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Wireless Expense Management Checklist

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TMCnews Featured Article


July 17, 2008

Wireless Expense Management Checklist

By Mae Kowalke, TMCnet Senior Editor


Successful wireless expense management is pretty complex, which is why most enterprises choose to outsource most or all of the process to a professional firm like Rivermine (News - Alert). Simply handing over this responsibility isn’t enough, though. Having an understanding of what is involved with wireless expense management is vital for success.

 
Since the process is complex, however, a checklist of points to consider might be helpful. A useful example was recently presented in a CIO article about cutting mobile telecom costs. These points, summarized below, form the foundation of any successful wireless expense management initiative.
 
Inventory — As the old saying goes, you can’t solve a problem until you’ve identified it. Wireless expense management is no exception. First, a thorough inventory of assets needs to be conducted so the enterprise knows how many and what type of devices and services are being used, by whom and for what purpose.
 
Invoice Analysis — Similarly, analyzing current wireless bills yields very valuable insight into how billing is handled and whether employees are correctly expensing their usage.
 
Policies — Solid policies need to be in place regarding acceptable wireless device usage. These policies must then be distributed to everyone in the company, and strictly enforced. Compliance with Federal and state regulations may very well depend on this.
 
Pools of Coverage — An enterprise with many employees who use wireless devices has a great deal of buying power, which often is underutilized. Pooled coverage plans ensure the best possible rates are obtained.
 
Educating Providers —  Every enterprise should work with their service providers to ensure that unique usage patterns are taken into account. This ensures that the enterprise’s wireless service needs are met.
 
Consolidation — So long as comparable or superior service is provided, switching from smaller carriers to larger ones, and paring down the number of providers to 2-3, is the way to go. Consolidation, when performed with prudence, can save money and time.
 
Eye on Travel — When negotiating rates with carriers, the enterprise should keep travel expenses in mind. Often wireless services are more expensive abroad, so including the best deal for international coverage goes a long way.
 
Bargaining — One of the problems with carrier contracts, as they’re initially presented, is they tend to nickel-and-dime enterprises on items like roaming charges, voicemail, call forwarding and SMS. Driving a hard bargain, and getting these items included as integrated items on the plan, can result in significant savings.
 
By working through this checklist, enterprises can help themselves be successful when getting started with a wireless expense initiative. To learn more, please visit the Wireless Expense Management channel on TMCnet, brought to you by Rivermine.
 
Mae Kowalke is senior editor for TMCnet, covering VoIP, CRM, call center and wireless technologies. To read more of Mae’s articles, please visit her columnist page. She also blogs for TMCnet here.
 







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