While mobile devices and services have had a positive impact in the business world when it comes to things like customer service and employee efficiency, the wireless revolution has turned out to be something of a management nightmare for many companies.

 

Wireless expense management is a relatively new discipline, but one that’s becoming more critical every day. With no plan or strategy for managing cell phones, PDAs, calling cards and pagers, keeping expenses under control and complying with regulations is next to impossible for most enterprises.

 

Many large companies, for example, waste millions of dollars each year on wireless devices that are expensed at three times the corporate rate. It’s also not uncommon for companies to continue sending money down the drain on wireless services for former employees. And, without having visibility into and control over wireless spend, a company can lose a lot of money simply by not being able to select the best wireless rate plans.

 

Rivermine (News - Alert), a telecom expense management (TEMS) provider has been helping companies get their wireless spend under control since 1997. The company uses a propriety tool called CELLector to help clients manage their wireless assets.

 

Successful wireless expense management involves a number of different components, summarized below. All of these are offered by Rivermine.

 

Optimization, Auditing and Invoice Processing — Rivermine’s CELLector tool analyses a company’s bills and wireless use information, comparing it to a database of 20,000 rate plans. It then identifies the most cost-effective rate plan for each employee, generates appropriate reports, and posts results to a Web-accessible portal.

 

Management and Web-based Reporting —  Employee usage is actively monitored in a Web-based system that streamlines ongoing management. Rate plan changes and other fluctuations from multiple carriers are consolidated and presented in a user-friendly format.

 

Web-based Wireless Purchasing — Rivermine’s CELLector Wireless Store give enterprises visibility into and control over wireless purchases. The online portal lets end-users place orders for wireless plans, devices and accessors.

 

Management of Wireless Carrier Request for Proposals (RFPs) — Negotiating with carriers is an easier process when there’s an expert in charge managing the process. This is one of the services provided by Rivermine.

 

Asset Tracking — The Web-based Asset Tracking Tool from Rivermine centralizes and streamlines management of wireless devices used in the field. Companies can use the CELLector Tool to view details about devices and how they’re used. The system also generates on-demand reports.

 

Policy Development — A wireless policy is necessary for effective wireless expense management. This policy should include preferred carriers, device choices, usage requirements, purchasing procedures and safety specifications. Rivermine works with its clients to develop just such policies.

 

Helpdesk Services —  Employees at an enterprise often need help figuring out issues related to wireless devices. But, answering such questions internally can be very time-consuming. Usually it is more efficient to outsource the process to Rivermine, which provides specialists who can address questions about everything from lost phones to billing discrepancies to porting cell phone numbers.

 

Quite simply, wireless expense management is a complex process best left to the pros. To learn more, please visit the Wireless Expense Management channel on TMCnet.com, brought to you by Rivermine.