Office Supplies: Less about price, more about convenience

Recycled material is finding its way back into the office in a range of guises. Drink bottles and newsprint are two of the products finding new life as pens – and bamboo pens, from sustainable sources, are also giving a green tint to office desks.
“Green alternatives, including furniture, are likely to become a larger and more prominent part of the office supplies range in the years to come,” says McAteer.
But suppliers are doing more than just selling environmentally friendly products. OfficeMax has invested time and money to ensure they have an objective certification around their behaviour in this space, says Obern. “We hold the highest standard of Enviro-Mark, called Enviro-Mark Diamond. Not only are we seen to behave well, but we actually do behave well. Our experience is that good sustainable behaviour is good business practice. It’s about modifying behaviour so that you produce less waste. Just common sense.”
Technology has changed the way office supplies are ordered. It’s also given suppliers new and improved ways to operate. OfficeMax has moved to new premises with what Obern calls “a lot of new technology”. That’s given them enormous efficiencies, he says. “Whether we pick an order that’s got five or ten lines from a small customer or a large one, makes no difference. We can pick and pack cost-effectively and as a result the mid market has become much more interesting to us.”
And at Office Products Depot, a consistent IT platform across the network has meant better visibility and management of stock, access to re porting and data and the ability to maximise their service to their database, says McAteer. “Most importantly, when used to its full potential it eliminates costs from supply chain and overall business operations. With time freed up from performing manual jobs it also gives us more time to spend focusing on our biggest asset – our customers.”
When ‘one’s good’
Ann Mayer, who operates contact management company Telephos and Mayer Consulting, on Auckland’s North Shore, is a firm believer in single source buying. It’s about convenience.
“I don’t have time to go shopping around, even on the net! My focus for my time is selling and running training courses.”
But she has an even more compelling reason for sourcing from just one supplier. “The service I get from Office Products in Takapuna is exceptional.” They don’t just supply what she needs, they’ll get it for her if it’s not in stock, and, more importantly perhaps, “They think. They do all my copying for seminars and if they see something they don’t think makes sense, they’ll ring and ask me if I’ve made a mistake.”
She originally began working with the company because they were the closest place for photocopying. “Then I found it easier to get it all from one place. As a small business you don’t want to be checking and paying a dozen bills. It’s far easier to pay one invoice.”
Mayer, who usually emails her orders when she sends documents to be copied, says it’s the ease of ordering, rather than any savings she may make, that’s important. “What people don’t realise is, it’s quite expensive sending someone out to do it. We need to think more about the cost of what we’re doing. In small businesses it’s often an expensive person who’s doing things like ordering office supplies.”
And she sees scope for suppliers of office products to make more use of client buying patterns through telephone account management. “We buy the same sort of thing regularly. If you call somebody to their buying pattern and suggest they need to buy it, they probably will.”
So is she tempted to shop elsewhere? “When you get exceptional service, loyalty is really important.” And it’s exceptional service that doesn’t stop at the shop door. “They also have a fantastic delivery person.”
Patricia Moore is an Auckland-based freelance writer. Email [email protected]