References · Case Study
Topic: Topcart Printer Management software (TC CARL)
Thanks to simplified device administration, the IT administrator has three additional working days per year at his disposal, which he has gained with TC CARL.
For Braunschweig’s approximately 250,000 inhabitants, the local adult education center (VHS) is the first point of contact for affordable educational opportunities. With three locations and more than 600 instructors, the institution offers professional development, family counseling and school-based education. Printer infrastructure plays an important role in this. After all, most final examinations for the courses are still held on paper. More than 300 printed pages a day The IT administrator is responsible for the devices used by instructors and participants in every course. Every course participant has a workstation connected to the local printer. They print not only course information, but also examination documents for essential courses. At the adult education center, participants can learn not only languages for their next vacation, but also take important steps toward shaping their future. For example, women are prepared in courses to return to work after parental leave, while refugees learn German at the adult education center. In total, 120,000 pages were printed last year, corresponding to more than 300 pages a day—half of them in color.
To ensure that the printers function properly, the IT administrator checks the devices every week. He examines their general functionality as well as toner and paper levels. What sounds like a minor task turns out to be a highly complex undertaking. To avoid disrupting the lessons, the IT administrator can only check the devices when the rooms are unoccupied.
However, as the heavily attended courses overlap in terms of time and take place at short intervals, he does not always have enough time to inspect all the rooms at once. Maintenance is also time-consuming. Each device takes only about five minutes. But calculated over the course of a year, this adds up to almost three working days.
That is why the IT administrator acquired a personal assistant. More precisely, a virtual assistant for Printer Management. Its name is TC CARL, and it relieves the IT administrator of a great deal of work. The TC CARL cloud software is connected to all devices via the printer network and retrieves all information remotely. Since Alders can conveniently access the figures on his dashboard in the associated browser application, he can completely eliminate the inspection rounds. The list management function is also helpful: he has created two lists for his printer infrastructure, allowing him to manage color and monochrome printers separately. Thanks to simplified device administration, he has three additional working days per year at his disposal, which he has gained with TC CARL.
TC CARL also makes printer management easier for the IT expert through automated fault notifications. If a printer has a problem, TC CARL sends an email to recipients previously defined by the user. TC CARL also automatically sends a notification when a predefined toner level is reached, allowing him to order new cartridges in good time. With TC CARL, he could also automate the ordering process completely by having TC CARL order the consumables for him and inform him by email. However, the IT administrator prefers to check the toner level himself once more before placing the order. Many other applications do not offer this option, as ordering is only possible automatically. He could also automate the service technician request, so that the technician would be notified directly in the event of a repair. Effortless ordering process Even though the IT administrator has to order the cartridges himself, the process requires far less effort than before. Since he has stored the appropriate toner, delivery address and cost center for each device in TC CARL, the consumables can be ordered with just a few clicks. TC CARL’s ease of use is a major advantage for the IT administrator. The application’s comprehensive and clearly organized functions quickly won him over. After a very short time, he was able to use TC CARL without any problems. He is convinced that using TC CARL actually requires no IT knowledge. In that case, he could have saved himself the training to become an IT administrator. His employer would not have been pleased about that.
Working together
Philipp Mayer
Key Account Manager for Managed Print Services
It is important to me that we focus on your actual requirements—not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. I will advise you independently on your entire device fleet, regardless of whether you want to buy, rent or lease.
