Three Imperatives SMEs Should Care About Before Purchasing Office Tools One way that you can improve the productivity of your staff and business in general is to take a look at your printing habits, as this is a machine that your small business may depend on heavily in the day-to-day running of your company.

Small- and micro-sized businesses have expanded significantly over the past few years, and it is expected that they will continue to expand and play a bigger role in boosting the economy exponentially. For instance, the Gulf region is home to about 1.5 million SMEs , and given the initiatives and support programs offered by its governments, it is safe to assume that this number will increase even further.

So, if you're running a small business, you'll understand how important it is that your office runs efficiently, especially if there are only a handful of employees using the space. One way that you can improve the productivity of your staff and business in general is to take a look at your printing habits, as this is a machine that your small business may depend on heavily in the day-to-day running of your company.

SMEs (and potentially most big businesses) in the UAE and across the region look for value for money, especially in the current business environment. Also high on the priority list is sustainability and the drive to use products that adopt eco-friendly measures. Therefore, we should look more closely at locating the essential products and tools to guarantee that business goals and requirements are adequately met since SMEs are an important component of the Gulf's business landscape.

With the vast array of product options available, this can be difficult, but if we try to focus on tools that are affordable, have contemporary functionality, and can accommodate the always changing requirements of work environments, you'd only be left with a few choices. So, what do SMEs really care about?

Never compromise on print quality

The majority of SMEs start their careers in a limited space with a limited budget, so they are constantly on the hunt for the most efficient and cost-effective ways to run their business. While cost effectiveness is important, it's also crucial to take into account the correct functions that facilitate collaboration, optimize processes, and boost productivity.

Delivering on client's demand and expectations without compromising on the quality of the work is key to business continuity. Making sure that all elements are on bar from the quality of products or services delivered to the print quality of the handouts or contracts given to clients or customers is imperative.

Everyone, including SMEs, care about print quality as that's the final step to a tedious process– that one document that goes to clients. More often than not, the quality of your printing materials makes the first impression of your business. People will judge your business and the services you offer on the quality of your own printed marketing materials. Therefore, investing in a print that doesn't compromise on quality is extremely important, as it then allows business owners to focus on the other aspects of the work, instead of wrestling with the office printer that runs out of toner every time you print out an important pack of documents.

Safety and maintenance

It's critical that the tools in place can keep up with the speed of the work environment of SMEs, which can sometimes be busy and fast-paced, and that maintenance requirements be kept to a minimal.

SMEs typically leave printer security to an afterthought, but printers are a massive cybersecurity risk for most, and implementing universal security measures is critical. Hence, it is essential that the tools adhere to current security standards and are difficult for cybercriminals to access, ensuring that sensitive information is always kept safe and secure. A system that can automatically identify, stop, and recover from any attack with minimum to no human involvement, is ideal.

To navigate an increasingly challenging economy, and position themselves for long-term growth, small business owners need new processes, ways of working and technologies to boost their productivity. Over 80% of small businesses rely on printing to run their business, according to a survey of small business owners conducted with Morning Consult. Yet, 55% say they do not have time to manage the technology. One small business owner surveyed said, "Managing printers is not a very efficient use of time or energy."

Sustainability in mind

The need for businesses, even SMEs, to commit to more environmentally friendly, sustainable solutions and choose tools and technologies that can do the same is expanding along with the sustainability demand. Given its extensive portfolio of goods and services that are compliant with international sustainable standards, HP is one of the tech businesses that has raised the bar when it comes to audacious sustainability commitment. The HP LaserJet Tank is one example of HP's wide portfolio of sustainable goods; the printer's toner cartridge just needs to be refilled rather than replaced, which considerably decreases the printer's environmental impact.

The perfect choice

Many small and micro-sized organizations are attempting to navigate through uncharted territories, adapt to it, and discover strategies to concentrate on key business objectives while retaining high productivity. SMEs, are notoriously short on resources, meaning that any allocation of internal resources to print is a large investment.

It is crucial to have effective equipment, such as the HP LaserJet Tank, which not only offers a flawless user experience but also revolutionary features, thereby giving consumers an effective hassle-free printing experience while also living up to ecological standards. It is one of the first self-reloadable, cartridge-free laser printers, so customers don't need to worry about scheduling time to manually replace cartridges. Instead, the reload kit takes care of everything in a matter of seconds. It is also designed to print up to 2,500 or 5,000 pages, depending on the size of the kit, for just around AED 65 you'll have enough toner for 10 A4 paper packs! All printers come with a prefilled toner enough to print 5,000 pages.

To sum up, the printer is hassle-free, enabling SMEs to focus on their work rather than worrying about the printer. To learn more about the complete HP LaserJet Tank series, please visit hp.com.