Before diving in, learn more about telecom expense management and how it works.
Mobile data management is essential for businesses struggling to keep telecom spending under control. Under traditional telecom setups, landlines cost a flat fee per user, and features were typically confined to options like caller ID and voicemail. Smartphones have significantly changed the landscape for telecom spending within a business. Whether organizations supply the hardware or have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy, data usage can quickly get out of hand, piling up costs. Here are three tips you can follow to regain control over telecom usage and management.
1. Monitor App Behavior
When looking at usage, apps can require a lot of data to run. For example, video calling might take up 1GB per hour. In context, employees could view more than 2,500 web pages or 100,000 emails to use 1GB, profitability improvement expert Bob Pommer wrote for LinkedIn. Organizations must closely monitor apps for their usage behaviors. In 2015, people spent 83 percent of their time in data-hungry, nonbusiness-related apps like games, social media and entertainment. Employees should be educated on how to prevent these programs from using cellular data and to close apps when they’re not in use.
Organizations should monitor mobile app data usage.
2. Create a Clear Policy
Mobile devices present a grey area for businesses, but a policy can help establish ground rules for employees to follow. A written document should outline the percentage that is acceptable for business usage, Telecom Audit Guide suggested. This policy must also have provisions for steps to take if an employee transfers or leaves the company. Organizations should address how company data will be removed without harming personal apps and information. Benchmarks must be created to determine the average usage for each job title to provision them accordingly and better control overall usage requirements. Understanding how mobile carriers move shorten upgrade cycles affect your contracts can also help shape a stronger policy.
3. Track Your Bills With Mobile Data Management Tools
“TEM solutions enable leaders to look at usage per provider and per user.”
Telecom expenses become very complex very quickly, particularly in BYOD environments. Investing in a telecom expense management tool can be a major boost to keeping track of every bill, identifying errors and determining areas that need improvement. TEM solutions enable leaders to look at usage per provider and per user. This way, if anyone is using more than they should or the company is paying more than expected, managers can be notified. With information from TEM software, contracts can be negotiated more aggressively to get the best service at a lower price. Companies can not only better provision usage, but also take control of their costs as well. See how video blog take control bloated telecom expenses are being tackled by businesses using these same strategies.
Taking Back Control of Mobile Telecom Costs
Mobile usage can get out of hand quickly for businesses, particularly those without a system capable of tracking and managing information appropriately. Organizations must create a clear usage policy and enforce it. Leaders must also monitor app behavior to identify better solutions and track bills to determine areas that can be improved. Businesses exploring monetising mobile data key offsetting strategies will find that mobile data management is the foundation of long-term telecom savings. To learn more about how a TEM solution can help you take back control of usage costs, contact Valicom today.
