How printer supplies are managed in 3manager
Thanks for stopping by to check out how 3manager MPS software can help with printer supplies management. Our goal is to provide you with an easy solution, boost productivity by using automation, and reduce maintenance to a minimum.
Got 1,5 minutes? We made this intro video for you.
Managing Effortlessly
In today's fast-paced world, spending time on lengthy guides or relying on a superuser is outdated.
Modern software should be straightforward and user-friendly. We design our software with everyday use in mind, catering to a diverse range of busy professionals.
To demonstrate our efficiency, setting up a supply ordering report in 3manager is a breeze. It takes under a minute to combine days-left tracking and bulk ordering, optimizing logistics and cutting costs.
We added business automation and intelligence to the supplies ordering reports!
Business Intelligence (BI) and automation are not just marketing buzz words at 3manager.
Implementing BI/automation in your daily work will boost the productivity of your supplies management.
Example 1:
How do you avoid sending duplicate orderings to the same client, even though the printer thinks it’s a correct alert?
Answer:
You do that by using data-driven analytics to clean bad data from good data. In this way, you eliminate shaken bottle syndromes and false reporting from devices.
Example 2:
What if the client suddenly starts printing a lot on printer, making the traditional 20% trigger level low and sending the order too late?
Answer:
By using a data-driven approach, the time for optimal ordering will always be based on the actual usage and trends, not just a simple meter read “Toner is now below 20%, let’s order".
In short, your supplies management system needs to be intelligent and adaptive. However, without defined processes, no automation will work. To get this to work, you also need to have your processes in good shape.
You don’t have to do things over & over again with 3manager.
Configuring the same issue repeatedly is not only a waste of time, but also frustrating. The risk of making errors increases with the number of clients you have.
Imagine you could have a supplies ordering report that automatically includes all the relevant devices from your account.
The only thing you would need to do on the account is to decide - if you should manage the device, or if it’s a competitor device you want to include in a print audit.
Either way, 3manager can be configured on what we call a top-level, so you don’t have to think about doing anything on the account level.
Recommandation: Challenge the current internal processes to get even more out of 3manager MPS software. Can you streamline processes to reduce time consumption?
Frequently Asked Questions
When are supplies ordered?
The default configuration is when the toner reaches 20% or less than 15 days estimated end of life. This is configurable, and you can add your own rules.
Toners with more than 90 days left before running empty are by default ignored, so toners are not sent too early, resulting in a higher toner replacement waste. Days left can be deactivated if you prefer working with the good old lists of high, medium and low ordering profiles.
Can I have multiple reports?
Yes, you can have as many as you would like. We recommend having these on a top-level, but you can also decide to have one per account level. Whatever fits your internal processes the best.
Can I change the part numbers?
Managing part numbers can be complex and time-consuming and often needs ongoing maintenance. The biggest challenge is which part number to use.
Some work with original part numbers, others non-original or internal SKU numbers.
Luckily this can be managed with ease in 3manager. On the top level, filter out the models of interest and add the part number you need for orderings.
This works on the top and account levels, meaning you can have multiple part numbers for the same toner on different accounts if needed.
How do you manage shaken bottles or false toner level reporting?
This is where data-driven analytics enters the room. At 3manager, we have a massive data stream as frequent as every 15 minute. Some would say, "why not just have a few readings per day".
Our response is: "Because you can't validate or clean data based on such a little amount of data, you need more data to make the best decisions".
So when a toner suddenly jumps to 100% or claims it full, we don't believe it by default. If it drops suddenly, we don't believe it either until we have validated the level with our logics.
We just need to face that it's not possible to trust the toner levels blindly as they can have errors resulting in multiple orderings and increased expenses.
How to send orders in bulk to reduce logistics costs?
Sending toners to the same client multiple times per week is a waste of logistics costs and time. This can be reduced by utilising the bulk ordering option.
By default 3manager will include supplies within a 5% reach, meaning if your trigger level is 20%, it will include anything within a 5% range unless it has more than 90 days left.
The bulk ordering option respects addresses even on department level.
How do you manage shaken bottles or false toner level reporting?
This is where data-driven analytics enters the room. At 3manager, we have a massive data stream as frequent as every 15 minute. Some would say, "why not just have a few readings per day".
Our response is: "Because you can't validate or clean data based on such a little amount of data, you need more data to make the best decisions".
So when a toner suddenly jumps to 100% or claims it full, we don't believe it by default. If it drops suddenly, we don't believe it either until we have validated the level with our logics.
We just need to face that it's not possible to trust the toner levels blindly as they can have errors resulting in multiple orderings and increased expenses.
How to send orders in bulk to reduce logistics costs?
Sending toners to the same client multiple times per week is a waste of logistics costs and time. This can be reduced by utilising the bulk ordering option.
By default 3manager will include supplies within a 5% reach, meaning if your trigger level is 20%, it will include anything within a 5% range unless it has more than 90 days left.
The bulk ordering option respects addresses even on department level.
Can I see upcoming orderings?
Yes, in every supplies ordering report you will have a menu called "Pending". here all upcoming supplies orderings are listed. A nice little feature is that if you have already sent a toner you can delete it from the list and it will not be sent with the next report.
What about order dates?
Every single time a toner or other supplies item is ordered, a time stamp is added to the device and supplies item. In this way its easy to see when it was last ordered as well replaced.
Can you integrate with our toner delivery provider?
Today We have made all the needed commonly used formats available in our supplies ordering report. This means you can use anything from CSV to XML and even Webhooks to send orders.
We also have an open API making it easy for any system integrator to get started using 3manager data.
In any case, if we do not already support with our current options, then we simply add it so you can benefit from an automatic process between 3manager and your own system.
Next step: Supplies analytics and insights
Now that we have the automation process covered, let’s have a look at how 3manager MPS software can give the insights you need to make decisions about optimisation, understand supplies usage, last order dates, and much more. Its great for status meetings and cost analytics.
Presenting the Supplies Analytics Dashboard
If you need to know the number of supplies replacements, orders or maybe filter out clients with a high supplies replacement waste, the supplies analytics dashboard will be your go-to tool.
From here, you can filter by any category needed: Managed devices, brands, models, contracts, departments, discovery dates, etc. You can decide between hundreds of options.
Often, this is used for understanding the supplies usage behaviour, and if there are any, it can be optimised.
It’s all about understanding the situation first, then deciding what to do next.
This dashboard is 100% automatically updated and needs no manual configuration.
How many orders were made last 30 days?
In the supplies dashboard and in the report, you have access to all order history.
This makes it simple to understand how many orders were sent. However, you can quickly compare this with the replacements made.
If your client would like to know what’s been ordered during the day or week, it’s so simple to check this online or schedule it as a report.
Available in Excel as a supplies analytics report
Even though its nice to look at the dashboard, sometimes you need a good old Excel report. Everything you see online is available as a report which you can schedule and send to your clients in a timely manner.
What you get with the Supplies Analytics report:
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Overview of all accounts including: replacements, average toner waste and coverage
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Detailed list of replacement per supply item
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Summarized usage of toners and coverage per device
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Estimated forecast for thet next 30, 90 or 365 days
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Supplies status overview (to understand current base of installed supplies)
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Detailed order history per supply item
Become a 3manager expert with online courses
Our 3manager online learning has a section dedicated to supplies management, including a Supplies Management PlayBook (PDF), which is great to have on the go.
Here you will find tips, guides and video tutorials for all supplies management features and best practices. We are always ready to support you if you have more questions or need more training.
Final summary
Thanks for taking the time to read through all of this.
We admit we are very proud of our software. We love helping our customers optimize their managed print services, taking them to new levels, including business intelligence and automation.
You can see a summary of all features related to 3manager Supplies management to the right.
3manager is much more than supplies management.
We have just as great features designed to help your business get much more done in less time with dedicated business features such as print audit management, contract management, cost reduction simulations and much more.
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Get supplies orderings using a combination of thresholds and estimated days left
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Avoid duplicate orders with intelligent toner alert and replacement tracking
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Optimise logistics and reduce C02 emissions with bulk orderings
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Access to all order history
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Use automation to streamline processes
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Track toner replacements and orders directly in the supplies analytics dashboard or reports
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Create as many ordering reports as needed following your business models.
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Multi-brand support
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Online courses available