With the ability to communicate via email and cell phones, software programs that help you create powerful digital presentations, and the ease of outsourcing your digital files for your printing needs, many businesses wonder if they really need to keep an office copier around anymore. The answer is yes. Here are two reasons your printer and office copier are still needed.
Not Everything Is Better Paper-Free
Environmentalists have been pushing for a paper-free world forever, but the reality is, paper is necessary. You can email your employees a memo to keep the break room clean, but this tactic is unlikely to elicit the response you want as well as well-placed physical reminders hung in the break room will.
Studies show employees are not reading company emails. At best, they are quickly scanning through them or looking at any pictures they contain. Do you really want to go through the trouble of drafting a policy change, sending it out to everyone, and eventually realizing you're not all on the same page?
Email is a great thing and it can be a useful tool for short and to the point correspondence, such as asking a specific question, but since its advent, people have been bombarded with emails. Unless an email is stamped "urgent — reply required," chances are it will never be opened.
Make sure your employees are all on the same page by giving them a physical copy of anything you absolutely need them to know and understand. For this, you need a printer and copier machine.
Images Often Work Better Than Words
Statistics show the brain is hardwired to process graphic images better than text or only hearing information. Nearly 50 percent of the brain uses visual processing to understand concepts. In one study, when illustrations were included along with text instructions, people did a whopping 323 percent better following directions than with just text instructions alone.
Bright infographics and other visuals on a physical piece of paper are often easier for people to understand and retain the information. A hard copy also allows your employees to hang these graphics in their cubicle workspaces. This serves as a constant reminder, rather than an email which falls under an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality.
If you want to get your message across and your employees to retain important information, use visual graphics to create your document. Then, use your printer and copier to spread your message far and wide.