A smooth business operation requires smoothly functioning office machines. Even if you purchase the best office machines in Anchorage, AK, they can quickly begin to give you problems and gum up the works when not properly maintained. Routine maintenance extends the life of machines, reduces downtime, and ensures efficiency in your office space. Neglect that maintenance, and you’ll be looking at costly repairs and replacements, as well as increased downtime and decreased productivity. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of routine office machine maintenance.
Prolonging the Life of Your Machine
Routine maintenance can significantly extend the life of your office equipment. Regular inspections and servicing from a technician can prevent minor issues from escalating into major (and expensive) problems. For example, keeping printer rollers clean and lubricated prevents paper jams and mechanical wear; this, in turn, keeps the printer running efficiently for a longer period of time. Preventing these kinds of errors prevents major breakdowns later. Machines that are not properly maintained will also fail much sooner than those that get the attention they need. So, by not scheduling those regular maintenance inspections for your office machine, you’re sending it to an early grave—and you’ll be opening up your company wallet that much sooner to buy a replacement.
Reducing Wear and Tear
On a related note, routine maintenance can also reduce the wear and tear that every machine will naturally experience from daily usage—even without issues arising. Regular maintenance like cleaning and lubrication reduces friction, keeping the interior components from overheating and sustaining damage. Even if you don’t experience those paper jams we mentioned above right away, performing these kinds of important, regular maintenance tasks will minimize the wear and tear from every print job on your machine. Less wear and tear means better performance and a longer life for your printer/copier.
Minimizing Repair Costs
Not to put too fine of a point on it, but when you prevent the kinds of errors and wear and tear mentioned above, your machine is going to need far fewer repairs. Unexpected breakdowns can be costly—not only to your company bank account, but to your office productivity as well. While maintaining your printer and copier does have a cost, it’s typically a lot lower than the cost of frequent repairs from neglecting your machine. You can pay less now to keep your machine in good working order, or you can pay more later to patch it up—the choice is yours!
Reducing Downtime
Unexpected printer failures and errors interrupt your employees’ workflows and hinder productivity. Regular maintenance can minimize the odds of these breakdowns by ensuring that your machine is always in proper working order. Just like with your car, a regularly serviced machine is less likely to break down on you, so employees can stay focused on their tasks without the frustrating task of clearing a printer jam, rebooting a printer, and resending their print job to the machine—possibly multiple times.
Improving Print Quality
A printer that isn’t cleaned or maintained will eventually start to churn out dingy, unprofessional prints. Smudges on the glass of your scanner, smears from dirty print rollers, and other types of print errors will become more and more common the longer you allow your machine to go without proper maintenance. Plus, your printer will likely be able to put those professional-looking prints out much more quickly when it’s being serviced regularly. So, you’ll get better prints in less time, all because you gave your office machine the TLC it deserves.
Keeping Employees Happy
While it may sound silly to say that a printer can make your employees happy, try thinking back to a job you had where you didn’t have proper equipment to do the tasks assigned to you. Maybe it was an outdated computer that kept crashing, or perhaps it was a lack of proper landscaping tools for the lawn maintenance you were expected to do. Not giving your employees reliable equipment to help with their daily tasks creates feelings of frustration in the workplace. What’s more, your workers can feel undervalued—like you don’t care enough about the work they do to invest in the equipment they use. By simply maintaining the machines they rely on for their work every day, you can show your employees that you truly do value them and they work that they do.
Protecting Sensitive Information
Modern office machines are miniature computers of their own. Every document that is printed, copied, and scanned can be saved to the printer for a certain period of time. Most of the machines that offer this feature also offer enhanced data security to ensure that information stays safe. However, if you’re not properly maintaining your printer and copier, those security measures could fail. For example, a regular maintenance task might include clearing the printer’s memory of unnecessary information. This prevents unauthorized access to confidential documents that might have important client information on them. If that information is stolen, you put not only your business, but your clients at risk.
Implementing Your Machine Maintenance Program
If you want to reap the benefits of a well maintained office machine, you should implement a structured maintenance program into your office schedule. Designate one employee to complete basic maintenance tasks, like cleaning the scanner’s glass and the printer rollers at regular intervals. Make sure that the employee has a clearly set schedule of when these tasks should be completed.
For more comprehensive, in-depth maintenance tasks, we recommend partnering with the professionals here at Arctic Office Products. In addition to selling high-quality office machines, we also offer maintenance and service packages to keep those machines in top condition, so your office can enjoy the benefits of having a reliable printer and copier around for years to come. Contact us today to learn more about our maintenance services, or stop by our showroom to see some of our Canon office machines in Anchorage, AK.