rationality and coping mechanisms take over.
The famous and parodied fax machine mugging scene in the cult classic Office Space (Credit: Steve McCutchen)
The printer fleet in your office, the underappreciated utilitarian workhorses of tech gear, needn’t be a source of agony for end users, and it’s a surprise that it is.
Before I go any further, I know what you’re thinking. Frustration goes hand in hand with some of these complex feature-laden devices making them non-intuitive. Plus display gibberish like, “PC LOAD LETTER” can only fuel fires.
Still, IT or office managers can do more to educate end users on how to use document tools, rather than leaving it up to the office geek or a busy administrative assistant to step in during times of crisis.
Think about it. How many jobs have you had that provided a quick and dirty orientation for the fax/copy/print devices when you came on board? Maybe something like zilch? Ok, then at least Include easy-to-find manual excerpts or tips on the company’s intranet? Maybe a few, or still nada?
Today’s thinking is that if you do white collar work then proficiency with all the gear around you is supposedly second nature, but it isn’t. So take some time to explain useful stuff like to how to set up a default printer, find them on the network, find and change a toner cartridge, set the right paper settings, etc.
Hooking up your team with general printing tips and tricks every now and then could keep usage smart and efficient, and costs down. And if you do all that, you’ll drastically decrease the chances of someone needlessly going ballistic over office equipment.
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Doc
ZDNet introduces Doc (The DocuMentor), sponsored by RICOH. Through his blog, Doc will educate you about Document Management. So who is Doc? Doc is something of an enigma. He was born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer who some believe was running covert operations for shadowy corporate interests. Doc grew up in various locations in the United States, although no one seems to know precisely where, least of all Doc. His early schooling was unremarkable except for the time he was caught trying to replace all the mimeograph machines with high-tech color copiers that had mysteriously disappeared from a shipment to Albania. At MIT, he made a name for himself by transforming a large printer into a robot that hunts and eats Roombas. Professionally, he reportedly has seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone. Some say his obsession with paper, printing, and mechanical movement was either started by, or evidenced by, a traumatic childhood episode when he crawled inside an old Xerox 2400 and tried to print himself.
Anyway, Doc has hands on experience with stuff like printer maintenance and fleet management, but his mastery of document management leaves no stone unturned. Important issues like sustainability, security, and regulatory compliance are top of mind for Doc, as are other business technology needs like networking and IT services, making him a true blue IT renaissance man.
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Related Links
- New White paper: Managed Print Services and Beyond: How You Can Cut Costs and Go Green While Increasing Employee Productivity
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