Corporate Voice & Data Rate Plan Optimization Tips
Monitoring your corporate voice and data rate plans is a necessity in today’s business world. Identifying areas for optimization will help reduce wireless costs, ensure your account is managed properly, your devices are secure, and improve the overall productivity and efficiency of your company. Below are some of the major aspects to assess when it comes to optimizing your corporate voice and data rate plans.
How much data are we using?
You need to determine voice and data usage on an individual case basis. Find a device on the bill, how much data is being consumed? Most users will consume similar amounts. Look for obvious spikes in usage. Follow the same process with all devices on the account. This is the old-fashioned manual review process. However, that’s not an efficient way to manage larger corporate accounts. The process is prone to human errors – especially if you need to track hundreds or thousands of devices. For that reason, consider wireless expense management.
What is in our service agreement? Determine the billing structure of your account. For example, is your company being charged voice and data rates for individual users, or is the account set up so everybody shares the same voice and data plan (minutes and data are pooled together). There is a big distinction between the two. The former can be a bad thing because it is too cumbersome for auditing and there tend to be more overage charges using individual rate plans.
What kind of equipment are we using? (technology audit) What’s the age of the equipment? Do you have some old devices that should be retired because they don’t have enough memory to fulfill user needs? In many cases, an equipment upgrade can increase productivity and enhance device security.
What security controls do we have in place on our devices? Check your devices to make sure they meet the minimum-security standards for your company. Your company data is in the hands of many users on many devices. Do you have multi-factor authentication? MFA controls go a long way in preventing data theft. Imagine if your CFO loses his phone and all his critical data. Can you restrict its access remotely? Can you wipe it clean so a potential thief has no access to the data?
When’s the last time we reviewed our account? Your accounts need to be reviewed on a regular basis or the expenses will go out of control. Make sure rates and discount plans are correct. Sometimes the carrier will take away a discount accidentally. Timely audits also prevent your carrier from backing out of credit requests. Let’s say you notice a discount you had is gone. If you don’t catch it within the first few months of the error there is a limited timeline on credit requests. Most carriers, for example, will not go back more than 12 months to honor credits. This is another reason why consistent audits are important and will keep your costs under control.
What’s next? Call RAM Communications. We’re here to help. We can audit your account and identify areas for optimization. As a result, your wireless costs will decrease, your account will be better managed, devices will be secured and your end-users will be more productive. Also check: How to Keep Your Company Data Safe?