How Will the Role of Printing Change in the Workplace Post-COVID-19?

COVID-19 has changed the way offices conduct business. With stay-at-home orders across the nation, many people have been working  from home since Spring 2020. While some offices have opened back up, many businesses are encouraging flexible work environments and allowing employees to continue to work remotely. How will lightly populated office spaces change the role of printing in the workplace? And how should your company adapt to meet the needs of both your customers and employees?

There are advantages and disadvantages of working remotely. While it can boost productivity, social distancing and lack of personal interaction make it difficult to maintain your company’s culture. Many companies will use a combined blend of office and remote work going forward.

It’s critical to adapt to new technologies as the workplace environment changes. While most remote employees do not have access to home office printers, this is the perfect time for offices to upgrade their equipment and optimize their printing infrastructure for when on-site work is safe to do. Find a printer or multifunction device that meets your company’s needs.

Additionally, to comply with COVID-19 regulations, business owners should also look into touchless technology solutions currently available. Studies show a new wave of touchless technology will be seen across the world, including automatic doors, voice-activated elevators, hands-free appliances, and more. As an organization that relies heavily on printing, it’s important you have a solution in place, such as the advanced capabilities of ConnectKey Technology.

There are other technologies your organization can use to adapt to the post-pandemic work environment. Learn more about them below.

With remote workers not having access to home office printers, these employees will fall out of practice with standard printing procedures. To ensure that there isn’t a learning curve when office work resumes, businesses should consider providing temporary printing equipment for their remote employees.

Additionally, for businesses where print, scan, copy, or fax functionalities are critical for day to day tasks – even for those working from home – there are incredible home office single function (print only) and all-in-one printers available to enhance productivity while maximizing your budget. For example, the Xerox VersaLink C405 all-in-one printer gives you the ability to print and scan to/from your device or the Cloud; utilize a complete gallery of apps to simplify and automate every day office activities from expenses to form management to automating approval process; and much, more much…with a price tag of just $699.00

Many office equipment companies are adjusting their products to include “office-in-a-box” bundles that contain all of the necessary tools for home-office work (laptops, printers, etc.). Businesses should take advantage of these cost-effective bundles.

A once slow but steady trend, the shift from paper to digital is becoming increasingly popular in light of working conditions brought on by COVID-19. Businesses should encourage cloud-enabled digital workflow and implement these services in daily practices. These types of technology not only reduce the amount of paper used, but also boost productivity.

If you’re unsure of how to get started, check out this hands-on guide that features real-world experiences, best practices, interactive assessments and actionable advice for successful paper-to-digital conversion initiatives.

In additional to moving to paperless procedures, many organizations have found the best way to deliver a seamless work experience is by using comprehensive security, cloud, analytics, and digitization technologies. Business owners should consider transitioning to a cloud print infrastructure to increase efficiency in the workplace, productivity in their employees, and security in their environment.

In light of the rift between home and office workers due to COVID-19, Microsoft, Google, Slack, Zoom, and many other big players have developed chat software, video conferencing, and other collaborative platforms to minimize the distance between employees while maximizing workflow.

For example, myViewBoard™ is the companion software for the ViewSonic ViewBoard. This software makes use of a cloud system, to ensure you can save and store your work wherever you are in the world. myViewBoard allows you to connect your PC to an interactive whiteboard, no matter if you’re working through a simple online browser, on a Windows enabled system, or via an Android device. Featuring advanced AES-256 encryption, this software protects data from unauthorized access, making it ideal for use in corporate spaces. Integration with myviewboard.com allows unlimited users to share screens, as well as cast-in and out from anywhere in the world.

In terms of printing, there are incredible apps and solutions to connect mobile workers to their office and co-workers, no matter where they are in the world. One example is Xerox’s print management and mobility service – an affordable cloud print management solution that brings you Print Anywhere mobile printing with benchmark security. With Xerox® Print Anywhere, you can print from nearly any email-enabled mobile device, on any network and cell network, and you can print to any brand of printer to support your entire fleet.

Another example is the Xerox Mobile Link App – which allows you to scan, email, fax, and print from your phone or tablet by connecting with Xerox multifunction printers. You are also able to send data to cloud storage.

Office print suppliers have prepared themselves for the shift in business needs brought on by new practices set in place to maintain the health and safety of employees. Parmetech is here with the latest industry technologies for the home and office. If your organization is looking for ways to support collaboration between office and homeworkers, talk to our managed print services and office technology solutions company. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and help you find the right technology for your business.