Ardale/Marbrook are leading providers of care services in the UK, with a number of marquee homes around Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire. As a healthcare provider, print is an integral part of their day-to-day operations, with resident care plans, medical records and other important documents being printed daily to support the care of residents.
Following a number of issues with their previous Managed Print Service (MPS) supplier, including regular technical issues and an inability to provide replacement parts in a timely fashion which resulted in long periods of downtime. A lack of data encryption and insufficient transparency around pricing were also an issue, which led Ardale/Marbrook to go to market in search of a new MPS provider.
The Challenge:
Ardale/Marbrook engaged with a number of potential MPS suppliers when they went to tender, and were looking for a partner that could guarantee a high level of technical support, as well as reliable devices to ensure business continuity through increased device uptime. They also wanted more energy efficient devices built to a higher specification that was aligned with their print requirements.
Security was a core component of the tender requirement, as with sensitive resident data being printed daily, improper handling of these documents could pose significant compliance risks and non conformity with GDPR regulations. With this in mind, finding a supplier with strong security credentials and the ability to implement secure solutions was essential.
Transparency around costs was also crucial, as the previous supplier was unable to provide accurate reporting, leading to unexpected expenses and a lack of visibility into their print-related expenditure.
The Solution:
Following an extensive and hotly contested tender process, Vision was selected to address Ardale/Marbrook’s printing challenges. As stated by IT and Communications Manager Ollie Smith, Vision surpassed all expectation during the tender process due to several factors:
“Vision's team of account managers demonstrated a proactive and responsive approach, actively engaging with us throughout the evaluation process and presenting some impressive data based on our historic usage which informed recommendations about how we could streamline the fleet of devices to deliver improved performance with fewer machines.
We were also impressed with VRFM, Vision’s remote fleet management software. We were provided with our own login to the platform, which we use daily in order to ensure our devices are performing as expected. On the rare occasions when there are technical issues, we’re able to have them resolved quickly without the need for an on-site technician. Another excellent feature of the platform is the automatic replenishment of toner, removing the administrative burden of ordering and storing toner cartridges. Vision’s VRFM platform also delivers accurate reporting in real time so we’re able to stay on top of costs.”
Following Vision’s successful appointment as Ardale / Marbrook’s MPS partner, they developed a strategic deployment schedule that was specific to each home, leveraging the expertise of different stakeholders throughout the business in order to ensure a smooth transition; from client services through to on-site engineers.
“Vision offered us the flexibility to install hardware on a home-by-home basis, reducing the impact on day-to-day operations and ensuring maximum uptime across the group.”
With the latest hardware installed successfully, additional solutions such as secure print were now able to be installed to reduce wastage, support ongoing GDPR compliance and control of print related expenditure, as well as delivering improved user experience.
“Following Vision’s device rollout, we were able to add secure authentication at devices to ensure that documents could only be printed by authorised personnel, and the addition of encrypted hard drives significantly enhanced our data security and compliance with resident confidentiality requirements.”
Vision's value-add wasn’t limited only to MPS; they were able to identify other opportunities for improvements and efficiencies to be made. Document management was a challenge at Ardale / Marbrook, with resource intensive search and retrieval processes and manual policies governing the storage and management of documents. Vision introduced a cloud-based document management solution that enabled significant improvements to document search and retrieval thanks to Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a technology that recognises text within a digital image, which led to faster and more accurate document searching and retrieval, reducing the time spent searching for documents from minutes to seconds.
Another key feature that was invaluable to Ardale / Marbrook was the ability for users to set up document prompts, ensuring timely document review and disposal in compliance with applicable regulations. For Ardale / Marbrook, this enhanced their document management system and helped to ensure they did not hold on to resident records longer than permitted.
The Outcome:
The partnership with Vision led to a significantly improved print and document management solution for Ardale/Marbrook:
Reduced Downtime: Vision's reliable MPS solution and responsive technical support significantly reduced device downtime, keeping Ardale/Marbrook’s operations running smoothly.
Enhanced Compliance: Vision's secure print solutions and implementation of Document Management software helped Ardale/Marbrook address the compliance risks associated with sensitive resident data, ensuring proper document retention and disposal.
Cost Savings: Through a leasing arrangement with Vision, Ardale/Marbrook reduced the capital tied up in printing equipment, resulting in improved financial performance and a positive impact on their bottom line.
Improved Efficiency: VRFM and other aspects of the solution such as volume based billing led to reduced administrative burden for staff.
Optimal Support: Vision’s in-house support staff and technical expertise delivered a huge improvement in device uptime, which in the care industry is absolutely critical as resident care can be affected.
This solution serves as a compelling example of the increased value a tailored MPS provider such as Vision can have on a business when they take the time to truly understand the requirements of a customer and build their solution from the ground up in order to meet their needs and more...
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