Purchasing or leasing the right copier is an important task for any business. While finding a quality copier at a good value is important, many businesses overlook their copier vendor.
Too often, businesses buy copier equipment, never to hear from the company they purchased it from again. Your vendor should be available with staff, locations, and resources to take care of your needs and ensure that you are getting the most for your money. With that in mind, here are 10 things you should consider when selecting a copier vendor.
#1 Do They Have The Infrastructure to Support Your Business Locally?
It may not be obvious to all potential buyers, but one of the most important considerations when selecting a copier vendor is whether they have the infrastructure to support your business locally. Do they have locations near you? How long would it take a service technician to get to your office and resolve a copier issue? It’s important that they not only have locations near you, but also have an adequate team working in those locations, and a warehouse to stock parts and supplies onsite.
#2 Do They Provide Free Setup & Installation?
By all means, make sure your potential vendor has a physical location and will not be shipping you a boxed copier for you to figure out. Copiers are complex machines, so installing and setting them up is always best left to the experts. If you are considering a vendor that will not provide this service to you, it is safe to assume they will not be able to meet your other basic copier needs.
#3 Do They Offer Free Supply Delivery?
Sure you can pick supplies up yourself, but don’t you have more important work to do? Look for a copier vendor that provides free supply delivery. This will save your business time and money.
#4 Do They Provide Free Product Training?
Did you know most copier users only know how to use a small portion of the available features? It’s perfectly reasonable that any business would want the most features for their money, but are they really benefiting your business if they aren’t being used to their full potential? Finding a vendor that offers free product training is a must. Throughout the life of your copier your needs may change, or even your users. A good vendor will provide ongoing training on products purchased from them, to anyone in your office who needs it, at any time.
#5 What Financing Options Are Available?
Purchasing copier equipment outright isn’t the best option for every business. Leasing can allow your business to keep capital available for other things, and give you the opportunity to upgrade as you grow. A vendor that is able to provide leasing options to your business can make a big difference to your bottom line.
#6 Do They Have Factory-trained Service Technicians on Hand?
Will you need copier service? The answer is always yes. Copiers are similar to cars because they require upkeep to run smoothly, so even if your copier never “breaks down,” you can be sure you will need the occasional cleaning, part replacement, color calibration, etc. A friendly, local, factory-trained copier technician can make all the difference to your business. Whether it simply prevents you from experiencing down-time, or gets you back up and running after an error, you’ll have peace of mind when your vendor is able to provide good service.
#7 Do They Offer Maintenance Contracts?
A Maintenance Contract is a great way to keep your copier’s service and supply costs low. Generally a Maintenance Contract is an agreement to pay a certain amount monthly in exchange for included maintenance, repairs, parts, and even toner supplies. This makes the cost of owning your copier more predictable, allowing your business to better plan for the future.
#8 Do They Have a Guarantee?
What happens if you purchase a copier you hate? What if you’re unsatisfied with the product you got, or it doesn’t work as promised? In some cases, you could be out of luck, but if you choose a vendor with a Satisfaction Guarantee, they may be able to replace it with something that better meets your expectations.
#9 Do They Offer Other Products/Services Your Business Needs?
Running a business is hard enough without having to use a different vendor for each of your needs. See if you can find a copier vendor that offers other products and services you need. The more you can consolidate vendors, the more streamlined your business will be – so you can focus on other priorities.
#10 Do They Have Good Reviews?
There’s no better way to determine whether a potential vendor can “walk the walk” than a quick read through their Google reviews. If they have very few reviews or no reviews, this should be cause for concern as you are forced to take their word for it when it comes to their qualifications. If a potential vendor has lots of reviews that are less than impressive, definitely look elsewhere. On the other hand, if a potential vendor has many positive customer reviews, you know you don’t have to risk a bad experience by choosing them.
