Save your office budget: Three ways to improve office supply orders

The pandemic and remote working have made office planning a little tougher, but we’re here to help. Now that most of us are returning safely to our offices for regular workdays, we’ve got new rules of working and we’re all putting our workplace health and happiness first. As an office manager, you’ve got your hands full with new routines and procedures, but we can help you streamline (and save!) your office supply orders. Get these strategies right, and you’ll be able to unlock more value from all your suppliers.
Here are three smart tactics to help you save money and time (and most importantly, cut down on hassle!):

So, here’s the thing: if you’re creating repeat orders, you should build up a relationship with your closest Office National store. It’s super easy; all you need to do is go to the store locator, pop in your address or search for the closest store, and then register in the top right-hand corner. Simple, right? You’ll be able to look at past orders and create your own regular order lists to save you plenty of time and hassle. We’ll even send you FREE office catalogues to help you make the right choice in stationery, supplies and office furniture.

Bulk buy all your paper, envelopes, ink, toner and anything else that doesn’t have a short-term shelf-life – even your canteen and janitorial supplies. You’ll need to be clever with your storage space, but if you get this right, you can save a lot of money on your stationery budget. In some cases, you can pay upfront for the supplies, and then stagger the deliveries – it just may require a little negotiation. A secondary consideration here is to invest in some smart business technology for your office, like electronic screens, interactive digital whiteboards and tablets – it may help you cut down on printing out documents and using toner and ink. There are a few more questions you can use to improve the process. Like, for example, if you order with a corporate credit card, does it offer any unique benefits? What are your supplier’s recycling options for waste materials? In some cases, you can even get discounts or savings through recycling your waste efficiently back through your supplier. Lastly, you’ll need to keep a smart running inventory of all your supplies – you’ll need to ask your staff to let you know what they’ve taken out of supplies, and you’ll need to reconcile that in a digital inventory system – there are some smart app-based ones you can choose from. That will help you set up re-order points, making it much easier going forward.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how often a promotion or special is overlooked. Also, you should set up a three or six-month series of surveys with your fellow employees to find out what stationery they are using and what they aren’t. This can even include bigger items such as office furniture or equipment. That will help you streamline your future orders (to save money), and you’ll be able to get what your co-workers actually want. The latest catalogues will also offer you new products and ideas for your office – ranging from new canteen appliances to ergonomic furniture. Happy employees mean better productivity and a healthier bottom line, which is exactly what every office manager and business owner wants!