Mobile Expense Management Best Practices
Is your organization struggling to keep pace with its mobile services program? Have the costs of maintaining smartphones and tablets become a management headache? Has your company given up entirely on its corporate-sponsored cellular program altogether?
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions don’t fret and don’t throw in the towel. There are solutions available to help you manage your corporate cellular needs successfully. Make no mistake, it is well worth the effort to revisit your corporate cellular program sooner than later.
According to Gartner’s 2019-2020 surveys on mobility services, businesses can save upwards of 10-35% simply by establishing usage policy controls for their users. So, consider your current expenditures. If your organization is spending 5k/month or more the potential savings can be considerable.
In our experience, here are the questions we recommend you ask of your management team. The answers to these questions will help your organization move down the road to better services and lower costs.
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.
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 unintentionally take away a discount. 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.
Is a Wireless Expense Management Solution appropriate for your organization? For CFOs and other corporate stakeholders, corporate mobility accounts are a potential gold mine for constructive cost-cutting and productivity gains. As we’ve highlighted here success requires consistent monitoring and expertise. This is one area where outsourcing to a qualified agency can produce a clear ROI.
If your organization is serious about shoring up its corporate mobile services program consider contacting RAM for help. We are a trusted advisor for our clients because we’ve saved them substantial money and time using our WEM resources. If your firm has over 100 devices then we fully expect to save you upwards of 30% on your monthly costs. Contact RAM Communications today and let us help you find the right solution for your organization.