Easy-to-hire devices prove the ideal way to keep departments productive.
Hamilton Rentals helps a local authority implement a stop-gap MFD rental option that minimises business interruptions for users.
Background
Device Failures Frustrate Users
Responsible for delivering critical public services to businesses and citizens, this local authority needs to ensure its employees are empowered to work as productively as possible.
It’s the reason why work groups and departments across the organisation are equipped with powerful enterprise-class MFDs (multi-functional devices) that can print, scan, copy, fax and more.
However, the Council’s existing 100+ strong fleet of powerful MFDs was fast reaching end-of-life. With failure rates on the up, a growing number of users were reporting problems and extended downtimes on a daily basis.
That meant calls to the help desk were escalating, and workforce productivity was being impacted.
“If a unit went down, up to 50 employees could be affected at any one time,” explains the IT Support Manager. “With servicing issues impacting how quickly units were back online, we needed to find a better way to support the needs of the Council’s workforce.”
The Requirement
Finding the Right Interim Solution
With 12 months to go before the Council kicked-off its tendering process to find a new MFD provider, the IT team needed to find an easy-to-implement stop-gap solution for departments that needed a reliable business-grade all-in-one print device in place right away.
“We were between a rock and a hard place,” explained the IT Support Manager. “We wanted an easy-to-procure interim solution for those departments that couldn’t wait for the formal IT process to complete.”
But that wasn’t the only challenge. The Council’s existing thin client infrastructure meant it was difficult to add new print drivers in an error-free manner. While there were plans to replace this infrastructure in the longer term, for the time being any interim devices sourced had to be compatible with the existing environment.
“We simply didn’t have the resources or time to administer driver conflicts – it was vital our print management team could ensure devices could be easily deployed to the right users,” he continued.
The Solution
Short-Term Rental with Straight Forward Pricing
A short-term rental arrangement proved the ideal interim solution, offering the IT support team an easy-to-purchase resolution that could be flexibly tailored to the individual needs of departments.
“We got in touch with Hamilton Rentals to review the device specifications we were after. They were able to identify which makes and models would work with our existing print drivers and were prepared to offer us a flexible choice of rental durations – from one to three years,” explains the Council’s IT Support Manager.
These rental agreements gave the IT team a fixed and transparent monthly cost that included on-site support and servicing. Departments could then select which rental time-frame that worked best for them, leaving the IT support team to coordinate everything on their behalf.
“Utilising a short-term rental solution from Hamilton Rentals meant we could offer departments a choice of flexible options that would tide them over, alleviating issues around failing devices we’d be unable to replace for at least a year,” he continued.
Hamilton Rentals would take care of everything – from sourcing and delivering new MFDs as directed, to undertaking on-going support and warranty management on behalf of the Council. This ensured that user groups could depend on reliable expert help that would minimise any interruptions without burdening the IT Support Team unnecessarily.
The Outcome
Fast, Hassle-Free Sourcing
Over the next few months, the Council IT Support Team sourced a total of nine high volume MFDs on behalf of various departments.
“Once the agreement was up and running with Hamilton Rentals, the process ran very smoothly,” explains the Council’s IT Support Manager.
“They would procure on our behalf and deliver and set up on site – after which we’d simply assign the device a print queue on the network and get users up and running.”
Communication throughout the process was critical, ensuring the IT Support Team could keep departmental managers up-to-speed with progress and set appropriate expectations.
“Hamilton Rentals were very responsive and kept us informed every step of the way. Unlike some other providers we’ve encountered, they were always accessible – even when a technical hitch with a device meant we needed to get engineers on-site.”
Over the coming months, the ability to rent large work group MFDs meant that the number of user support calls to the help desk were significantly reduced.
Why Hamilton Rentals
The easy-to-procure short-term rental solution proved the ideal resolution for the Council as it prepared to undertake a major tender process for the next generation of MFDs.
“Unlike leasing arrangements, a short-term rental is easy to administrate and totally transparent as far as costs are concerned,” confirms the Council’s IT Support Manager.
“With a flexible choice of fixed end dates, we were able to clearly outline to each department head what the options were so they could make the most appropriate decision for their budgetary needs. There were no per-page charge considerations to worry about, and Hamilton Rentals made sure that support and repairs were included in the up-front rental cost.”
Evaluating the benefits of working with Hamilton Rentals, the Council’s IT Support Manager explores the gains:
“Hamilton Rentals gave us a cost-effective solution that ensured devices could be deployed quickly and easily onto our infrastructure to minimise downtimes for users. Simplifying life for the IT Support team, it gave us a way of addressing a short-term problem without unnecessary expense or onerous terms.”
