Do You Know How Much Your Company Is Spending on Printing?

Most business owners are shocked when they learn exactly how much they spend on printing each year! It comes as quite a surprise that mismanaged print fleets can cost your company up to 3 percent of their total revenue. This means that a company with annual revenue of $5 million will spend about $150,000 on document output each year.

According to research from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the average employee: 
• Makes 10,000 copies or prints each year 
• Costs your company up to $1,200 in printing annually 
• Wastes 17 percent of all printed documents 

End users rarely have knowledge of the true cost of their printing activities, and employers rarely monitor or control employee printing output. But, without controls and measures, waste can be substantial. FleetCare Managed Print Services from Modern Office Methods can help your business achieve immediate and long-term cost savings. MPS essentially takes over the management of a company's printers to increase efficiency and consolidate printing costs. 

MPS clients enjoy the benefits of working with one trusted provider like MOM for all their printing needs. Clients receive remote monitoring of printers, supplies, and service on-demand, as well as tailored management reports regarding the company's printers. Service costs are summarized in convenient invoices that include all print-related costs for a given period of time (usually quarterly). 

Clients experience a second wave of cost savings when account managers provide expert recommendations based on reports of the printer fleet. Suggestions are made for printer placement based on utilization and strategic hardware purchases, especially when the technology in multifunction printers can improve workflow, increase productivity, save costs, and replace expensive copiers and legacy printers. This is all part of the customer-centric objective of MPS. 

All these measures can add up to as much as 30 percent savings in printer-related costs, often amounting to thousands of dollars in savings for a single client. 

Contact MOM today at info@momnet.com and take the first step toward implementing an MPS solution that saves your company money.

CLICK HERE to test out our PRINT SAVINGS ESTIMATOR and see how much you can save with our FleetCare MPS program.

Protect privacy starting with email

Encrypted Email Signups Skyrocketed After Trump Victory.

Donald Trump said US has to get better when it comes to “the cyber,” and it’s clear that many Americans are taking that advice to heart. They’re signing up for secure, encrypted email accounts like never before. ProtonMail is one of the providers of free and low-cost tools that anyone can use to boost their digital privacy.

ProtonMail's scientists, engineers, and developers drawn together by a shared vision of protecting civil liberties online. This is why they created ProtonMail, an easy to use secure email service with built-in end-to-end encryption and state of the art security features. The goal is to build an internet that respects privacy and is secure against cyberattacks.

They are committed to developing and widely distributing the tools necessary to protect your data online. The team combines deep mathematical and technical knowledge from the world's top research institutions with expertise in building easy to use user interfaces. Together, they are building the encrypted communication technologies of the future.

End-to-End Encryption

Messages are encrypted at all times

Messages are stored on ProtonMail (PM) servers in encrypted format. They are also transmitted in encrypted format between PM servers and user devices. Messages between PM users are also transmitted in encrypted form within PM secure server network. Because data is encrypted at all steps, the risk of message interception is largely eliminated.

Zero Access to User Data

Your encrypted data is not accessible to ProtonMail

ProtonMail’s segregated authentication and decryption system means logging into a ProtonMail private email account requires two passwords. The first password is used to verify the identity of the user. After that, encrypted data can be retrieved. The second password is a decryption password which is never sent to ProtonMail. It is used to decrypt data on your device so PM do not have access to the decrypted data, or the decryption password. This means PM cannot hand over your data to third parties. For this reason, PM are also unable to do decryption password recovery. If you forget your decryption password, PM cannot recover your data.

Open Source Cryptography

Time-tested and trusted encryption algorithms

PM use only secure implementations of AES, RSA, along with OpenPGP. Furthermore, all of the cryptographic libraries PM use are open source. By using open source libraries, PM can guarantee that the encryption algorithms PM are using do not have clandestinely built in back doors. ProtonMail's open source software has been thoroughly vetted by security experts from around the world to ensure the highest levels of protection.

Why Switzerland?

A question often get asked is, Why is ProtonMail based in Switzerland and are there any real advantages?
PM believes there are. The first thing that comes to mind is that Switzerland is outside of US and EU jurisdiction. Unless you host your servers on a boat in international waters, you will need to be under some legal jurisdiction and in the post-Lavabit environment, this choice is particularly important. A common misconception is that the EU offers more legal protection than the US, but many of the same surveillance directives that exist in US law also have EU counterparts, in particular, German law may actually offer less legal protection than American law.

Switzerland however, is NOT part of the EU, and Switzerland applies a very different set of privacy laws. In the US and EU, gag orders can be issued to prevent an individual from knowing they are being investigated or under surveillance. While these type of orders also exist in Switzerland, the prosecutors have an obligation to notify the target of surveillance as soon as possible, and the target has an opportunity to appeal in court. There are no such things as National Security Letters and all surveillance requests MUST go through the courts (this is not the case in Germany). Furthermore, while Switzerland is party to international assistance treaties, such requests for information must hold up under Swiss law which has much stricter privacy provisions.

Nearly every country in the world has laws governing lawful interception of electronic communications. In Switzerland, these regulations are set out in the Swiss Federal Act on the Surveillance of Postal and Telecommunications Traffic (SPTT) last revised in 2012. In the SPTT, the obligation to provide the technical means for lawful interception is imposed only on Internet access providers, so ProtonMail, as a mere Internet application provider, is completely exempt from the SPTT’s scope of application. This means that under Swiss law, ProtonMail cannot be compelled to backdoor PM secure email system. As a Swiss company, ProtonMail also cannot be compelled to engage in bulk surveillance on behalf of US intelligence agencies.

This combination of factors means that a Lavabit like situation cannot occur with ProtonMail. However, ProtonMail has taken the Lavabit concept one step further and actually does not even possess the keys required to decrypt user data. As a result, even if ProtonMail was forced to turn over all PM computer systems, email contents will continue to be encrypted.

PM believe that comprehensive security can only be achieved through a combination of technology and legal protections and Switzerland provides the optimal combination of both. By coupling Switzerland advanced IT infrastructure with its unique legal environment, ProtonMail can deliver a service that is both reliable and secure.

For more information about internet surveillance in Switzerland and requests for information made to ProtonMail, please view PM Transparency Report.

Modern Office Methods has been recognized as a Ricoh Circle of Excellence Award Winner

Modern Office Methods (MOM) is the recipient of the 2017 RFG Circle of Excellence award from Ricoh for our commitment to customer service. The MOM service team, under the direction of Ken Staubitz, Vice President of Service, has worked hard to perfect their skills and we are thrilled that this extra effort has paid off. 

Ricoh recognizes that it has partnered with the best Dealer Network in the industry and they reward the “Best of the Best”. MOM has been recognized as a 2017 RFG Circle of Excellence authorized service dealership. This program is designed to recognize dealers who provide outstanding service and support in accordance with Ricoh's guidelines.

MOM has met or exceeded the requirements of the RFG Circle of Excellence Program in the following areas:

Phase 1 - Service Engineer Skills Assessment (Prestige)
Phase 2 - Service Operations Assessment which includes the following:
   • Use of Genuine Ricoh Parts and Supplies
   • Hardware & Solutions Training
   • Relevant Industry Certifications
   • Service Organization Structure
   • Field Staff & Help Desk Productivity & Efficiency Measures
   • Customer Satisfaction Measurement Process & System
   • Effective Utilization of Ricoh Resources
   • Business Plan Management & Process Improvement

Outstanding Service: Award-Winning Legacy
Excellent client support has always been a tradition at MOM and our efforts have been rewarded many times in the past. We are a 2-Time imageSource Magazine's Perfect Image Award Winner for Outstanding Service Program. Out of 3,743 independent dealers across the nation, MOM has been recognized multiple times for our commitment to service excellence.

| About Ricoh | 

Ricoh is a global technology company that has been transforming the way people work for more than 80 years. Under its corporate tagline – imagine. change. – Ricoh continues to empower companies and individuals with services and technologies that inspire innovation, enhance sustainability and boost business growth. These include document management systems, IT services, production print solutions, visual communications systems, digital cameras, and industrial systems. 

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2016, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,209 billion yen (approx. 19.6 billion USD). 

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com.

Congratulations to our 2016 Jump START Your Nonprofit WINNERS!

We'd like to thank everyone that voted for these 3 wonderful organizations. St. Vincent de Paul edged out the competition in Cincinnati. Neighborhood Design Center tallied the most votes in Columbus. Senior Resource Connection came out on top in Dayton. Each of these nonprofits will receive a $10,000 office technology makeover from MOM.

Ken Staubitz, our Vice President of Service, and Julie Italiano, Marketing Manager, presented each of these winners with their big checks on stage at The Rusty Ball on Saturday, October 15. MOM has been a proud sponsor of this event for the past 4 years and we look forward to many more years of presenting local nonprofits with big checks on stage! Congratulations again to our winners!

5 reasons you will be successful

Yes, I know that you are preparing to swap gifts, travel way too far to see family, and eat enough to put you into a sugar coma, however, a brand new year is right around the corner.

Below are 5 reasons you will be successful in 2017:

1. You will find a qualified CPA who can assist you and your decision making year-round, set a fixed amount that you will pay them, and use their advice.  They will save you more money than they cost.
2. You are going to perform a cash flow projection for 2017 and identify potential shortfalls today, not tomorrow!
3. You are going to raise your prices, because you offer a premium product/service!  You will have a better profit, better customers, and sleep well at night.
4. You are going to delegate some of the roles that you currently perform in your business, so you can grow the business, i.e., bookkeeping, digital marketing, payroll, and anything that someone else can do as well as you, for less money than you!
5. You are going to schedule an appointment with your local TSBDC counselor to get a jump start on your 2017 goals!

Go ahead and visit Aunt Edna, attend Christmas Eve services, and hang on to those gift receipts and we will see you next year!

Klarna - Making shopping simple and safe for your customers

Founded in Stockholm in 2005, Klarna is one of Europe's fastest growing companies, and offers safe and easy-to-use payment solutions to e-stores.
At the core of Klarna's services is the concept of after delivery payment, which lets buyers receive ordered goods before any payment is due. At the same time, Klarna assumes the credit and fraud risk so that retailers can rest assured they will receive their money.

Klarna Group has more than 1,400 employees and is active on 18 markets. Klarna serve 45 million consumers and work with 65,000 merchants, attracting major international clients such as Spotify, Disney, Samsung, Wish and ASOS. Klarna's goal is to become the world’s favorite way to buy.

Klarna Group statistics:
Total end-customers:  45,000,000,
Total number of merchants:  65,000,
Number of transactions per day:   400,000

Optimize your entire checkout

Reduce cart abandonment on all devices with a simple checkout experience. Accept all popular payment types with one contract. Plus, give your customers the option to pay after delivery and Klarna takes on all of the risk. Klarna Checkout helps with:

    Increasing average order value

    Improving checkout rates

    Improve return customer rates

Most items added to carts don't actually get purchased — in today's world of mobile commerce, there is up to 82% checkout abandonment. That's why it pays to have the easiest checkout possible

Maximize conversion by removing friction

Karna removes friction at checkout by letting customers pay with just their emails and addresses – done. Details will be remembered for next time, so checkout is just one click away.

One integration – all major payment methods

Not only do Karna offer all major popular payment methods. You as a merchant get them in a single, integrated solution. This means that you only have one supplier, one integration, one agreement, one payout, one settlement and one customer support. Plus Klarna assumes the customer risk, meaning you get paid even if the customer doesn't pay Klarna.

Pay after delivery 

Klarna's technology driven platform allows customers to try before they buy - giving them more confidence to complete the purchase. How it works is simple: Klarna pay you and later they pay us.

Complement your checkout with financing

Traditional financing solutions aren't adapting to the new world of e-commerce. Instead of asking consumers about their marital status and employer information, Klarna use data to enhance the shopping experience for your customer. Klarna don't just increase your customer purchase power, Klarna also improve loyalty, conversion and AOV.

Just plug it in

Integration and maintenance are easy. One-time integration for all markets and products. Automatic updates to ensure global and local compliance, performance and tailored credit offerings.

eCommerce platform plugins

Klarnas platform works with most common eCommerce systems and can be integrated in no time.

You think you're better...but you're not

Have you ever noticed that you are constantly comparing yourself with others?

And yes, I blame Facebook for most of this!

Was your vacation cool enough, is your car new enough, are you as fit and trim as you should be, etc.?

Many times you compare yourself to others, who are in worse shape, to justify your situation.

For example:

• An out of shape person may feel better about themselves after watching The Biggest Loser.
• A financially strapped person may feel better about their finances, after listening to the first few callers on the Dave Ramsey Show discuss bankruptcies and foreclosures.
• An overwhelmed parent may feel better about themselves after doing some service work in a shelter.

However, you may still be overweight, broke, and in disarray.

So should you bother comparing yourself at all?

If you are a business owner, the answer is YES!

Why?

 “What gets measured gets done!”

Unfortunately, there are many business owners still justifying their situations.

• A restaurant owner may feel good about their business, because they have great Yelp reviews, but they could still have a net loss for the year.
• A landscaper may feel good about their Accounts Receivable being an average of 60 days, because they know a consultant with an average of 90 days.
• A hotel owner may feel good about their debt-to-equity ratio being low, because it was even lower last year.

However, the restaurant is still losing money, the landscaper still has some collecting to do, and the hotel owner is still upside down on the business.

So how should you compare your business?

The best way to measure your business is against your competition.   This way you get an apples-to-apples comparison, instead of an apples-to-oranges comparison.

Common measurements are your costs-of-goods-sold (COGS), net profit margin, current ratio, payroll expenses, advertising expenses, etc.

In fact, the TSBDC has a “comparison” tool that compares your type of business vs. others in Tennessee and nationwide.

Comparing against other businesses in your industry is a more accurate way to determine how well you are doing and what you could improve upon.

And remember, nobody posts the bad stuff on Facebook, so stop comparing yourself there too!

p.s.
Email me at charles.alexander@volstate.edu to learn more about the "comparision" tool.