Whether you’re a solo practitioner or an attorney with a mega-law firm, someone is paying the costs of printing. It could be a charge expensed back to clients or one the lawyer simply incurs without seeking to recoup it, but it’s still there.
Because of that, an ever-increasing number of law firms are hiring print management partners whose responsibility it is to help the legal entity reduce costs associated with printing. Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter in Columbus, Ohio is an example of a large law firm that has partnered with print management companies for more than two decades.
When Jennifer A.M. Rosengrant, the firm’s Director of Facilities and Operations, took over that position 21years ago, she inherited a print management system that had already been in place for nearly five years. She maintained the status quo while realizing, over the years, she wasn’t receiving the type of personal service she sought from a print management partner.
The firm was working with a national company with a local outpost in Columbus, but for several reasons, including personnel turnover at that company, the level of service they were providing declined, at least in Rosengrant’s estimation. As fate would have it, a representative of The Data House, a family-owned and Columbus-based print management company, approached Rosengrant four year ago to gauge her interest in hiring them for the job instead. After speaking with Sean Allen, the president and co-owner of The Data House, Rosengrant made the switch.
“Sean really seemed to want to understand what our firm’s printing needs were, and he took the time to listen. I explained what we had enjoyed during the early years of the 21 we had been with our prior provider, and emphasized we were really looking for that connection again,” she says.
When Allen submitted a price quote for the services his company would provide Kegler Brown, Rosengrant was thrilled. “He came back with pricing that was so competitive that coupling those cost savings with the benefits of working one-on-one with them, it was a no-brainer. We like the Mom and Pop feel of working with The Data House,” Rosengrant says. “From then on, what they do is help us manage our printing needs.”
And when Rosengrant speaks about Kegler Brown’s printing needs, she is not even referring to the copying of documents. The firm, which employs upwards of 150 people in its Columbus office, including lawyers, paralegals and support staff, has 60 desk printers of various sizes and outputs to accommodate their printing needs. That figure does not include the ten additional copiers the firm uses as those are not part of the service contract Kegler Brown has with The Data House.
Rosengrant says the firm has enjoyed incredible savings since hiring The Data House, and that’s primarily on toner alone. “If we were to buy toner on our own, we would spend between $50,000 to $75,000 a year,” she says. On top of that, cost are the expenses associated with charging someone at the firm with the responsibility of ordering toner cartridges on a timely basis, stocking them upon delivery and then removing and recycling the used cartridges.
Instead, when she sees a need for new toner, Rosengrant merely emails Allen to let him know what’s needed. He or another member of his team personally deliver and restock new toner cartridges while removing the old ones. They will also install them, if asked, but usually someone at the firm takes care of that.
For his part, Allen is a second generation owner of The Data House. His parents started the company in 1970 and he and his two siblings bought it from them in 2002. However, with the advent of technology and the changing needs of companies with evolving printing needs, Allen led his company through transitions to meet those needs. “I hope offices understand and control their printing costs," he says. "The more heavily a business relies on paper and paper work processes, the more we can help them. Most people don’t understand or realize how much they spend on printing and its associated costs.”
At the initial meeting with prospective clients, Allen asks about the company’s goals when it comes to printing. For example, he asks if the client wants to save money on their printing processes, use faster machines or perhaps learn how to bill printing costs back to clients in a fair manner. Based on what was gleaned from those conversations, The Data House “puts a data collection agent on the client’s devices, which includes anything that makes a mark on paper, including printers and machines that help create discovery materials, for example,” Allen says.
Then Allen’s team attaches a device to gauge what the client has as far as printers, then return 30 days later to establish a median print usage report. Plans and costs are then determined as to how best The Data House can help the prospective client meet their desired goals. “If you are doing business the same way you did five years ago, you probably aren’t maximizing the cost savings you could enjoy by knowing the true costs of printing,” Allen says.
One important tip he offers lawyers seeking to decrease their printing costs is not to buy anything until the firm’s printing needs undergo a cost-analysis. “The inside scoop on the (printing) industry is that a lease is the best way to control your customer," he says. Therefore, beware of getting locked in."
He suggests reading copier leases carefully before signing one. It’s important to know how to terminate the relationship once the lease expires and also to ensure the lease does not auto-renew, he says.
Moreover, it is important to recognize that leases between businesses are not controlled by the same regulations enjoyed by contracts between individuals and businesses. Meanwhile, Allen isn’t the only person touting the importance of regulating printing costs. According to the research firm The Gartner Group, printing is the single biggest expense that is not tracked.
“In most operations, all expenses are tracked but surprisingly, not printing," Allen says. "If it’s not being measured, the costs associated with printing can’t be reduced.” Rosengrant says she can vouch for that. Since hiring The Data House for Kegler Brown’s printing needs, her firm has regularly enjoyed a cost savings averaging $7,000 per year. “That is on toner alone,” she says.
Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer.