Just like the machine that is our human body, your office equipment also suffers from downtime. And just like a sick body, when your copier or fax machine breaks down, many office tasks are put on hold. This means reduced productivity, not to mention stress and missed deadlines. This can be avoided.
Downtime, whether for a short or long period, ultimately results in lost revenue. There are techniques and tips that can be used to help you avoid downtime. There are many ways around this:
1. Adequate working knowledge of office staff: It really doesn’t take a genius to fix common office equipment problems, especially when staff have sufficient technical familiarity, common sense will do the trick with this equipment as well.
2. Regular maintenance checks – Better safe than sorry. Regular checkups on your office equipment keep it well-oiled, so to speak, and prevent potential downtime. While of course it doesn’t really make it foolproof, it’s definitely reducing any potential downtime.
3. Quality office supplies: Quality comes at a price, that’s a fact. However, in the long run, it may prove to be a more practical option than buying a lower-priced counterpart.
With these tips, you’ll ensure less downtime and a longer life for your office equipment. You’ll save money by not calling maintenance for every little glitch that comes up. You can also save money when there is less downtime in the office.
What if your copier suddenly throws out all the papers you gave it and you need all the copies in the next 30 minutes for the next board meeting? Can you wait for the maintenance team to show up and fix it?
When it comes to an emergency like this, you will have no choice but to do the work yourself if you want to finish your tasks on time. And it really helps to have some knowledge on how to deal with urgent situations.
Here is a simple step-by-step procedure to resolve your copy emergency:
1. Try feeding different sizes of paper into the copier. It may be because one of the paper sizes is jamming the machine. Does the paper just stop or is it wrinkling?
2. Listen to the machine. What kind of noise does it make? Hit, does it seem to be spinning its rollers or does it seem off?
3. If only one size is jamming the copier, then the problem lies with one of the cassettes. All you need to do is change the position of the cassette and you’re done.
4. If possible, clean the cassette and the rollers that turn the paper.
5. However, if all the cassettes seem to be jammed and the paper stops in the machine without creasing, it may be because the rollers are worn. You can perform the same procedure above to clean the rollers.
6. If the machine jams and the paper is wrinkled, follow the paper path carefully and determine if there is something inside that is causing the paper to stop.
7. Listen to your machine; it can save you a lot of time. If it seems like it’s just spinning your rollers, watch them as they move the paper through the machine. If the copier whines or groans just before it jams, you’ll need to call for service.
It will really help if you can fix the simple technical problems of office equipment on your own. It saves you a lot of time and money, and helps you meet deadlines without having to wait for the maintenance team to arrive and fix this broken equipment.
